Help me plan a trip to Nashville and Memphis.

Old Dec 9th, 2014, 12:58 PM
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Help me plan a trip to Nashville and Memphis.

I am planning a trip to Nashville and Memphis at the end of January. I will be celebrating both my birthday and our wedding anniversary. This will be our first time in both cities and the current plan is to spend 4 days in Nashville and 3 days in Memphis. We love music--all kinds including country, rock, blues and jazz. My wife is a photographer and a vegetarian so we probably will not be doing the Barbecue food places. I will rent a car and need help regarding hotels, music venues, places to see and restaurants. Thanks in advance!
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 02:37 PM
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Can you give a price point for us as far as hotels and restaurants go? I have several ideas but I am just not sure what you are looking for. Both cities are great fun!
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 02:55 PM
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Thanks willowjane!

I'd like a hotel close to the downtown area in Nashville-however, in the $ 200 - $225 range. The restaurants could be pricey as long as there are vegetarian options.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 04:20 PM
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In Memphis, we loved staying at the Talbot Heirs Guest house. It's right across the street from the Peabody, and you get a lovely apartment for the price of a hotel room.
Sights we enjoyed: Graceland (we're not big Elvis fans, but spent 3-4 hours there), Sun Studio, Stax, Gibson Guitar Factory tour, Rock n Soul, National Civil Rights Museum, Mud Island, Elmwood Cemetery driving tour, Belz Museum, Cotton Museum, strolling between music venues at night.
Didn't like: Pink Palace, Peabody Ducks, Ornamental Metal Museum.
In Nashville, we stayed at the Best Western because it was convenient and not expensive. Sounds like you want something nicer.
Sights we enjoyed: Hermitage, Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Parthenon, Bicentennial Park, State Museum, Cheekwood, Belle Meade, Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole opry Backstage tour, Frist Center.
Loved the Grand Ole Opry Show.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 04:55 PM
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There are a lot of good places to eat in Nashville...kind of depends on where you can get a table and what style of food you like. We enjoyed Etch, the Southern and Merchants, with Etch being the most gourmet and #2 on the TripAdvisor list so it's popular. I think there are vegetarian options at all of these, but probably not as many as you would find in a city like Portland, Oregon. Maybe check menus on-line so you can be sure there is something other than salads that your wife would enjoy.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 04:56 PM
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I would agree that the Grand Ole Opry is a must-do while in Nashville.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 05:08 PM
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I have to completely agree with Abram! Talbot Heirs was awesome! We really did enjoy tea at the Peabody, Graceland,visiting music venues downtown, and Cheekwood.
In Nashville we stayed at the Hermitage and it was pricey but I got a good deal for it. Cheekwood was one of our favorite visits (and it had a good restaurant). We loved our visit to the Ryman and even got to sing a song on stage! We would recommend visiting Franklin for the day and just enjoying the cute shops and restaurants.
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Old Dec 10th, 2014, 06:00 AM
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Was in Memphis in September. The Peabody was full, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn across the street. We found the town eerie. The streets, except for a few blocks on Beale, were deserted. We walked from our hotel to Sun Studios, about a mile away, down a major street, and passed three people on the way there, and two on the way back. Empty streets to and from Gus's. Only lightly populated streets to and from Beale. Finally we decided "when in Rome" and drove to the Civil Rights Museum.

Maybe a local can explain the lack of street life.

If you're into the music, you'll probably greatly enjoy the tours of Sun Studios and Graceland. We unfortunately missed the Gibson Guitar tour. The National Civil Rights Museum is in fact privately owned. It offers a moving look at the civil rights movement and especially the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is presented pretty exclusively from the black point-of-view and so offers some real insight together with some grain-of-salt moments. I think most will find it an enriching experience.
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Old Dec 10th, 2014, 09:17 AM
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I agree with the above poster. Beale Street was fun to walk and listen to jazz. Loved the Peabody and Elvis' tour. Other than that, nothing and empty. I was afraid to walk the streets, except Beale, at night it was so vacant.
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Old Dec 11th, 2014, 06:54 AM
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Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

Looks like my plan is to arrive in Nashville, rent a car and stay 4 days. Then we will drive to Memphis for 3 days and return to Nashville for 1 night before flying home. We are able to fly nonstop from Nashville and not Memphis. Hoping to get tickets for the Ryman and Bluebird and seeing all the suggested sights in both cities and eat at Etch.
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Old Dec 11th, 2014, 09:11 AM
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I would also suggest the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville--buy the ticket that includes a tour of the famous Studio B where some iconic songs were recorded. In addition to getting a ticket for a show at The Ryman (check the schedule--I think the Grand Ole Opry has their shows there in the wintertime), take a tour--very informative and historic. They are doing a lot of construction on the building so call or take a look at the website to verify info).

