Music Interludes: Nashville & Memphis; History: Little Rock
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Music Interludes: Nashville & Memphis; History: Little Rock
BACKGROUND: We intended this trip to be a short get-away, the main destinations being MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE and LITTLE ROCK.,ARKANSAS. NASHVILLE served as a stop-over to break up our drive.
We're sharing our trip experiences for others who might be interested in exploring some of our US musical heritage, as well as a little presidential history, while enjoying some tastes of the South.
Four years ago we spent four days in Nashville, And to anyone who has not visited, we liken it to a kind of “Tale of Two Cities”. We initially went to Nashville to visit the Frist Museum, which had an Impressionist Exhibit on loan from the Musee’ D’Orsay (yes, in Nashville) and a Dale Chihuly Glass Exhibit. Of course, we knew that Nashville was the “Country Music Capitol”, and so planned to use a couple of days to imbibe the country influence.
To anyone who has a chance to visit Nashville, we would recommend visiting the “Country Music Hall of Fame”, and highly encouraging adding “RCA Studio B”, which is a separate ticket purchased in the Hall of Fame. The Studio B tour takes you in a van to the studio where Elvis, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, and a host of other stars recorded. The Studio B tour is a highlight.
Other worthwhile visits are the “Ryman Theatre”, the original country music venue and Grand Ole Opryland. And if you’re interested in US history, Andrew Jackson’s “Hermitage” is in the area.
With our brief stop-over on this trip, we planned to take in a couple more sites.
Day 1-THURSDAY, May 28 NASHVILLE
We made the five-hour drive from home to Nashville, arriving about 2:15 PM, which we later realized was 1:15 PM, as they’re on CST.
It was too early to check-in to our hotel, so we drove out Broadway, the main street, to West End Road, toward the campus of Vanderbilt University. Across the street, in Centennial Park, is the world’s only exact replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
Why is such a structure in Nashville, Tennessee? There’s a long history, but in summary, one was originally constructed of wood and plaster in 1837 to celebrate the centennial of Tennessee’s statehood. There were many other temporary buildings surrounding it, the purpose being to promote the state as a forwarding-looking, business-oriented area. This Centennial was a huge celebration, attracting people from far and wide. In the days following, the structures were to be dismantled.
However, community leaders and some prominent citizens wanted to rebuild the Parthenon of more substantial material. That goal was realized, and the interior was gradually transformed into a museum detailing the impressive development of Tennessee from the 1700’s on, and housing some outstanding works of art contributed by wealthy citizens. Later, a 42’ statue of Athena was created, highlighted with gold leaf and intricate detail, and displayed in a large hall on the second floor. It is quite impressive!
We thought this visit was a very worthwhile venture, and showed more of the “other side” of Nashville; namely, the cultural side, in contrast to the country music emphasis. It revealed the history of a rapidly developing southern area.
After checking in at our "Courtyard Marriott" on 4th Street, we walked the few blocks down to Broadway and explored the many bars, restaurants, and shops, with music, mostly country, wafting through the streets. We ended up eating at the popular “Jack’s Ribs”. What else in Nashville but bar-b-q ribs?
After a filling meal, we could have spent a couple of hours roaming up and down the lively Broadway, but knowing that we wanted to get an early start on our Memphis drive in the morning, we decided to take a brief walk and enjoy a tasty dessert from Mike’s Ice Cream Shop.
Day 2-FRIDAY, May 29th NASHVILLE/MEMPHIS
At 7:30, we walked two blocks over Church Street to a local favorite for breakfast, “Puckett’s Grocery Restaurant”. And, true to southern cuisine, they offered grits with gravy and country (salty) ham. However, not being southerners, we were able to order our preference of eggs and bacon.
Before leaving Nashville, we drove a few blocks up Church Street to visit the State Capitol, only taking time to walk the grounds and take in the view from its hilltop perch. Following that, we crossed the Cumberland River to check out the Tennessee Titans Football Stadium, and then picked up I 65 to begin our 4 ½ hour drive to Memphis.
Our brief Nashville visit provided that welcome break in our long drive. Nashville is a pretty city, surrounded by huge swaths of green rolling terrain. Many of today’s popular music stars live there. We’ll, no doubt, visit again in the future.
The first part of the drive to Memphis was pleasant. The highway was lined with trees, both deciduous and evergreen, with some gentle hills revealing rock outcroppings. A rest stop, beautifully landscaped, had some of the tallest and largest lilies that we have ever seen. A pleasant break!
About midway, the terrain flattened, and the scenery was mostly farmlands, some slightly flooded. From 1-65, we blended onto I 40, and our hotel was but a few side streets off the freeway: the "Residence Inn" on Monroe, right down near the heart of it all. Memphis is “Blues and Rock ‘n Roll”!
Check in was quick, and wanting to make best use of our time, we immediately signed up for a tour of “Graceland” .a must-visit in Memphis. It was a sunny day, so we decided to make use of the weather and visit the rooftop garden of our hotel to have a drink, and take in the expansive view of the Mississippi River. It was a perfect place to relax after our 4 ½ hour drive.
