lynntigon

My friend and I are thinking of visiting Memphis next year and were toying with the end of april beginnning of May as I have heard it gets very humid in Memphis after this time. The plan is to spend a few days in New York then fly on to Memphis for (?? how long would you recommend to stay in Memphis) then back to New York for a few more days before flying home across the Pond.

We are both female, in our late 50s/early 60s and are mainly interested in the music history i.e. Sun Studios, stax and of course Graceland and the culture i.e. Native Indians, slavery and civil rights. Suggestions for safe but lively evening entertainment would also be welcome.

Looking forward to your thoughts and suggestions.

Many thanks

Lynn

BigRuss

Your timeframe should work. Actual summer would be a bear, especially if you're British (I'm guessing as to the Pond in question) because anything above 30C is an oven (although here in Texas, we call 30C "autumn").

April through early June should be ok. Google the Beale Street Music Festival - if it's the same time every year (first weekend of May), consider that. It won't be Glastonbury, but it should be fun.

abram

We spent almost 4 days in Memphis, were busy the whole time and saw everything that appealed to us.

spirobulldog

April, It's already pretty warm a lot of time in May and nearly guaranteed to be hot in June. April and May can be rainy/storms-think Tornado. October might a good month to consider. March might be ok, can rain then or can even be cold.

If you haven't been to Nashville, you might want to consider combining the two cities(2-4 days in each city).

My favorite Spot for food in Memphis
Blues City Cafe is my favorite

Then-not in any order
Rendevouz
Gus's Fried Chicken
Sunday Brunch at The Peabody
Brother's Juniper
Hueys-good burgers
There are plenty of Hole in the Wall good BBQ joints

Personally, I don't like Corky's, Neely's, or Central BBQ as much as the places I mentioned above. I think their sauce is to sweet. Rendevouz is a bit different bbq because they use coal, not wood. I would suggest to order your ribs "Dry" with sauce on the side at most locations. Memphis is famous for Dry Rub Ribs.

edeevee

Lynn, If you're interested in music history then, whatever else you do, you MUST take the Backbeat Tours Mojo bus tour. I've traveled with my mom a lot and she is a big fan of bus tours. Me? Not so much usually. But since I knew how much she likes them I made sure to plan time for one when we visited Memphis last summer. That tour knocked my socks off. Seriously, best bus tour ever (and I've been on a lot of them).

Our tour guide was a musician with deep ties to the Memphis scene. She sang and played her guitar while telling the history of the city as well as her family's personal history with some of music's heaviest hitters. The tour we took also included a stop and guided tour at Sun Records. I can't say enough about that tour. It was THAT good.

MellisaTurner

May is the best time to visit Memphis, during the National BBQ Championships.In fact, it's called "Memphis in May".
Then you can hit Beale Street and Graceland and many other gorgeous sites.

Ackislander

Before May 15.

You can also venture into Mississippi to drive the Blues Highway if your interest lies in the roots of rock and roll.

lynntigon

Wow, thanks everyone. Some really interesting suggestions in there.Thanks too to Spiro bulldog for the list of eateries, will certainly make a note of them for future reference. Edeevee, the Backbeat Mojo Tour sounds perfect.Bigruss, yes u r spot on we are English - have withstood 30 degrees before in LA last year but I think that was dry heat.

Am a bit confused about different takes on weather. April/May is a good time for us but not if we risk tornados. Also how easy is it to get to Nashville and Mississippi without a car. We were not planning on hiring one.

Would also be interested in hearing about the non- music things to do i.e. the Martin Luther King connections and the local Native Indian history.

Abram - do u think 4 days would be enough in Memphis - what did you actually see and do in this time span?

Thanks again for all suggestions and help, look forward to anymore you can come up with.

Lynn
xx

SusanCS

I would advise against your going in May simply because the city is always jam packed, and hotel prices are hiked accordingly. Weather wise, April would be much more pleasant.

spirobulldog

March Thru June are all risky for Tornado. I like in Oklahoma, 5 minutes from Arkansas/I-40 which runs almost directly east to Memphis(about 4 hours away). The weather at my house is nearly identical to Memphis. Our town is one of the few in Oklahoma to have been hit by an F5(and that was in March) I wouldn't let that threat be a deciding factor at all though.

Not 100%, but almost guaranteed much nice weather in April vs. May. I am referring strictly to heat, not rain or tornado threat.

lynntigon

Hi thanks again everyone. I think we have narrowed it down now.

Leave UK April 11th for NYC - stay there until 15th

Fly to Memphis on 15th - stay til 21st

Fly back to NYC til 25th then fly home.

Just one question, this trip takes in the Easter weekend which we will spend in Memphis. Will everything be open?

Thanks again

DebitNM

Thinking of going for 5 days in early September - will it still be hot and humid? We did Charleston same time last year and while it was warm and more humid[but then almost every place is] that we were used to, it was ok.

jent103

DebitNM - I would think it would likely be similar to Charleston. Early September is usually pretty nice in Tennessee, of course with the caveat that as a native my tolerance for humidity is higher than others'! The temperatures will likely still be high, but the humidity shouldn't be quite as bad as July or August.

lynntigon, in case you're still looking for the answer to the Easter question - some independent restaurants may be closed on Easter itself, but I wouldn't think you'd have a major disruption in plans.

DebitNM

Thanks jent!