They also mention the city’s roots in Gospel, jazz, R&B, rap, and soul. They like to tell you it’s where W.C Handy’s Beale Street paves the way to Graceland, and point out where the Mississippi River rolls by a 32-story steel Pyramid (the third largest in the world) and an island called Mud.
They’re equally proud of the fact that the city hosts the National Civil Rights Museum, which preserves the African-American fight for freedom, and the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, which chronicles the roots of American music.
Foodwise, it’s the “Pork BBQ Capital of the World” with more than 100 specialty restaurants (familiarly known as rib joints) serving “real” BBQ (ferocious slabs of ribs either dry rubbed or wet basted), pulled pork or pork shoulder, killer combos of ribs and chicken, and obligatory sides of baked beans, buns, and cole slaw.
Beale Street
Take a cue from Marc Cohn’s song, “Walkin’ in Memphis,” and head to Beale Street, which by day is rather unimpressive, and by night full of “twangy” music. Spend some time visiting the Gibson Guitar Factory and Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, both near the Beale Street Historic District.
Gibson Guitar Factory
Even non-guitar-playing people will be fascinated by the Gibson Guitar Factory where the world’s finest guitars are as close to “hand-made” as possible. The active manufacturing plant, which makes instruments for popular rock ‘n’ roll stars and blues musicians (including B.B. King’s famous “Lucille”), also houses an extensive collection of rare musical instruments, records, and memorabilia.
Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum
The Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum a Smithsonian exhibit that tells the history and legacy of people and musicians working in the Delta area from the 1930s to the 1970s, is a virtual [musical] tour down memory lane. Seven galleries of stage costumes, rare film footage, photographs, and vintage juke boxes let you relive the performances of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, B.B King and other legends who helped create the “Memphis Sound.”
Sun Studio and Stax Museum
Sun Studio is one of the most famous recording studios in the world, provides a free shuttle bus that takes you to its studio, then on to Stax Museum of American Soul Music, another fabulous collection of artifacts, photos, and exhibits from the soul music legends who recorded here, and finally to Graceland, the second most visited private residence in America after the White House. If you love Elvis, American musical history, pop culture, and1970s kitsch, you must visit.
Civil Rights Museum
Music isn’t the only thing Memphis has going for it, so on another day dig into its cultural and historical offerings. The National Civil Rights Museum, housed in the Lorraine Motel (450 Mulberry Street), is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, is a not-to-be-missed experience, as is the Center for Southern Folklore, a hodge-podge of Southern exhibits, resources, and entertainment.
Famous Duck Walk
No visit to Memphis is complete without a stop at the luxurious Peabody Hotel the grand dame of southern hotels and the social and business hub of Memphis. The elegant national historic landmark has been part of the lives of mid-Southerners since 1869 and has played host to countless notable figures, including several U.S. presidents.
Nearly as famous as its guests are the Peabody ducks, five mallards that call the beautiful lobby fountain their home by day, and a special duck palace “penthouse” area their home by night. Installed in the fountain since the 1930s when some hunters thought it would be a great joke to put some live ducks in the fountain, they became an instant hit with the guests and remain so today.
At precisely 11 a.m. each day, the ducks take the elevator down from the rooftop, follow the “Duckmaster” down a red carpet, and hop into the fountain for a day of leisure. Marching through the crowd at 5 p.m., the ducks reverse their walk to the tune of John Philip Sousa’s “King Cotton March” and retire for the night.
For maps, tickets, and tips on where to eat and what else to see, the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau (47 Union Street) has very helpful staff.
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