Before too long, some clouds began to form, and we headed off to “BB King’s Club” on Beale Street, a main entertainment hub. The hotel desk clerk, Olga, gave us a coupon for the cover charge and a free appetizer. We arrived at 5 PM, and it was almost a full house, both first floor and balcony. But we did get situated in a nice spot just in time for the music to begin.
The lead was a young musician named Will Tucker, well known around there. Apparently, he opened for BB King when he came to Memphis. We enjoyed the mix of music styles, mostly blues, with a variety of other styles mixed in. We stayed for about four “sets”, and as we were leaving, the band did Carlos Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”, which was a real crowd pleaser.
After dinner, we strolled down the lively three or so blocks of Beale Street which are “Pedestrian Only”. Along with the many bars and restaurants, most with music emanating, was a kind of novel variety shop, “A. Schwab’s Dry Goods”, selling all kinds of old-fashioned stuff: kitchen utensils, personal care items, clothing, etc., stuff your Grandmother may have used. And, the best of all, was a soda fountain, a perfect stop for dessert.
After enjoying the sights and sounds of Beale Street for a while, we decided to head back to our Residence Inn in order to prep for an early start in the morning.
DAY 3 SATURDAY, MAY 30th MEMPHIS
Although we are not Elvis aficionados, we do like a lot of his music, and one can’t be in Memphis without imbibing the Elvis spirit. So we wanted to do the tour of Graceland, and decided that it would be easier to accomplish that by paying one price and taking advantage of the van transportation with all the ticketing involved. No traffic or parking concerns.
The stay at the Residence Inn includes a wonderful breakfast. Soon after finishing our meal, we waited in the hotel lobby for the 9:00 van pick-up to “Graceland”. On the van, we met the first of several Europeans who were Elvis devotees.
The ride to Graceland was about 15-20 minutes south on I 55. Upon arrival, we were surprised at the large crowds. However, the place was very well organized. The mansion is across a busy street from the other areas of the museum comples. Lines for vans to transport you across the highway to the mansion and grounds were well-regulated, and controlled the flow of people. Many ushers were around to provide help. The vans delivered people to the front entrance of the Graceland mansion.
When we arrived at the front entrance of the mansion, there were only about a dozen people in line ahead of us. Upon entering, you’re presented with an I-pad which guides you from room to room and provides very good commentary. Of course, Elvis’ songs are woven throughout the tour. The “mansion”, as it is called, is a very attractive colonial style two-story home with a finished lower level. It’s well-appointed, but feels very comfortable and livable. The lower level has carpeting on the walls to contribute to good acoustics.
The home is setback from the road with large trees flanking the driveway. Outside the house is a beautiful pasture, as apparently Elvis owned horses and loved to ride. There’s a building housing a museum. Also, a meditation garden which is the burial spot for the family: Elvis’ mother, father, twin-brother who died at birth, and Elvis himself.
There are separate tickets to the archives, which includes lots of memorabilia. Most interesting to us was a film weaving facts of Elvis’ life with his music at various stages.
Viewing Elvis’ cars was very interesting. We thought the additional cost to visit these other places was worth it.
All in all, we thought the experience of “Graceland” was well worth the cost. It provided an insight and appreciation of Elvis’ life: his very humble birthplace in Tupelo, MS., his early life struggles, his devotion to his family, his musical roots, and his desire to pursue his musical interests. Also, his real decency as a person; his great generosity toward people needing help.
We were amazed at the European visitors whom we met: a couple from Germany, a man with his son from Ireland, and about a half-dozen guys from Belgium. These people seemed to be real Elvis aficionados! With the large numbers of visitors, there were possibly many more of our European friends.
About 3 PM we were ready to catch a return bus. By asking around, we found that the bus would take us to “Sun Studio” and that the studio ran a shuttle to Beale Street. Perfect for our evening plans!
“Sun Studio” was the recording studio opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips in January, 1950. It was known as the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll”. Blues and R & B artists like BB King (RIP) as well as other notables like Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis recorded there. “Sun Studio” sat idle for a period of years, and a part of the building was used for various ventures, like a laundry and a barber shop, but the actual recording studio was preserved in its original form.
We arrived about 3:20, only to find that the 3:30 tour was already sold out. So we waited for the 4:30 tour. We decided that it was worth the hour-long wait, especially since there was a soda fountain and interesting photos and memorabilia in the lobby which made the wait very tolerable. The enthusiastic guide, Zack, was really “into” the music, He provided an entertaining tour of the studio. We were glad that we had waited for the experience. We thought of Sun Studio as the Part I of the RCA Studio B tour in Nashville which we had done a few years ago.
As described, a Sun Studio shuttle took us back to Beale St. We enjoyed walking a couple of blocks, imbibing the musical atmosphere. We stopped in the “Jerry Lee Lewis Bar” for muchos nachos and beer while enjoying a Jerry Lee Lewis video, and listening to a live band. Arriving before 7 PM, we avoided a cover charge!
