Our trip to Nashville and Memphis!
Feb 5th, 2015, 02:03 PM
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Our trip to Nashville and Memphis!
Trip to Nashville and Memphis
So we were supposed to leave on our big anniversary/birthday trip to Nashville/Memphis on January 27 from New York…but then there was talk of a huge Blizzard heading our way.
So, I quickly changed our flight to the day before, booked a hotel for the night and took a taxi into downtown Nashville. We got very lucky since it was snowing as we left the runway, had to de ice the wings and weren't sure that we would really take off. We did!
Arrived in Nashville airport, took a taxi to Downtown Hyatt Place ( $25 flat rate), checked in and immediately went for lunch at Etch right around the corner! Excellent food. Highly recommend. Continued our walk and decided to get out of the cold into the Country Hall of Fame. ** Discovered on our return to Nashville that if you want to visit the RCA Studio on Music Row you can only do so by purchasing tickets here. Actually loved the experience even if we were somewhat unfamiliar with most of the artists and the music.
Returned to the hotel, relaxed and then went across the street to The Listening Room where we listened to a number of singer / songwriters sing their own songs and play guitar. A very pleasant surprise as to how wonderful they all were. I cannot endorse the food served here, however, the music is definitely worth a visit.
Back to the hotel and time to relax!
Should have mentioned that since I booked our car rental through Priceline there wasn't any flexibility in the booking. I couldn't pick up the car 24 hours earlier nor could I even pick up the car a few hours earlier than the original booking. As a result I had to wait until 11:30 and then we were on our way to Memphis.
January 27
The car ride to Memphis is long and rather tedious! My suggestion is to bring some snacks and drinks and stop only at a rest stop on the highway and get to Memphis as soon as you can. We arrived at the Talbot Heirs guest house and were met by Tom and Sandy. Tom greeted us at the curb to the residence, removed our luggage from the car and brought them inside. His wife Sandy proceeded to carry the luggage up a very long staircase and deposited them in our room. While my wife went with Sandy, Tom jumped in my car and directed me to a parking lot a few blocks away where I parked the car. Tom gave me a pass to get in and out and we walked back to the guesthouse. What a wonderful apartment it was and two of the nicest and friendliest hosts in Tom and Sandy. Talbot Heirs is directly across from the Peabody Hotel and is in a great and safe location. Tom was very helpful in orienting us with Memphis offering several suggestions for dining, music, sights to see.
We unpacked, and immediately crossed over to the Peabody to witness the famous ducks who live there. At 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM the ducks come down/return to the elevator from the top floor and walk across a red carpet to a water fountain witnessed by many spectators who are all eager to photograph them. You can stand on the sides or go up to the balcony or sit by the fountain ( ordering a drink or food). Afterwards we had a tour of the hotel with one of the staff members and found it very fascinating. I tipped him and off we went for dinner.
Dinner was at McEwans which was a suggestion by Tom and we loved the food and ambiance which included a talk with the owner. After dinner we walked over to Beale Street for some blues music at the Rum Boogie Cafe.
January 28
The nice thing about staying at the Talbot Heirs is that you have an apartment with a fridge . Tom stocks it with some staples such as milk, orange juice, cereal, snacks , coffee and water. Normally we would eat breakfast in the room, however, there are some places in the area where you can grab some coffee and some breakfast. We decided to walk to the National Civil Rights Museum which was about a 20 minute walk. The Museum is quite a tribute to both the history of Civil Rights and the preservation of where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. The Lorraine Motel's room and balcony are displayed and memorialized exactly the way it was on the day of the assassination. Across the street is the rooming house that was used in the assassination by James Earl Ray and also is a museum. We spent almost 3 hours in both places and were very touched by both experiences. After our visit we walked back via Cotton Row and continued our walk a long the Mississippi River back to South Main street for lunch. *** I suggest printing out a Walking Tour of Memphis. Lunch was at De Javu which has New Orleans Cuisine and also vegetarian options. It was delicious and we also had an opportunity to meet the owner and chef who comped us with dessert ( it was our Anniversary).
Next we walked over to the Rock N Soul Museum ( loved it) and had another wonderful experience here! When we walked into the museum we had a talk with the manager and mentioned we were in Memphis to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. Unknown to us he planned a big surprise as we toured the place. While walking around the displays there is a genuine marquee that is prominently featured with names of POPLAR TUNES. On the Marquee with letters that were hand placed was a message wishing us personally a Happy 49th Anniversary! It was so sweet and completely a surprise. After our visit we went for dinner in Overton and to Lafayette's for some music.
