Memphis is a smaller city than I thought it would be and so I think we managed to see most of the highlights in the 3 days we were there. We had just arrived from a magical Christmas spent in New York and were looking forward to exploring everything that Memphis has to offer. Our choice of accommodation was a highlight in itself! The historic Peabody Hotel is so much more than just a hotel.
Where to Stay in Memphis
Opened in 1869 and later restored, The Peabody exudes Southern elegance and charm and is known as the “South’s Grand Hotel”. The hotel has a rich history and is listed on the National Register of Historical places.
The hotel lobby was festively decorated with an impressive Christmas tree and twinkling Christmas lights. It was the perfect place to enjoy a beverage while watching the legendary ‘Duck March’ (see below).
The Peabody has a long association with Elvis Presley. It was here that he signed his first recording contract with RCA and where he had his high school prom. The hotel even has a memorabilia room which includes his RCA contract.
The Peabody is also the home to the Lansky Bros. menswear clothing boutique which famously outfitted Elvis. The walls of the store are covered in Elvis memorabilia, as well as from other icons. Be sure to go and have a look around, it is like a mini museum!
Take the elevator up to explore the top floor and roof of the hotel, where you’ll find a retro function room, the iconic Peabody sign and the infamous ‘Duck Hotel’, where the Peabody ducks are living large, in style and comfort!
I loved our stay in this legendary, historic Memphis hotel. Not only was the hotel a beautiful accommodation choice, but it is also a must-see destination for visitors to Memphis, even if you don’t stay there.
Where to Eat in Memphis
Memphis is all about the BBQ! You cannot visit Memphis without sampling some of the best ribs I have ever tasted. Two iconic BBQ venues that I highly recommend you try when in Memphis are Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous and Central BBQ.
Charlie Vergos is conveniently located in an alley right across the road from the Peabody Hotel, in Downtown Memphis, and has been serving BBQ and ribs since 1948. Charlie came up with a winning rib formula that still stands today. Grill the ribs for just over an hour to seal in the flavour, add a vinegar wash to keep them moist, and use his father’s unique Greek chili rub recipe. Highly recommend trying the dry rub ribs! Yum!! I liked the vibe here too, with juke box music playing classic Memphis tunes, friendly wait staff and good service.
Central BBQ is another Memphis institution. They have several locations, we tried the Downtown one, right behind the Civil Rights Museum. Central BBQ prides itself on being ‘where the locals go’ and has been ranked as the number one spot for BBQ in Memphis. Their fall-off-the-bone meat is smoked in hickory and pecan wood and is served with dry rub or with sauce. We tried both! Guests are encouraged to relax and get messy. It’s no frills, just good food.
Top Things to See & Do in Memphis
See the Peabody Ducks
This would have to be something truly unique to Memphis. Every day, at The Peabody Hotel, at 11am and 5pm, a group of five North American Mallard ducks, led by a duck master, make a ceremonial march from their rooftop “Duck Palace” to the hotel lobby fountain. The event begins with the rolling out of the red carpet and the ducks enter the lobby from an elevator to the cheers from the crowd gathered to witness the daily event. At 5pm, the process happens again in reverse, as the ducks retire to their rooftop lodgings.
The Duck March tradition began in 1930, when the hotel manager, after a hunting trip, left live decoy ducks in the fountain as a joke. The ducks were so popular that they became a permanent fixture of the hotel. Every day about an hour before the march, crowds start gathering in the hotel lobby, and on the first-floor balcony, to get prime position! The hotel’s iconic duck motif is everywhere – napkins, swizzle sticks, linen, soap and hotel merchandise. Yes, this was one occasion that the guest soap found its way into my suitcase. 😁
Explore the Bass Pro Shop in the Memphis Pyramid
The Bass Pro Shop in the iconic Memphis Pyramid was our first stop in Memphis and I have to say, I have never seen anything like it before! The Pyramid itself contains not only the Bass Pro Shop but also the Big Cypress Lodge, restaurants and a glass viewing platform for views of the Mississippi River and downtown Memphis.
The Bass Pro shop is a wilderness themed Outdoor Shop that sells everything you can possibly need to hunt anything that moves! It is designed to resemble an indoor swamp, complete with catfish and alligators! We spent a few hours walking around several floors with jaws agape in wonder.
Tour the Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum is dedicated to chronicling the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, from slavery through to the present day. It is located in the former Lorraine Motel, where Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968.