We recalled that ice cream dessert from the soda fountain at A. Schwab’s, and decided to make that our final stop of the evening in order to return to our hotel, get packed, and plan to get an early start for some last ½ day enjoyment of Memphis before heading across the Mississippi to Little Rock.
Walking back to our hotel, we were both dragging from the long day. But we were so distracted by some impressive fireworks coming from the ball stadium that we walked about two blocks past our street!
DAY 4 SUNDAY, MAY 31st MEMPHIS/LITTLE ROCK
After again enjoying the generous breakfast at the Residence Inn, we took a few minutes to make an adjustment to our Courtyard Hotel reservation in Little Rock. We decided that the drive home from Little Rock, being about 11 ½ hours, counting stops, was too long for one day. A change of reservation would allow us to leave Little Rock in the late afternoon and stop over near Nashville at another Marriott. That would spread our drive home over two days.
Once that change was completed, we wanted to visit the famous luxury “Peabody Hotel”, intending to enjoy the lobby and impressive gift shop, and maybe have a capuccino. When we arrived about 10:30, the lobby was almost full, with waitresses making the rounds for drink orders, and ushers in full uniform telling everyone that they must be seated in the lobby. “No standing”! It was only then that we realized that we had arrived just in time for the morning ceremonial ritual of the parade of the so-called “Peabody Ducks.”
These special ducks live in an enclosure on the hotel rooftop, and everyday are brought down to parade to the fountain in the lobby in grand style. There is an interesting history to this custom, and one would think that royalty were about to enter on the red carpet with the Philip Sousa music and the Duckmaster’s baton. It was fascinating to watch all the hoopla surrounding the parade of the ducks.
Added interest was provided to our Peabody Hotel visit when we realized that the couple sitting next to us was from Brazil. We enjoyed an interesting dialogue about our visit to Brazil as well as their experiences in the US. They were students in International Law, and were spending some time at the University of Alabama.
Having enjoyed a little of the inside of what is a really beautiful hotel, it was time to walk the two blocks back to our hotel, check out, and get on our way to Little Rock. Upon exiting Memphis, we stopped at the Visitors’ Center, something one would ordinarily do when entering the city. But we didn’t know its location and didn’t want to waste time finding it. In the entrance were two beautiful larger-than-life bronze statues of the two “Kings of Memphis”: BB King and Elvis Presley. Another real plus of the stop was meeting a delightful couple from San Luis Obispo who traveled quite a distance to explore the area, even visiting Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis’ home-town. We shared some interesting travel experiences!
The drive from Memphis to Little Rock is about 21/2 hours, all interstate. We passed the time listening to our Elvis CD and discussing our travel experiences on this trip. From musical Nashville and Memphis we were delving into a bit of US history, intending to visit the Clinton Presidential Library and some key sites of Little Rock, the capitol of Arkansas.
Our Courtyard Hotel in Little Rock was a mere three blocks off the interstate, and within a very short time we were checked in and ready to explore the Little Rock Riverwalk, the main street, named “President Clinton Drive”. We were impressed with the downtown. As its name implies, Little Rock is “little”. The Riverwalk looks newly-updated with nice landscaping and many little restaurants and shops. There is an impressive ampitheatre along the riverbank of the Arkansas River.
We were ready for an early dinner, so we followed a sign to the “Damngood Pies Restaurant”, located on the bank of the River. Since it was drizzling, we sat at a window table inside. After some delicious spaghetti/meatballs and cold beer, we just had to visit “Kilwin’s Ice Cream”, a delicious Michigan import.
Since we’re now into history portion of our trip, we returned to the hotel for our car and headed in the direction of “Central High School”, the site of the 1950’s national disgrace when President Eisenhower sent the National Guard to demand that black students be permitted to enter the racially segregated school. The Governor had closed the school in order to prevent them from entering, and in so doing, caused the other students to lose a portion of a year of their high school studies. This incident led to the US Supreme Court decision of “Brown vs. the Board of Education”.
We drove to the State Capitol, situated on a high point in this small city. On the grounds of the capitol is a beautiful tribute to the so-called “Little Rock Nine”, the brave students who were the first to enter the high school. There’s bronze statue of each student, and engraving with personal information, including what impressive things each did with their lives.
While taking in the site, we met a wonderful black family who lived in Little Rock, and were exploring areas of their city just as we were. Talking with that family was a touching experience, as their parents and grandparents had lived through so much of the disturbing history! As we were leaving, the father asked us if we were Christians. We joined hands, and he led a beautiful prayer, including a request for our safe drive home.
It was now dusk, and we had just enough time to drive the short distance to see the Governor’s Mansion. The home is situated in a nice residential neighborhood of Little Rock.
We were told that Little Rock is expanding west. There are many nice upscale homes being built, and a large shopping center being developed. Since we wanted to maximize our time the following day, we chose not to drive in that direction, but to get back to our hotel and ready things for the morning.
