Bob and I had been talking about making a trip down to Memphis for the past couple of years and never acted upon it until a couple of weeks ago. Along with two other couples, we headed down south for a weekend of drinking, eating, drinking and eating (oh and a couple of sightseeing things as well).
When we arrived Friday afternoon, we checked into the Hampton Inn on Beale Street. Okay, my opinion, a great hotel to stay at for its location. I mean, you walk outside, turn right and there’s Beale Street. You’re also close to the Fedex Forum and Autozone Park. How perfect is that? I will definitely be staying there again the next time I’m down there.
Once we settled in, we headed out to Silky O’Sullivan’s for some dinner and drinks, especially the drinks:
That is the Diver, a bucket of ice and alcoholic goodness. Of course, it would have been suicide for one person to drink all of that so they shared…two buckets. I’m glad that what we learned in kindergarten stuck with us for 25 years (okay, I know, Sarah, not for you. Stop making me feel so old).
After leaving Silky’s, we explored Beale Street.
Beale Street is surprisingly short and yes, it’s full of bars. And beers. They made it so convenient for you to get one:
Once we sufficiently wandered up and down the street, we ended up at Coyote Ugly.
Did not live up to the expectations. What do you mean the movie isn’t indicative of real life? Sure, the ladies danced on the bar and had body shots available, but that was about it. But I can now say I’ve been to Coyote Ugly and no, I did not dance on the bar.
Saturday we took a tour of the “Birthplace of Rock-n-Roll” aka Sun Studio.
This was where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and more made some of their biggest hits of the career. We went through the history of the place and toured the recording studio.
Yep, Elvis spit on that microphone.
That day we also found a fabulous barbecue place: Corky’s.
We all feasted on ribs that just fell off the bone. Memphis is known for it’s dry rub barbecue and so that had to be ordered. We were fortunate to have our rack of ribs split dry/wet for a taste comparison. I do have to say, I think the dry rub won me over.
Graceland wasn’t on the agenda, but we did see it:
Okay, so we passed by it on the way to some shopping and got a quick glimpse at it. It may have to be something that needs to be checked out the next time we’re in town.
Later on in the evening, after taking a nap (Amanda and I took naps while the guys lounged in the hottub and pool), we checked out A. Schwab’s on Beale Street.
Established in 1876, it’s a dry goods store that has the most random things in it. Apparently it had enough things to entertain us for a while:
After taking a trip back in time, we stopped by the Blues City Cafe where they have the BEST tamales that Bob has ever tasted. It’s not much to look at but this is all you need to know:
More drinking! We ended the evening at the Flying Saucer. I have to say, it’s probably my favorite place because there was such great people watching! We sat along the open window and watched the parade of cars drive by and women in such incredible outfits. “What Not to Wear” should do an episode in Memphis, right on the street. We even saw riot cops!
Sunday was Duck Day! We got to see the famous Peabody Ducks hustle down the red carpet and into their fountain. It was pretty adorable and hilarious, it’s a must see when you’re down here.
We also popped over to Mud Island and saw the Mississippi River scaled down.
It’s a detailed model of the river flow all the way down to the Gulf.
A perfect day to top off a fun weekend and a great group of friends. Thanks for letting the Sherrons tag along! You guys are such great traveling buddies, I hope there are more trips like this in the future!