The museum’s exhibits are highly immersive and bring history to life. Visitors begin with exhibits covering the early foundations of slavery and segregation and then move through key milestones including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides and the March on Washington.
I was fascinated by the Montgomery Bus Boycott exhibit. You can enter the actual bus that Rosa Parks was infamously riding on, when she refused to give up her seat to a white man, leading to her arrest in 1955. The bus was bought through an auction in 2001, after laying in a field for 30 years, rusting away, and was carefully restored. Upon entering the bus, visitors hear voice recordings of how Rosa was spoken to and get a sense of just how brave she was.
One of the most moving parts of the museum is where the tour ends, in room 306, where Dr King spent his final moments. The room is preserved as it was on that fateful day. Below the balcony, where he was standing when he was shot, is a 1966 Lincoln Continental convertible, similar to the one owned by Dr King.
The museum is very well curated and thought provoking. I highly recommend you add this to your Memphis itinerary.
Tour Graceland
You cannot travel to Memphis for the first time and not visit Graceland. Elvis is such a big part of the history of Memphis and Graceland offers a unique look into his life. There are several different tour options available, see part, or all, of the extensive exhibits on offer.
Graceland spans more than 13 acres and includes the mansion itself, Elvis’ trophy building, the meditation garden where Elvis and his family are buried, an extensive exhibition centre with exhibits displaying everything on Elvis’ career, his cars, his outfits and his private jets!
The Southern Colonial-style house that Elvis called home, is actually smaller than I thought it would be. The rooms are preserved to look as they did when Elvis lived there. It is a wonderful step back in time to walk through, listening to an audio guide giving information about each room. Visitors are not allowed upstairs where Elvis’ bedroom is located, but I loved the 70’s style kitchen, the Jungle room and the media room.
Visit Stax Studios & Sun Records Recording Studios
Stax Studios started out in a back street garage in 1957 and went on to become a multi-million-dollar organization. Take a guided tour of the iconic building, now the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, to learn about its rich history and about the big names that recorded there such as Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes.
Sun Studios started as a small recording studio on Union Ave in the early 1950’s. Sun Studios famously recorded Elvis’ first album, but they also gave many other musicians their start in the recording industry, including Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and B.B. King. I loved the photo of music legends Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash gathered around a piano, hanging above the actual piano that is in the photo! Highly recommend a tour of this legendary recording studio, so much history!
If you have a bit of time to kill while you are waiting for your tour of Sun Studios to begin, like we did, head across the road and take a look at the Edge Motor Museum. It has an interesting car collection that highlights the rise and fall of the American sports car. This was a surprise find and worth a look, even if you aren’t much of a rev head.
There are other recording studios in Memphis, such as Ardent Studios and Royal Studio, but we didn’t have enough time to see them all, so just ticked the big ones off our must-see list.
Experience Live Blues Music
You simply cannot come to the home of the Blues and not listen to some live Blues music….and it is so good! You will be spoilt for choice along legendary Beale Street. Popular places fill up and you might have to wait in a bit of a line to get in. We gave up on a few of the places we wanted to visit. In the end we had a great time at the Rum Boogie Cafe where the walls are crammed full of music memorabilia and the band playing, were taking requests all night.
We also listened to a few sets at B.B King’s Blues Club, we had to wait to get in, but it was worth it.
I have to say though, the music experience I enjoyed the most was in the Peabody Hotel’s piano bar. We were just enjoying a beverage at the end of big day sightseeing, listening to the resident pianist. He was good, but then a guy who was sitting in a bar stool near us, approached the piano. He asked the pianist if it would be ok if he sang a song or two. He was amazing! We had to shout him a beer after that!
Experience Beale Street
Much like Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Beale Street is where most of the live music and partying happens in Memphis. We were there just after Christmas, so it was freezing cold. Consequently, the crowds in the pedestrian street were fairly low. I can imagine it would be a very different picture in the warmer months.
Do the Memphis Rockwalk
You know the song…. Walking in Memphis… well I highly recommend that you do just that! In Memphis it feels like there is music history on every corner, and doing the Rockwalk, there literally is! The Rockwalk consists of 12 signs that not only help tourists find their way around the Edge neighbourhood, but also feature historic facts and bits of music trivia.
I loved our time in Memphis. There is so much history jam packed into quite a small area. If you love music, music history or you have a thing for ducks…. then make sure you spend at least a few days in this great city.