DAY 5 MONDAY, JUNE 1st
We had breakfast in the Courtyard Café, checked out, and by about 8:55 were driving down the short President Clinton Drive to arrive for the 9 AM opening of the “Clinton Presidential Library”. If it weren’t for the fact that we wanted to conserve time so as to be on the road back to Nashville in the mid-afternoon, it would have been a nice walk, because the road is like a landscaped path.
We were surprised at the large number of cars already in the lot. Immediately upon entering the library, we talked to folks at registration desk who told us that President Clinton visits frequently, and has planning meetings with a variety of people who are working on projects with his Foundation. We learned from them, and from others we met, like the ushers, restaurants workers, etc. that President Clinton knows all of their names and remembers details of conversations they’ve had. After his meetings, he would frequently want to walk down into town for a coffee or a restaurant stop. This provided challenges for the Secret Service. Hillary was described as warm and very friendly, but more eager to get down to business.
The library was three floors, well-laid out, and comfortable. We joined the 9:30 tour with a guide who was very knowledgeable, and provided an excellent overview of the library, and knew many ins and outs of the library set-up. She also said that President Clinton knew her name and each time she encountered him he would ask about her growing family. She provided many details, even including memorabilia and facts about President Clinton's early years. The tour was very informative, and we would recommend it to anyone who visits the library.
Following the tour, we were in the area of the “Orientation Theater” where we viewed the 12-minute film, a summary of President Clinton’s life and political career. We appreciated the time to sit for a few minutes.
One highlight in the library was a full-scale replica of the White House Cabinet Room which utilizes interactives to introduce visitors to critical decisions and how they were made. Also explained are the positions of the White House staff and cabinet. Other presidential libraries also have cabinet rooms, but we don’t recall their being open with the opportunity to sit in the chairs and view the interactives. Of course, Tom chose to sit in “the President’s Chair”!
The full-scale reconstruction of the Oval Office shows the room and its furnishings as they appeared during the Clinton Administration. Our guide said that she is a friend of the designer, and that they keep fabric, etc. in a separate place in case any damage would happen to the furniture.
One floor of the library contains a timeline of the events and highlights of the Clinton Administration with videos introducing each year. There are alcove exhibits on either side which focus on a significant policy area.
An interesting side note that we learned from an usher: that President Clinton had gotten the idea of the alcoves from a visit to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. He sketched the design on a napkin and gave it to the architects of the library. The usher told us that President Clinton was very involved in the design of the library and grounds.
The piers of the alcoves are filled with archive boxes which represent a small portion of the 80 million pages of documents in the Clinton archives. Although it would be interesting to some of these, one would need days! Many more documents are available in an adjoining building.
In the midst of all this exploration and education, we did take time for lunch in the “42 Restaurant”. It was a lovely setting, with a view to the river. Although there was an outdoor patio, we chose the ambience of the inside with the white tablecloths and interesting wall art. The menu prices were very reasonable. For $2.00, we agreed that we enjoyed about the best fries we’ve ever had! The steak sandwiches were so large that we could have easily shared one. That meal took care of dinner, too!
To do justice to all the details of the President Clinton Library, as other presidential libraries, one would need many, many hours. There are several other areas of interest on the property to explore: including the “Clinton Graduate School of Public Service”, housed in the renovated old train station, an old railroad bridge that was restored as a pedestrian bridge. The latter would be nice on a sunny day! Another interesting “neighbor” is the Heifer Project, an international charitable project focused on providing livestock and agricultural assistance to poor countries.
There were other valuable things to explore. But we were satisfied that we had enjoyed a good overview of the library itself, had learned a lot, and pleasantly surprised that there was so much more to do around Little Rock. The Ozark Mountains are not that far; maybe for a future trip.
By about 3:15, our minds were as weary as our legs, and it was time to make our way out of Little Rock before the after-noon rush hour. We were told that if we made it across the bridge by 4 PM or so, to connect with I 40, we would have smooth sailing. Only one last stop before departing: a farewell ice cream treat from Kilwin’s.
The drive back through Memphis to Nashville was as unremarkable as we had remembered. We knew that stops for coffee and gas were few and far between. So we were fortified with drinks, snacks, and a full tank of gas. There was road construction, but we didn’t lose much time from it.
A little over ½ way into our drive to Nashville, darkness fell. Although we had maps, it was relieving that our GPS “Gilda” was alert and gave us accurate directions to our Towne Suites Hotel in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville. We were glad to stop for the night.
DAY 8 TUESDAY, JUNE 2 TRAVEL HOME
Daylight allowed us to appreciate what we had heard about Franklin. It is an attractive “suburb” of Nashville, with beautiful homes and many shopping opportunities, surrounded by green rolling terrain. Apparently, many of the country stars live around Franklin.
The remainder of the day was the drive home. Fortunately, the terrain through the north of Tennessee and through Kentucky is rolling and green with beautiful rock.
Home by about 4:30 PM. A very satisfying get-away! Re-energized to continue some on-going home projects.