Lafayette's was a much larger music venue and the featured performer was Lahna Deering singing Rockabilly. She was exciting and we loved her and set up another surprise us for us on the next day.
January 29
Today is our actual Anniversary and so we were on our way to Graceland. We never expected to enjoy this as much as we did. You take a shuttle bus across the street to the entrance armed with an i Pad. As you walk from room to room the IPad allows you to understand the significance of each room and offers up other details. You are able to go through the living room, dining room, kitchen, specialty rooms, offices, gym, displays of Elvis's awards and finally to his grave site outside by the reflective pool. It is handled with respect and you truly emerge from Graceland having a better idea of who Elvis was not only as a performer but as a humanitarian , husband, father and son. A shuttle will then take you on several other stops to see more of Elvis memorabilia and after about 3 hours you are finished.
After Graceland, we had lunch at The Beauty Shop ( good food and fun ambiance), and took a drive looking for graffiti art for my wife to photograph followed by a quick tour of Elmwood Cemetery. Finally, we drove to Sun Studios and had another surprise. While waiting in the lobby for our tour , a door opens and out walks a woman who takes a look at us and says: : " I know you. You were both at my show last night and you guys were rocking". It was Lahna Deering from Lafayette's who also works at Sun Studios as a Tour guide. While she wasn't our guide we did get a chance to talk with her and by the time we left she gave my wife a big hug and gave us her CD as a gift! She is now my Facebook friend! Dinner tonight was at Flight and it was an excellent choice!
Our time in Memphis was over and we will be leaving in the morning.
The next part of our trip will be about Nashville.
So we were supposed to leave on our big anniversary/birthday trip to Nashville/Memphis on January 27 from New York…but then there was talk of a huge Blizzard heading our way.
So, I quickly changed our flight to the day before, booked a hotel for the night and took a taxi into downtown Nashville. We got very lucky since it was snowing as we left the runway, had to de ice the wings and weren't sure that we would really take off. We did!
Arrived in Nashville airport, took a taxi to Downtown Hyatt Place ( $25 flat rate), checked in and immediately went for lunch at Etch right around the corner! Excellent food. Highly recommend. Continued our walk and decided to get out of the cold into the Country Hall of Fame. ** Discovered on our return to Nashville that if you want to visit the RCA Studio on Music Row you can only do so by purchasing tickets here. Actually loved the experience even if we were somewhat unfamiliar with most of the artists and the music.
Returned to the hotel, relaxed and then went across the street to The Listening Room where we listened to a number of singer / songwriters sing their own songs and play guitar. A very pleasant surprise as to how wonderful they all were. I cannot endorse the food served here, however, the music is definitely worth a visit.
Back to the hotel and time to relax!
Should have mentioned that since I booked our car rental through Priceline there wasn't any flexibility in the booking. I couldn't pick up the car 24 hours earlier nor could I even pick up the car a few hours earlier than the original booking. As a result I had to wait until 11:30 and then we were on our way to Memphis.
January 27
The car ride to Memphis is long and rather tedious! My suggestion is to bring some snacks and drinks and stop only at a rest stop on the highway and get to Memphis as soon as you can. We arrived at the Talbot Heirs guest house and were met by Tom and Sandy. Tom greeted us at the curb to the residence, removed our luggage from the car and brought them inside. His wife Sandy proceeded to carry the luggage up a very long staircase and deposited them in our room. While my wife went with Sandy, Tom jumped in my car and directed me to a parking lot a few blocks away where I parked the car. Tom gave me a pass to get in and out and we walked back to the guesthouse. What a wonderful apartment it was and two of the nicest and friendliest hosts in Tom and Sandy. Talbot Heirs is directly across from the Peabody Hotel and is in a great and safe location. Tom was very helpful in orienting us with Memphis offering several suggestions for dining, music, sights to see.
We unpacked, and immediately crossed over to the Peabody to witness the famous ducks who live there. At 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM the ducks come down/return to the elevator from the top floor and walk across a red carpet to a water fountain witnessed by many spectators who are all eager to photograph them. You can stand on the sides or go up to the balcony or sit by the fountain ( ordering a drink or food). Afterwards we had a tour of the hotel with one of the staff members and found it very fascinating. I tipped him and off we went for dinner.
