Road Trip! Destination: Memphis
More than 10 million visitors find their way to Memphis every year. For good reason. The city is rich in music, history, food and hospitality. These highlights are a small sampling of all the city has to offer.
Beale Street district
The city's entertainment heartbeat is Beale Street, surrounded by reasonably priced hotels, where you could spend an entire weekend without wandering more than a couple of blocks.
During the day, stop in Gibson Beale Street Showcase Factory ( www.gibson.com ), where you can witness the process of creating a Gibson guitar and learn the century-old history of the company's influence. Among the many models of guitars is the Les Paul guitars, Chet Atkins' solid body acoustic guitar, and, of course, B.B. King's Lucille.
Or, pop into A. Schwab's Dry Good Store. This last remaining business of the original Beale Street was opened in 1876 with the motto: "If you can't find it in Schwab's, you're probably better off without it."
At night, Beale Street is lined with the neon lights of restaurants, bars and clubs. Hop from door to door through music offerings ranging from Delta blues to jazz, rock to R&B and gospel.
Tour in style
American Dream Safari offers a number of private, chauffeur-driven tours in the backseat a 1955 Cadillac. Owner and driver Tad Pierson has been touring visitors through Memphis since 1989. He knows the city through and through, offering insider details that go far beyond a standard Grayline tour. Choose from one of eight excursions for an insightful and entertaining outing. If you're anything like me, there will not be a choice. "Juke Joint Full of Blues" is an absolute late-night must through Memphis jukes where beer is served in one size -- a 40-ounce bottle -- and the red Christmas lights glow year-round. Details: www.americandreamsafari.com .
Political history
A more sobering -- but no less fascinating -- stop is the American Civil Rights Museum. One of the buildings is the former Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated April 4,1968. The Lorraine was one of the few motels that offered overnight accommodations to blacks during the period of segregation. Exhibits in the 11-year-old museum chronicle the key episodes of American civil rights and international human rights. Details: www.civilrightsmuseum.org .
Music history
Music lovers can go nuts in the many museums dedicated to the history of music.
Take the wayback machine to the two-room shotgun home of the W.C. Handy Home & Museum ( www.wchandymemphis.org ), the former house of the "Father of the Blues" (1873-1958). His house was moved to Beale Street and restored in the mid-1980s. An informative 20-minute commentary is augmented by photos and artifacts.
A more recent home open for public visits is Graceland, former digs of Elvis Presley ( www.elvis.com ) -- three new exhibits with remembrance of him 35 years after his death. "Elvis on Tour" opened Jan. 5; "Elvis ... Through His Daughter's Eyes" opens Feb. 1; "Icon: The Influence of Elvis Presley" opens March 1.
If you know Elvis, you know Sun Studio ( www.sunstudio.com ), which claims the title of "Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll." There's no interactive computerized exhibits or flashing lights. It's more of a quiet shrine to the likes of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, who were among the hitmakers who got their start here under the influence of rock pioneer Sam Phillips.
More energetic in its delivery is the Stax Museum of American Soul Music ( www.staxmuseum.com ), where you're likely to dance your way out the door. You'll enjoy more than 2,000 exhibits, film and memorabilia of the many influential artists who recorded at Stax -- Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett and Booker T. & the MGs are but drops in the star bucket.
Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum ( www.memphisrocknsoul.org ) developed out of a collaboration of the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian and is along the legendary Route 61. It offers a comprehensive look at Memphis music through seven galleries and three audio-visual programs. The audio tour alone offers 300 minutes of information, including 100 songs.
Soul of another sort
The Rev. Al Green invites visitors to his Full Tabernacle Church for rousing Sunday services with great gospel music, inspiring preaching and good fellowship. There's no guarantee the Rev. Al will lead the service, but it's a fine Southern gospel experience. Follow it up with a hearty soul food lunch of fried chicken, BBQ and banana cream pie at a neighborhood restaurant. Details: www.algreenmusic.com .
Ducks!
A fun little stop is a visit to the grand Peabody Hotel, where its contingent of five Mallard ducks are royally escorted from their "Duck Palace" on the rooftop to the fountain, in the lobby. At 11 a.m. daily, the Duckmaster -- fully costumed in his regal uniform -- leads the ducks along a red carpet from the elevator to the fountain where they splash and cavort throughout the day. They return with the same fanfare at 5 p.m., amid a crowd of camera-snapping tourists. Corny⢠Yes. Did I make sure I was there early enough to get a good view⢠Absolutely! Details: www.peabodymemphis.com .
Love that dirty water
Mud Island River Park -- open from April through October -- includes the Mississippi Museum, which showcases 10,000 years of lower Mississippi River history in 18 galleries; a riverfront amphitheater for concerts; and kayak and paddleboat rentals. A unique feature is the Riverwalk, an exact scale model of the lower Mississippi River from the Ohio River in Cairo, Ill., to the Gulf of Mexico. Splash barefoot past the 20 cities mapped along the Riverwalk in which 30 inches equal 1 mile, leading to an acre-sized Gulf of Mexico. Details: www.mudisland.com .