We hope our little report provides some useful information for others who might be interested in visiting Nashville, Memphis, and Little Rock.
We're sharing our trip experiences for others who might be interested in exploring some of our US musical heritage, as well as a little presidential history, while enjoying some tastes of the South.
Four years ago we spent four days in Nashville, And to anyone who has not visited, we liken it to a kind of “Tale of Two Cities”. We initially went to Nashville to visit the Frist Museum, which had an Impressionist Exhibit on loan from the Musee’ D’Orsay (yes, in Nashville) and a Dale Chihuly Glass Exhibit. Of course, we knew that Nashville was the “Country Music Capitol”, and so planned to use a couple of days to imbibe the country influence.
To anyone who has a chance to visit Nashville, we would recommend visiting the “Country Music Hall of Fame”, and highly encouraging adding “RCA Studio B”, which is a separate ticket purchased in the Hall of Fame. The Studio B tour takes you in a van to the studio where Elvis, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, and a host of other stars recorded. The Studio B tour is a highlight.
Other worthwhile visits are the “Ryman Theatre”, the original country music venue and Grand Ole Opryland. And if you’re interested in US history, Andrew Jackson’s “Hermitage” is in the area.
With our brief stop-over on this trip, we planned to take in a couple more sites.
Day 1-THURSDAY, May 28 NASHVILLE
We made the five-hour drive from home to Nashville, arriving about 2:15 PM, which we later realized was 1:15 PM, as they’re on CST.
It was too early to check-in to our hotel, so we drove out Broadway, the main street, to West End Road, toward the campus of Vanderbilt University. Across the street, in Centennial Park, is the world’s only exact replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
Why is such a structure in Nashville, Tennessee? There’s a long history, but in summary, one was originally constructed of wood and plaster in 1837 to celebrate the centennial of Tennessee’s statehood. There were many other temporary buildings surrounding it, the purpose being to promote the state as a forwarding-looking, business-oriented area. This Centennial was a huge celebration, attracting people from far and wide. In the days following, the structures were to be dismantled.
However, community leaders and some prominent citizens wanted to rebuild the Parthenon of more substantial material. That goal was realized, and the interior was gradually transformed into a museum detailing the impressive development of Tennessee from the 1700’s on, and housing some outstanding works of art contributed by wealthy citizens. Later, a 42’ statue of Athena was created, highlighted with gold leaf and intricate detail, and displayed in a large hall on the second floor. It is quite impressive!
We thought this visit was a very worthwhile venture, and showed more of the “other side” of Nashville; namely, the cultural side, in contrast to the country music emphasis. It revealed the history of a rapidly developing southern area.
After checking in at our "Courtyard Marriott" on 4th Street, we walked the few blocks down to Broadway and explored the many bars, restaurants, and shops, with music, mostly country, wafting through the streets. We ended up eating at the popular “Jack’s Ribs”. What else in Nashville but bar-b-q ribs?
After a filling meal, we could have spent a couple of hours roaming up and down the lively Broadway, but knowing that we wanted to get an early start on our Memphis drive in the morning, we decided to take a brief walk and enjoy a tasty dessert from Mike’s Ice Cream Shop.
Day 2-FRIDAY, May 29th NASHVILLE/MEMPHIS
At 7:30, we walked two blocks over Church Street to a local favorite for breakfast, “Puckett’s Grocery Restaurant”. And, true to southern cuisine, they offered grits with gravy and country (salty) ham. However, not being southerners, we were able to order our preference of eggs and bacon.
Before leaving Nashville, we drove a few blocks up Church Street to visit the State Capitol, only taking time to walk the grounds and take in the view from its hilltop perch. Following that, we crossed the Cumberland River to check out the Tennessee Titans Football Stadium, and then picked up I 65 to begin our 4 ½ hour drive to Memphis.
Our brief Nashville visit provided that welcome break in our long drive. Nashville is a pretty city, surrounded by huge swaths of green rolling terrain. Many of today’s popular music stars live there. We’ll, no doubt, visit again in the future.
The first part of the drive to Memphis was pleasant. The highway was lined with trees, both deciduous and evergreen, with some gentle hills revealing rock outcroppings. A rest stop, beautifully landscaped, had some of the tallest and largest lilies that we have ever seen. A pleasant break!
About midway, the terrain flattened, and the scenery was mostly farmlands, some slightly flooded. From 1-65, we blended onto I 40, and our hotel was but a few side streets off the freeway: the "Residence Inn" on Monroe, right down near the heart of it all. Memphis is “Blues and Rock ‘n Roll”!
Check in was quick, and wanting to make best use of our time, we immediately signed up for a tour of “Graceland” .a must-visit in Memphis. It was a sunny day, so we decided to make use of the weather and visit the rooftop garden of our hotel to have a drink, and take in the expansive view of the Mississippi River. It was a perfect place to relax after our 4 ½ hour drive.