Dinner was at McEwans which was a suggestion by Tom and we loved the food and ambiance which included a talk with the owner. After dinner we walked over to Beale Street for some blues music at the Rum Boogie Cafe.
January 28
The nice thing about staying at the Talbot Heirs is that you have an apartment with a fridge . Tom stocks it with some staples such as milk, orange juice, cereal, snacks , coffee and water. Normally we would eat breakfast in the room, however, there are some places in the area where you can grab some coffee and some breakfast. We decided to walk to the National Civil Rights Museum which was about a 20 minute walk. The Museum is quite a tribute to both the history of Civil Rights and the preservation of where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. The Lorraine Motel's room and balcony are displayed and memorialized exactly the way it was on the day of the assassination. Across the street is the rooming house that was used in the assassination by James Earl Ray and also is a museum. We spent almost 3 hours in both places and were very touched by both experiences. After our visit we walked back via Cotton Row and continued our walk a long the Mississippi River back to South Main street for lunch. *** I suggest printing out a Walking Tour of Memphis. Lunch was at De Javu which has New Orleans Cuisine and also vegetarian options. It was delicious and we also had an opportunity to meet the owner and chef who comped us with dessert ( it was our Anniversary).
Next we walked over to the Rock N Soul Museum ( loved it) and had another wonderful experience here! When we walked into the museum we had a talk with the manager and mentioned we were in Memphis to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. Unknown to us he planned a big surprise as we toured the place. While walking around the displays there is a genuine marquee that is prominently featured with names of POPLAR TUNES. On the Marquee with letters that were hand placed was a message wishing us personally a Happy 49th Anniversary! It was so sweet and completely a surprise. After our visit we went for dinner in Overton and to Lafayette's for some music.
Lafayette's was a much larger music venue and the featured performer was Lahna Deering singing Rockabilly. She was exciting and we loved her and set up another surprise us for us on the next day.
January 29
Today is our actual Anniversary and so we were on our way to Graceland. We never expected to enjoy this as much as we did. You take a shuttle bus across the street to the entrance armed with an i Pad. As you walk from room to room the IPad allows you to understand the significance of each room and offers up other details. You are able to go through the living room, dining room, kitchen, specialty rooms, offices, gym, displays of Elvis's awards and finally to his grave site outside by the reflective pool. It is handled with respect and you truly emerge from Graceland having a better idea of who Elvis was not only as a performer but as a humanitarian , husband, father and son. A shuttle will then take you on several other stops to see more of Elvis memorabilia and after about 3 hours you are finished.
After Graceland, we had lunch at The Beauty Shop ( good food and fun ambiance), and took a drive looking for graffiti art for my wife to photograph followed by a quick tour of Elmwood Cemetery. Finally, we drove to Sun Studios and had another surprise. While waiting in the lobby for our tour , a door opens and out walks a woman who takes a look at us and says: : " I know you. You were both at my show last night and you guys were rocking". It was Lahna Deering from Lafayette's who also works at Sun Studios as a Tour guide. While she wasn't our guide we did get a chance to talk with her and by the time we left she gave my wife a big hug and gave us her CD as a gift! She is now my Facebook friend! Dinner tonight was at Flight and it was an excellent choice!
Our time in Memphis was over and we will be leaving in the morning.
The next part of our trip will be about Nashville.
Feb 6th, 2015, 08:58 AM
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The next part of our trip will be about Nashville.
January 30
The plan for today to celebrate my birthday was to drive to Nashville, check into our hotel ( The Downtown Sheraton), have a nice lunch at The Silly Goose, ice cream at Jeni's and music at the historic Ryman theater! It was a wonderful plan and we enjoyed all of our choices.
January 31
I printed out a walking tour of Nashville and we spent most of the day covering the following sights: Riverfront Park, Fort Nashborough, Metropolitan Courthouse, 2nd Avenue Historic District, Wildhorse Saloon, Ryman, Ernest Tubb Record Store, Tootsies Orchid Lounge, US Customs House, Hume Fogg High School, Frist Center, Union Street.Hotel, Hermitage Hotel.
Inside the Frist my wife went into the gift shop and was told by the salesperson that if we were in Nashville on a Monday night we must go to the 3rd and Lindsley club. Apparently, Vince Gil plays with a group called the Time Jumpers and they are sensational. We made the reservations! Lunch was at Pucketts Grocery and it was a good choice.
