littlemissarmagh

Hi i am going to the states with my mother in august as it has always been a dream for her to go to Graceland. We decided to go to a few other places while we are there so..... we are flying into Nashville via Dublin for 3 days getting a bus to Memphis for 6 days and flying to New Orleans for 4 days, but i was wondering if it is worth our while staying in Memphis for 6 days or should we go to Dallas for 2- 3 days then head to New Orleans

spirobulldog

6 days is a long time for Memphis. I'm not sure what you plan on doing in Dallas. We love Dallas for shopping and dining, but not something I would fly halfway around the world to see as a tourist, IMOP. Be very aware that August in all the cities you mention will be BRUTALLY HOT. I wouldn't advise anyone to take a bus in the US.

littlemissarmagh

Thanks for your advice spirobulldog. I am from Ireland and wouldn't really know much about the US. It was actually the travel agent that planned the holiday for us, and now I am a bit sceptical about it. Reasoning for Dallas is that my mother is very into JFK/lee Harvey Oswald.... so we thought we would maybe travel there as well.

cd

6 days is WAY to long to stay in Memphis and I would not take a bus. Bus travel in the US is not the greatest. I also would not fly all the way to Dallas. After New Orleans, how about spending some time on the gulf coast in an oceanfront hotel, like Pensacola, Florida? LIke spirobulldog said, it will be muggy hot in August.

littlemissarmagh

Thanks cd I will look into that idea. looks like I will be making a few changes to my travel plans

cd

Where in Memphis are you staying? I could recommend the Peabody or one close to the Peabody and then spend one evening exploring Beale street, the next day doing Elvis things, a nice dinner maybe at :http://www.yelp.com/biz/charlie-verg...ezvous-Memphis which is walking distance from the Peabody. Some parts of Memphis are dicey as some parts of N.O. In New Orleans I could recommend: http://hotelmonteleone.com/accommoda...FYVZ7AodHTkAEA

BigRuss

Dallas is perfectly nice to visit but a bit out of the way from Memphis or New Orleans. Don't underestimate distances in the US - Ireland can fit into Texas more than 8 times.

And if you're coming to the US in August from Ireland, there's a good chance you will fry upon stepping outside in Texas. Our average daily high in August is about 35-37C. Last year was a relatively cool mid-90s summer, not a lot of 100+ (38C+) days. In 2011, we had more than 70 days of 100+ degree weather. According to one of our local weathermen, Dallas AVERAGES 9.2 100-degree days in August, which means you have a 30% chance of a roasting.

Of course, POWERFUL air conditioning is ubiquitous.

dwdvagamundo

Concur with the above. Cut Memphis in half, skip Dallas unless your mother is really set on it, and add some time along the Gulf Coast, perhaps as far east as Destin.

Keep in mind also that New Orleans will be just as hot as Dallas that time of year, and muggy too, and the Gulf Coast will be as hot.

sue1951

We are a retired couple and we just traveled across the States from Oregon to NYC. WE spent time in Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans and Austin. WE really enjoyed all of them. I would agree that 6 days in Memphis is way too long. We enjoyed Graceland and Beale Street and had drinks at the Peabody Hotel. We ate dry ribs at the Rendezvous. In New Orleans we stayed at the Marriot on Canal St. I would highly recommend the Mardi Gras Museum. Very interesting. We went to Jazz clubs on Frenchmen Street. We had dinner at the Pelican Club and the Bombay club. Both excellent. Nashville was great. We got tickets to the Grand OLe Opry. I would recommend staying at the Gaylord. Downtown Nashville is fun with lots of country western music. We really enjoyed Austin. the Lyndon Johnson Museum was interesting. Have you considered driving?

stumpworks73

Two days is more than enough in Memphis.

If you intend to attend music in Nashville, check out concert schedule in advance and book tickets early.

Many small venues sell out the moment tickets are for sale (Blue Bird Cafe). And the best seats at the Opry sell quick.

dwdvagamundo

One must-do in Memphis is Sun Records studio--birthplace of rock and roll and where Elvis made his first records. If you're really into music (which you might be given your original plan to spend that much time in Memphis), I'd consider getting a car and driving to Clarksdale, MS, to tour the Blues Museum. It's an easy day trip.

jent103

I live in Nashville. If you want to see traditional country music, the Opry is your best bet (www.opry.com); they usually don't release the performers until a few weeks before each show, so you won't know who exactly will be there for awhile, but it's always a fun time. The Opry House is about 20-25 minutes out of downtown, next to the Opryland Hotel (definitely worth a walk through if you're out there) and away from anything else of interest other than a shopping mall, so please don't stay there! Staying downtown is better, and there are shuttles to the Opry complex. Downtown puts you near the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway, the Country Music Hall of Fame, RCA Studios, the Ryman (the original home of the Opry and the best concert venue in town - maybe in the world, but I'm biased ), and the Johnny Cash Museum.

Nashville actually has more rock/pop, singer-songwriter music than country music. The Bluebird Cafe (singer/songwriters) regularly sells out, especially since it's been featured on the TV show, so if you want to do that get tickets early. You will need a car or a cab to get there, though; it's 15-20 minutes from downtown and our public transport isn't great. For live music, other venues to check out include 3rd & Lindsley (which has some seating), Exit/In, Cannery Ballroom/Mercy Lounge (single complex with three venues), Marathon Music Works and lots of others. Many of the smaller venues in town are standing room only, just as an FYI.

If you have a car, you can add a day to Nashville and take a day trip to Lynchburg and the Jack Daniels distillery. Eat at Miss Mary Bobo's in town for good quintessential Southern food.

Agree with everyone else that six days is WAY too long for Memphis, and Sun Studio is really fun. Stax is on my list for the future too.

The outdoors will be extremely hot compared to your normal, but the indoors will be chilly because everyone blasts air conditioning, so dress in layers!

cd

jent, please recommend a downtown hotel, I want to bookmark this. Thanks!

jent103

Hi cd - since I live here, I haven't stayed in any of them myself! But if you have the budget, the Hermitage is the best one downtown; Union Station, the Hutton and Loews are all close to downtown and also very nice, though the Hutton and Loews are in Midtown and would be a long walk or quick cab ride to, say, the honky-tonks or the Hall of Fame.

There's a new Omni attached to the new Music City Center with a local coffee shop (Bongo Java) inside, and a Hampton Inn and a Hilton very close to the Hall of Fame. That Hampton gets recommended here pretty frequently, I think. There's also a Best Western, a Renaissance and I think a Sheraton north of Broadway. I'd check TripAdvisor for recent reviews and see what you find. In terms of location anything in that area is fine, and I don't have personal experience with any of them to recommend one over the other. As general rule I'd stay south of the Capitol (Charlotte Ave), east of Rosa Parks and north of Korean Vets.

The Vanderbilt/Midtown area is also a good one for hotels, but too far to walk downtown, so you'll need to account for downtown parking, short Uber/Lyft rides or cabs (though the hotels might have shuttle services).

tenthumbs

I'd cut back the days in Memphis and add them to Nashville so you can do the things jent103 mentioned. Not only is there a lot to see in Nashville, you'll be dealing with the brutal east to west jetlag.........

cd

Thanks jent.