Before too long, some clouds began to form, and we headed off to “BB King’s Club” on Beale Street, a main entertainment hub. The hotel desk clerk, Olga, gave us a coupon for the cover charge and a free appetizer. We arrived at 5 PM, and it was almost a full house, both first floor and balcony. But we did get situated in a nice spot just in time for the music to begin.
The lead was a young musician named Will Tucker, well known around there. Apparently, he opened for BB King when he came to Memphis. We enjoyed the mix of music styles, mostly blues, with a variety of other styles mixed in. We stayed for about four “sets”, and as we were leaving, the band did Carlos Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”, which was a real crowd pleaser.
After dinner, we strolled down the lively three or so blocks of Beale Street which are “Pedestrian Only”. Along with the many bars and restaurants, most with music emanating, was a kind of novel variety shop, “A. Schwab’s Dry Goods”, selling all kinds of old-fashioned stuff: kitchen utensils, personal care items, clothing, etc., stuff your Grandmother may have used. And, the best of all, was a soda fountain, a perfect stop for dessert.
After enjoying the sights and sounds of Beale Street for a while, we decided to head back to our Residence Inn in order to prep for an early start in the morning.
DAY 3 SATURDAY, MAY 30th MEMPHIS
Although we are not Elvis aficionados, we do like a lot of his music, and one can’t be in Memphis without imbibing the Elvis spirit. So we wanted to do the tour of Graceland, and decided that it would be easier to accomplish that by paying one price and taking advantage of the van transportation with all the ticketing involved. No traffic or parking concerns.
The stay at the Residence Inn includes a wonderful breakfast. Soon after finishing our meal, we waited in the hotel lobby for the 9:00 van pick-up to “Graceland”. On the van, we met the first of several Europeans who were Elvis devotees.
The ride to Graceland was about 15-20 minutes south on I 55. Upon arrival, we were surprised at the large crowds. However, the place was very well organized. The mansion is across a busy street from the other areas of the museum comples. Lines for vans to transport you across the highway to the mansion and grounds were well-regulated, and controlled the flow of people. Many ushers were around to provide help. The vans delivered people to the front entrance of the Graceland mansion.
When we arrived at the front entrance of the mansion, there were only about a dozen people in line ahead of us. Upon entering, you’re presented with an I-pad which guides you from room to room and provides very good commentary. Of course, Elvis’ songs are woven throughout the tour. The “mansion”, as it is called, is a very attractive colonial style two-story home with a finished lower level. It’s well-appointed, but feels very comfortable and livable. The lower level has carpeting on the walls to contribute to good acoustics.
The home is setback from the road with large trees flanking the driveway. Outside the house is a beautiful pasture, as apparently Elvis owned horses and loved to ride. There’s a building housing a museum. Also, a meditation garden which is the burial spot for the family: Elvis’ mother, father, twin-brother who died at birth, and Elvis himself.
There are separate tickets to the archives, which includes lots of memorabilia. Most interesting to us was a film weaving facts of Elvis’ life with his music at various stages.
Viewing Elvis’ cars was very interesting. We thought the additional cost to visit these other places was worth it.
All in all, we thought the experience of “Graceland” was well worth the cost. It provided an insight and appreciation of Elvis’ life: his very humble birthplace in Tupelo, MS., his early life struggles, his devotion to his family, his musical roots, and his desire to pursue his musical interests. Also, his real decency as a person; his great generosity toward people needing help.
We were amazed at the European visitors whom we met: a couple from Germany, a man with his son from Ireland, and about a half-dozen guys from Belgium. These people seemed to be real Elvis aficionados! With the large numbers of visitors, there were possibly many more of our European friends.
About 3 PM we were ready to catch a return bus. By asking around, we found that the bus would take us to “Sun Studio” and that the studio ran a shuttle to Beale Street. Perfect for our evening plans!
“Sun Studio” was the recording studio opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips in January, 1950. It was known as the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll”. Blues and R & B artists like BB King (RIP) as well as other notables like Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis recorded there. “Sun Studio” sat idle for a period of years, and a part of the building was used for various ventures, like a laundry and a barber shop, but the actual recording studio was preserved in its original form.
We arrived about 3:20, only to find that the 3:30 tour was already sold out. So we waited for the 4:30 tour. We decided that it was worth the hour-long wait, especially since there was a soda fountain and interesting photos and memorabilia in the lobby which made the wait very tolerable. The enthusiastic guide, Zack, was really “into” the music, He provided an entertaining tour of the studio. We were glad that we had waited for the experience. We thought of Sun Studio as the Part I of the RCA Studio B tour in Nashville which we had done a few years ago.
As described, a Sun Studio shuttle took us back to Beale St. We enjoyed walking a couple of blocks, imbibing the musical atmosphere. We stopped in the “Jerry Lee Lewis Bar” for muchos nachos and beer while enjoying a Jerry Lee Lewis video, and listening to a live band. Arriving before 7 PM, we avoided a cover charge!