The one club that is on everyone's list is The Bluebird Cafe which is also the most difficult to obtain tickets! In order to purchase tickets you have to order them online one week to the day that you are interested in going. Since it is a small venue ( perhaps no more than 100 seats) the tickets go quickly. Our good friend was in charge of getting the tickets as we would be on a plane when the tickets would become available. Tip on Bluebird tickets: When you open the site to order you are given a seating chart with tables and you have to click on the one you are interested in. Our friend chose to go immediately to the last table and we had the tickets! I must say that anywhere you sit in this venue will be fine. The music and atmosphere was great here.
February 1
Unfortunately the weather today was just awful. It rained most of the day and so we looked for indoor venues. I had read about the gardens inside the Opryland Hotel and so we chose to go there. This Hotel was a combination of being in Las Vegas and Disney World! It is huge with indoor gardens, waterfalls, boat rides, restaurants, a radio station, an area that looks like New Orleans, strolling musicians. You do have to pay for parking for the day,however, it was well worth it. Lunch was at The Wild Cow, a vegetarian restaurant ( which was very good) and then we returned to our hotel to watch The Super Bowl at our lounge in the Hotel.
February 2
Today we took a drive to Music Row, Division Street and a walk through Vanderbilt University. We had lunch at the Soulshine Pizza cafe and would highly recommend this place for music in the evening! Of course we had cupcakes at Gigi's nearby and at night went to 3rd and Lindsley for The Time Jumpers. Tip if you choose to go here on a Monday night: The doors open at 6 pm and the show begins at 9 pm. It is open seating and because it is such a "hot venue" people arrive at 6 and wait 3 hours inside at their table drinking and/or eating. The tip is to bring something with you to read, a crossword puzzle, anything to keep you occupied. The show was sensational.
February 3
I had heard that the town of Franklin was a nice place to spend the afternoon. The drive is approximately 30 minutes and be sure to seek out the Visitor's Center for maps and walking tours. We spent the afternoon walking around town looking at historic homes, having lunch at Merridees and driving back to Nashville. The evening was spent at The Station Inn seeing The Debbie and Doyle show which was hilarious! Check this show out if it is playing there when you arrive.
February 4
We packed up and drove back to the airport, deposited our rental car and had a very short and comfortable flight back to New York.
Our trip to Memphis and Nashville was a huge success filled with lots of great music, food, experiences, sights and meeting new friends a long the way. I encourage you to come here and do your " homework " before you do as it can become overwhelming if you don't.
January 30
The plan for today to celebrate my birthday was to drive to Nashville, check into our hotel ( The Downtown Sheraton), have a nice lunch at The Silly Goose, ice cream at Jeni's and music at the historic Ryman theater! It was a wonderful plan and we enjoyed all of our choices.
January 31
I printed out a walking tour of Nashville and we spent most of the day covering the following sights: Riverfront Park, Fort Nashborough, Metropolitan Courthouse, 2nd Avenue Historic District, Wildhorse Saloon, Ryman, Ernest Tubb Record Store, Tootsies Orchid Lounge, US Customs House, Hume Fogg High School, Frist Center, Union Street.Hotel, Hermitage Hotel.
Inside the Frist my wife went into the gift shop and was told by the salesperson that if we were in Nashville on a Monday night we must go to the 3rd and Lindsley club. Apparently, Vince Gil plays with a group called the Time Jumpers and they are sensational. We made the reservations! Lunch was at Pucketts Grocery and it was a good choice.
The one club that is on everyone's list is The Bluebird Cafe which is also the most difficult to obtain tickets! In order to purchase tickets you have to order them online one week to the day that you are interested in going. Since it is a small venue ( perhaps no more than 100 seats) the tickets go quickly. Our good friend was in charge of getting the tickets as we would be on a plane when the tickets would become available. Tip on Bluebird tickets: When you open the site to order you are given a seating chart with tables and you have to click on the one you are interested in. Our friend chose to go immediately to the last table and we had the tickets! I must say that anywhere you sit in this venue will be fine. The music and atmosphere was great here.
February 1
Unfortunately the weather today was just awful. It rained most of the day and so we looked for indoor venues. I had read about the gardens inside the Opryland Hotel and so we chose to go there. This Hotel was a combination of being in Las Vegas and Disney World! It is huge with indoor gardens, waterfalls, boat rides, restaurants, a radio station, an area that looks like New Orleans, strolling musicians. You do have to pay for parking for the day,however, it was well worth it. Lunch was at The Wild Cow, a vegetarian restaurant ( which was very good) and then we returned to our hotel to watch The Super Bowl at our lounge in the Hotel.
