Memphis, Tennessee is a fascinating city worth making a trip for this summer. This 200-year-old city is located on the Mississippi River. Some of the biggest names in Rock n Roll have called this city their home. Naturally, Elvis Presley is always the first name that comes to mind, but there were many others such as Otis Redding, Carl Perkins, BB King, Booker T. Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Al Green, as well as Justin Timberlake. According to TNMusichighyway.com Memphis is the first stop Eastbound on what is considered the Music Highway section of I-40. This section runs from Memphis to Nashville. If you want to follow the stops along Music Highway, there are four stops in Memphis to visit are Graceland, Stax Museum of American Soul, Sun Records, and Memphis Rock n Roll Museum.
Memphis is considered by the music industry to be the birthplace of the Blues, Soul, and Rock N Roll. The records that pioneer Sam Phillips was bold enough to record gave Rock n Roll its starts. Records from his studio Sun Records would reach every part of the world influencing the sound of artists to this day. Sun Records is so special to music artist the studio has remained intact and is still used for recording sessions all the time. Many famous music groups have made the pilgrimage to Sun Records intending to stand in the place their heroes once sang and recorded the music that inspired them. While guests cannot witness the recording sessions, they can tour the office and recording room, and stand in front of the microphones that were used by music legends like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Recording sessions now take place at night after business hours. Sun records now use the space next door as a soda fountain as well as a gift shop where guests can pick up tickets to tour the studio and take a break from sightseeing to enjoy a cool drink while they wait their turn for a guided tour of all the recording areas of the building.
Memphis is also an important part of the history of the Civil Rights movement. According to memphistravel.com, there are 100 stops across 15 states on the Civil Rights Trail. Stops in Memphis include the National Civil Rights Museum, Mason Temple where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “Mountaintop” speech, WDIA that broadcasted Civil Rights news, and the Clayborn Temple an important staging location for the Civil Rights movement. The Civil Rights Museum is located at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated outside of his room on April 4, 1968.
You cannot talk about Memphis and not talk about Graceland the home as well as the resting place of Elvis Presley. According to the history of Graceland the property was owned by Stephen C. Toof, who named the property for his daughter Grace. The home that would go on to become the home of Elvis Presley was built by the niece of Grace Toof, who inherited after her death. Before the mansion was built Graceland was a simple farm. Now the property is on a booming street surrounded by the many museums that house Elvis’s many possessions. The museums include his car and airplane collection, movie memorabilia as well as a hotel. Elvis fans come from all over the world to pay homage to the “King” of Rock Roll. Every summer fans come together to celebrate his life with a weeklong festival call Elvis Week. Elvis Week is celebrated on the anniversary of his death August 17. This year Elvis Week is August 11-17 with a Hawaiian theme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of Blue Hawaii and his hit song Hulu Baby. There are still tickets to be had this year, but typically, tickets sell out quickly along with hotel rooms each year.
Another aspect of Memphis visitors should explore is the food! Memphis has been named among the best BBQ locations in the country. Some of the number one places to try are Central BBQ, Rendezvous, The Pig on Beale, and Germantown Commissary. Not interested in BBQ Memphis has long been known for having great fried chicken. Among the many choices are these famous favorites. The Four Way still using the same recipe since the restaurant originally opened in 1946. Uncle Lou’s, whose running joke is if the Colonel had used their recipe, he would be a General. As well as Gus’s World-Famous Fried chicken where many celebrities have stopped to bravely try Gus’s spicy chicken.
The Peabody Hotel and its famous ducks remains another interesting stop in Memphis. The Peabody Hotel is a breathtaking hotel that started in 1869 intending to be the grandest hotel in the South. The current location is the second location which was built in 1925 to be even elegant than the first, according to the history of the Peabody. The hotel’s famous ducks came about as a joke in the 1930s when the general manager at the time thought it would be a great joke to put live ducks in the hotel fountain. The stunt was so well received that the duck soon became residents of the hotel. In the 1940s a retired circus animal trainer was hired to bring the ducks down from their rooftop home daily to the fountain. He soon trained them to march through the hotel in spectacular manner each day, thus the March of the Peabody ducks. Guests can view the march every day at 11 am where the ducks swim around in the fountain until 5 pm. If you happen to visit the Peabody, try their adorable white chocolate duck for dessert. This treat is a hollow white chocolate-shaped duck filled with delicious chocolate mousse.