We recalled that ice cream dessert from the soda fountain at A. Schwab’s, and decided to make that our final stop of the evening in order to return to our hotel, get packed, and plan to get an early start for some last ½ day enjoyment of Memphis before heading across the Mississippi to Little Rock.
Walking back to our hotel, we were both dragging from the long day. But we were so distracted by some impressive fireworks coming from the ball stadium that we walked about two blocks past our street!
DAY 4 SUNDAY, MAY 31st MEMPHIS/LITTLE ROCK
After again enjoying the generous breakfast at the Residence Inn, we took a few minutes to make an adjustment to our Courtyard Hotel reservation in Little Rock. We decided that the drive home from Little Rock, being about 11 ½ hours, counting stops, was too long for one day. A change of reservation would allow us to leave Little Rock in the late afternoon and stop over near Nashville at another Marriott. That would spread our drive home over two days.
Once that change was completed, we wanted to visit the famous luxury “Peabody Hotel”, intending to enjoy the lobby and impressive gift shop, and maybe have a capuccino. When we arrived about 10:30, the lobby was almost full, with waitresses making the rounds for drink orders, and ushers in full uniform telling everyone that they must be seated in the lobby. “No standing”! It was only then that we realized that we had arrived just in time for the morning ceremonial ritual of the parade of the so-called “Peabody Ducks.”
These special ducks live in an enclosure on the hotel rooftop, and everyday are brought down to parade to the fountain in the lobby in grand style. There is an interesting history to this custom, and one would think that royalty were about to enter on the red carpet with the Philip Sousa music and the Duckmaster’s baton. It was fascinating to watch all the hoopla surrounding the parade of the ducks.
Added interest was provided to our Peabody Hotel visit when we realized that the couple sitting next to us was from Brazil. We enjoyed an interesting dialogue about our visit to Brazil as well as their experiences in the US. They were students in International Law, and were spending some time at the University of Alabama.
Having enjoyed a little of the inside of what is a really beautiful hotel, it was time to walk the two blocks back to our hotel, check out, and get on our way to Little Rock. Upon exiting Memphis, we stopped at the Visitors’ Center, something one would ordinarily do when entering the city. But we didn’t know its location and didn’t want to waste time finding it. In the entrance were two beautiful larger-than-life bronze statues of the two “Kings of Memphis”: BB King and Elvis Presley. Another real plus of the stop was meeting a delightful couple from San Luis Obispo who traveled quite a distance to explore the area, even visiting Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis’ home-town. We shared some interesting travel experiences!
The drive from Memphis to Little Rock is about 21/2 hours, all interstate. We passed the time listening to our Elvis CD and discussing our travel experiences on this trip. From musical Nashville and Memphis we were delving into a bit of US history, intending to visit the Clinton Presidential Library and some key sites of Little Rock, the capitol of Arkansas.
Our Courtyard Hotel in Little Rock was a mere three blocks off the interstate, and within a very short time we were checked in and ready to explore the Little Rock Riverwalk, the main street, named “President Clinton Drive”. We were impressed with the downtown. As its name implies, Little Rock is “little”. The Riverwalk looks newly-updated with nice landscaping and many little restaurants and shops. There is an impressive ampitheatre along the riverbank of the Arkansas River.
We were ready for an early dinner, so we followed a sign to the “Damngood Pies Restaurant”, located on the bank of the River. Since it was drizzling, we sat at a window table inside. After some delicious spaghetti/meatballs and cold beer, we just had to visit “Kilwin’s Ice Cream”, a delicious Michigan import.
Since we’re now into history portion of our trip, we returned to the hotel for our car and headed in the direction of “Central High School”, the site of the 1950’s national disgrace when President Eisenhower sent the National Guard to demand that black students be permitted to enter the racially segregated school. The Governor had closed the school in order to prevent them from entering, and in so doing, caused the other students to lose a portion of a year of their high school studies. This incident led to the US Supreme Court decision of “Brown vs. the Board of Education”.
We drove to the State Capitol, situated on a high point in this small city. On the grounds of the capitol is a beautiful tribute to the so-called “Little Rock Nine”, the brave students who were the first to enter the high school. There’s bronze statue of each student, and engraving with personal information, including what impressive things each did with their lives.
While taking in the site, we met a wonderful black family who lived in Little Rock, and were exploring areas of their city just as we were. Talking with that family was a touching experience, as their parents and grandparents had lived through so much of the disturbing history! As we were leaving, the father asked us if we were Christians. We joined hands, and he led a beautiful prayer, including a request for our safe drive home.
It was now dusk, and we had just enough time to drive the short distance to see the Governor’s Mansion. The home is situated in a nice residential neighborhood of Little Rock.
We were told that Little Rock is expanding west. There are many nice upscale homes being built, and a large shopping center being developed. Since we wanted to maximize our time the following day, we chose not to drive in that direction, but to get back to our hotel and ready things for the morning.