February 2
Today we took a drive to Music Row, Division Street and a walk through Vanderbilt University. We had lunch at the Soulshine Pizza cafe and would highly recommend this place for music in the evening! Of course we had cupcakes at Gigi's nearby and at night went to 3rd and Lindsley for The Time Jumpers. Tip if you choose to go here on a Monday night: The doors open at 6 pm and the show begins at 9 pm. It is open seating and because it is such a "hot venue" people arrive at 6 and wait 3 hours inside at their table drinking and/or eating. The tip is to bring something with you to read, a crossword puzzle, anything to keep you occupied. The show was sensational.
February 3
I had heard that the town of Franklin was a nice place to spend the afternoon. The drive is approximately 30 minutes and be sure to seek out the Visitor's Center for maps and walking tours. We spent the afternoon walking around town looking at historic homes, having lunch at Merridees and driving back to Nashville. The evening was spent at The Station Inn seeing The Debbie and Doyle show which was hilarious! Check this show out if it is playing there when you arrive.
February 4
We packed up and drove back to the airport, deposited our rental car and had a very short and comfortable flight back to New York.
Our trip to Memphis and Nashville was a huge success filled with lots of great music, food, experiences, sights and meeting new friends a long the way. I encourage you to come here and do your " homework " before you do as it can become overwhelming if you don't.
Feb 6th, 2015, 10:55 AM
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Happy Anniversary.
Glad you enjoyed your trip to Memphis and Nashville. We live about 6 hours from Memphis and have visited there a few times. We have written our names on the wall at Graceland like thousands of others. The tour of Stax Museum in Memphis is also interesting. On one trip we drove to Nashville. Yes, indeed, it is a long somewhat boring drive. I think we visited several of the same sites you did on your trip. At that time, the Grand Ole Opry would play at its old location in the Ryman during the holiday season. They may still do that. Even though my wife and I are not big country fans we did enjoy attending the show there.
Glad you enjoyed your trip to Memphis and Nashville. We live about 6 hours from Memphis and have visited there a few times. We have written our names on the wall at Graceland like thousands of others. The tour of Stax Museum in Memphis is also interesting. On one trip we drove to Nashville. Yes, indeed, it is a long somewhat boring drive. I think we visited several of the same sites you did on your trip. At that time, the Grand Ole Opry would play at its old location in the Ryman during the holiday season. They may still do that. Even though my wife and I are not big country fans we did enjoy attending the show there.
Feb 13th, 2015, 07:54 AM
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What a great trip you all had! You definitely hit a lot of highlights. I've lived here for almost ten years and still haven't seen the Time Jumpers - you've inspired me to try to finally check that box! 
And happy anniversary!
Oklacat - yep, the Opry is still at the Ryman during the winter, I think something like November-February.
And happy anniversary!Oklacat - yep, the Opry is still at the Ryman during the winter, I think something like November-February.
Jun 3rd, 2015, 05:25 PM
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We've just caught your report and enjoyed it. Glad you had such a nice time. We just returned from a trip to Nashville and Memphis, and also visited Little Rock. We intend to write a brief report.
Jun 21st, 2015, 09:20 AM
#12
I have been to Memphis 3 times and twice to Nashville but they have been before I discovered this forum. A trip report like yours would have been so helpful. It was such a nice report. I'm glad someone resurrected it.
I loved Memphis, especially enjoyed the blues on Beale Street. Your trip report brought back good memories. I have been to Graceland 3 times too which is a bit hard to admit. I enjoy Elvis, but I never thought I was such fan. It is something to see although the rooms seem small for a mansion by today's standards don't they? I love seeing the ducks at the Peabody. Such fun. And my mouth is salivating thinking of the BBQ in Memphis.
I loved Memphis, especially enjoyed the blues on Beale Street. Your trip report brought back good memories. I have been to Graceland 3 times too which is a bit hard to admit. I enjoy Elvis, but I never thought I was such fan. It is something to see although the rooms seem small for a mansion by today's standards don't they? I love seeing the ducks at the Peabody. Such fun. And my mouth is salivating thinking of the BBQ in Memphis.
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