If Memphis were a song, it would be a soul-stirring blues tune with a rock-and-roll beat. From Elvis’s first hit, “That’s All Right (Mama),” to the award-winning “Uptown Funk,” this vibrant city has produced some of the country’s biggest hits, as well as a few legends along the way. Memphis provides endless ways to discover the stories behind the legends and have a rocking good time in the process.
Before being swept away by the rhythm of the city, pay a visit to its unofficial hosts: The Peabody Hotel’s famous gaggle of ducks. Every morning at 11 a.m., five ducks depart their posh penthouse via elevator and waddle down the red carpet to spend the day splashing in a lobby fountain. They end their day at 5 p.m. with a parade back to their lush abode.
A few blocks away sits historic Sun Records. A tour through this Memphis original offers a peek into the sound stage where Roy Orbison first sang about the greatest little girl he ever met, and a chance to pose with a microphone Elvis once used. Another studio-turned-museum is located deep in the heart of Soulsville: Stax Records, a museum dedicated to soul music and icons like Tina Turner and Isaac Hayes. Long before blue suede shoes walked brick-paved Beale Street, blues musicians crooned about hard times and lost loves in clubs along the infamous strip.
Step into the opulent lifestyle of a king with a visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. The tour highlights the formal dining room, living room, and a piano room just beyond the living room’s wall of stained glass. Embark on the Ultimate VIP Tour of Graceland Mansion with an expert guide, including a peek into Elvis’s custom jets, a show-and-tell session with items from his personal archives, a meal at Vernon’s Smokehouse, and a visit to the new exhibit complex, aptly named Elvis Presley’s Memphis.
Just a few miles and colorful murals away, the good times roll on. Overton Square includes a dynamic mix of live music venues, beautiful boutiques, and top-rated restaurants, drawing people to experience Midtown’s eclectic charm. Located in the Broad Avenue Arts District, the modern, eclectic Falling into Place shop features goods by independent makers and designers. Take home a treasure from Palladio Home & Garden, where you will find quality art and furnishings at every turn.
More than 40 local eateries take advantage of the city’s wonderful weather with outdoor patios beckoning guests to sit a spell and enjoy the scenery. To many Memphians, blues and barbecue go hand in hand. Once a three-bay garage, Payne’s BBQ offers taste bud tune-ups with their acclaimed chopped pork sandwiches, smothered in barbecue sauce and topped with slaw. Childhood friends Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman are the masterminds behind Hog & Hominy, an upscale restaurant that serves a fusion of Italian and Southern cuisine, like Biscuit Gnocchi.
Visit Bounty on Broad Butcher and Restaurant for farm-to-table fare including creative combinations and scrumptious offerings like the signature Bounty Salad, with pickled farm eggs, red and green beets, slivered shallots, spiced pecans, feta cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. The Beauty Shop, a former salon, includes a tantalizing menu that creatively blends island cuisine with Southern favorites.
Be sure to take advantage of Memphis’s mild winter with a walk in nearby Harbor Town, where blooming Japanese cherry and tulip poplar trees line the streets of the riverside neighborhood. Head downtown to the Peabody Hotel to see the famous penthouse residents: a team of very happy ducks who parade through the lobby twice daily.
The National Civil Rights Museum documents the history of the American civil rights movement with oral histories, films, and interactive exhibits. In addition to daily tours, a behind-the-scenes Gilded Twilight tour is offered Friday and Sunday evenings. Located at the former Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the museum also includes a memorial to the fallen civil rights leader.
Wherever you go exploring in Memphis, the musical heartbeat of this lively Southern city is sure to have you humming all the way home.
By Mona Moore
Photography by John O‘Hagan and Andrea Zucker
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