DAY 5 MONDAY, JUNE 1st
We had breakfast in the Courtyard Café, checked out, and by about 8:55 were driving down the short President Clinton Drive to arrive for the 9 AM opening of the “Clinton Presidential Library”. If it weren’t for the fact that we wanted to conserve time so as to be on the road back to Nashville in the mid-afternoon, it would have been a nice walk, because the road is like a landscaped path.
We were surprised at the large number of cars already in the lot. Immediately upon entering the library, we talked to folks at registration desk who told us that President Clinton visits frequently, and has planning meetings with a variety of people who are working on projects with his Foundation. We learned from them, and from others we met, like the ushers, restaurants workers, etc. that President Clinton knows all of their names and remembers details of conversations they’ve had. After his meetings, he would frequently want to walk down into town for a coffee or a restaurant stop. This provided challenges for the Secret Service. Hillary was described as warm and very friendly, but more eager to get down to business.
The library was three floors, well-laid out, and comfortable. We joined the 9:30 tour with a guide who was very knowledgeable, and provided an excellent overview of the library, and knew many ins and outs of the library set-up. She also said that President Clinton knew her name and each time she encountered him he would ask about her growing family. She provided many details, even including memorabilia and facts about President Clinton's early years. The tour was very informative, and we would recommend it to anyone who visits the library.
Following the tour, we were in the area of the “Orientation Theater” where we viewed the 12-minute film, a summary of President Clinton’s life and political career. We appreciated the time to sit for a few minutes.
One highlight in the library was a full-scale replica of the White House Cabinet Room which utilizes interactives to introduce visitors to critical decisions and how they were made. Also explained are the positions of the White House staff and cabinet. Other presidential libraries also have cabinet rooms, but we don’t recall their being open with the opportunity to sit in the chairs and view the interactives. Of course, Tom chose to sit in “the President’s Chair”!
The full-scale reconstruction of the Oval Office shows the room and its furnishings as they appeared during the Clinton Administration. Our guide said that she is a friend of the designer, and that they keep fabric, etc. in a separate place in case any damage would happen to the furniture.
One floor of the library contains a timeline of the events and highlights of the Clinton Administration with videos introducing each year. There are alcove exhibits on either side which focus on a significant policy area.
An interesting side note that we learned from an usher: that President Clinton had gotten the idea of the alcoves from a visit to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. He sketched the design on a napkin and gave it to the architects of the library. The usher told us that President Clinton was very involved in the design of the library and grounds.
The piers of the alcoves are filled with archive boxes which represent a small portion of the 80 million pages of documents in the Clinton archives. Although it would be interesting to some of these, one would need days! Many more documents are available in an adjoining building.
In the midst of all this exploration and education, we did take time for lunch in the “42 Restaurant”. It was a lovely setting, with a view to the river. Although there was an outdoor patio, we chose the ambience of the inside with the white tablecloths and interesting wall art. The menu prices were very reasonable. For $2.00, we agreed that we enjoyed about the best fries we’ve ever had! The steak sandwiches were so large that we could have easily shared one. That meal took care of dinner, too!
To do justice to all the details of the President Clinton Library, as other presidential libraries, one would need many, many hours. There are several other areas of interest on the property to explore: including the “Clinton Graduate School of Public Service”, housed in the renovated old train station, an old railroad bridge that was restored as a pedestrian bridge. The latter would be nice on a sunny day! Another interesting “neighbor” is the Heifer Project, an international charitable project focused on providing livestock and agricultural assistance to poor countries.
There were other valuable things to explore. But we were satisfied that we had enjoyed a good overview of the library itself, had learned a lot, and pleasantly surprised that there was so much more to do around Little Rock. The Ozark Mountains are not that far; maybe for a future trip.
By about 3:15, our minds were as weary as our legs, and it was time to make our way out of Little Rock before the after-noon rush hour. We were told that if we made it across the bridge by 4 PM or so, to connect with I 40, we would have smooth sailing. Only one last stop before departing: a farewell ice cream treat from Kilwin’s.
The drive back through Memphis to Nashville was as unremarkable as we had remembered. We knew that stops for coffee and gas were few and far between. So we were fortified with drinks, snacks, and a full tank of gas. There was road construction, but we didn’t lose much time from it.
A little over ½ way into our drive to Nashville, darkness fell. Although we had maps, it was relieving that our GPS “Gilda” was alert and gave us accurate directions to our Towne Suites Hotel in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville. We were glad to stop for the night.
DAY 8 TUESDAY, JUNE 2 TRAVEL HOME
Daylight allowed us to appreciate what we had heard about Franklin. It is an attractive “suburb” of Nashville, with beautiful homes and many shopping opportunities, surrounded by green rolling terrain. Apparently, many of the country stars live around Franklin.
The remainder of the day was the drive home. Fortunately, the terrain through the north of Tennessee and through Kentucky is rolling and green with beautiful rock.
Home by about 4:30 PM. A very satisfying get-away! Re-energized to continue some on-going home projects.
We hope our little report provides some useful information for others who might be interested in visiting Nashville, Memphis, and Little Rock.
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mauimarti
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May 27th, 2009 06:48 PM