In contrast to Memphis (agree completely with comments made above), downtown Nashville/Lower Broadway is thriving and packed with throngs of people. I was there in October and could hardly believe it--it reminded me of Times Square!
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Old Dec 11th, 2014, 01:40 PM
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A new possibility: Fly NYC to Nashville, pick up a car and drive straight to Memphis for 3 days and then drive to Nashville for 5 days. I am a new Starwoods member and I believe I can book 4 nights and get the 5th night free.

Also by doing this we will be celebrating our wedding anniversary in Memphis. Any suggestions on excellent restaurant ( vegetarian friendly) and a good music venue?
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Old Dec 12th, 2014, 07:14 AM
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Hre's the list of downtown vegan restaurants: http://www.urbanspoon.com/tn/50/2/49...is-restaurants
I like the map showing where they are.
Another way to arrive in Memphis is to ride the "City of New Orleans" overnight from Chicago. It leaves about 8PM and arrives after 6:30AM on Main Street in Memphis.
In March I'm planning to pick up a rental car from Hertz in Memphis.
I'll eat breakfast at the Arcade (Elvis hangout) which is across the street from the train station. I'll get a taxi to Hertz about 9AM when they open.
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Old Dec 12th, 2014, 09:05 AM
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I went to Nashville and Memphis for a couple of days each in October. Most of the places I visited have been mentioned by posters above except for (maybe I missed it) the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. It is small but there is a lot to see - I recommend it highly.
Enjoy your trip!
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Old Dec 12th, 2014, 10:55 AM
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In Memphis our favorite things were Sun Records and the Civil Rights Museum, it's a absolute must. And of course Beale Street. I thought the ducks at the Peabody were very cute. We were in Memphis a few years ago in February. Weather was a bit chilly but I don't remember the streets being that empty. Maybe things have changed.

A fun restaurant we went to which is not downtown Memphis was The Beauty Shop. Supposedly Priscilla Presley either worked there and was a client, can't remember now. It was different than all the BBQ places and I always like to get out into other neighborhoods when visiting a city. If I remember right it was about a 10 min drive from downtown. I think they have a good Brunch but we went for lunch. http://thebeautyshoprestaurant.com/
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Old Dec 13th, 2014, 11:18 AM
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A quick question to Abram and Willowjane regarding the Talbot Heirs Guest House:

Apparently rooms 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8 are all available during our stay. Would you suggest any of the rooms based on your personal experiences? Rooms 2. 4. 6. 8 have bedrooms that are separate from the living room. Did you have breakfast in your room? The only concern I have at this moment is that all the rooms except 1 are all free and that we will be the only other guests in the room.
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Old Dec 14th, 2014, 07:28 AM
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Just booked the Talbot Heirs Guest House ( Suite #4) and the Sheraton Nashville downtown for our stays! Reserved tickets at the Ryman for Grand Ole Opry and hoping to get tickets for the Bluebird Cafe.
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Old Dec 14th, 2014, 02:44 PM
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I can't remember the room we stayed in but the bedroom was separate. It really does remind me of an apartment building. You walk up a set of stairs and the rooms are along a hallway. The manager seemed to be always around when we were there. Have a wonderful trip!
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Old Dec 16th, 2014, 04:13 PM
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Can anyone make some suggestions where we could celebrate our wedding anniversary in Memphis? Looking for a restaurant ( needs to be vegetarian friendly ) that either has live music or a restaurant first and then music.
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Old Dec 17th, 2014, 08:05 AM
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I have never been to the restaurants in the Peabody but they have two and their fine, fine dining has great reviews, however I expect it expensive and I don't know about music: http://www.peabodymemphis.com/dining/
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