Headed to Memphis for a 4 day business trip. Will have time at night to explore. Staying in Germantown vicinity. Any suggestions for restaurants? My associates have promised/threatened to take me to Graceland. Anything else to see? Also not a blues or jazz fan. Thanking you in advance for your thoughts.

I loved Graceland, even though I am not an Elvis fan.

We were there for a weekend, and liked the Pink House museum (I think that's what it was called - it has a planetarium and Imax theatre attached). I'd also recommend taking a carriage ride around downtown. The guide will point out lots of cool old buildings which are sadly mostly in disrepair. It will get you to places you wouldn't go on your own.

Also, the lobby of the Peabody Hotel (with the famous ducks) has a great bar for a couple of drinks in the evening. Watching the ducks come down from the roof in the morning is really fun, but get a spot early - it is a total madhouse!

Beale Street is also fun for a walk up and down at night. I'm not a huge blues/jazz fan either, but it's fun to see all the activity. There's a restaurant/diner on one corner (can't remember the cross street - it's one of the main ones) which is where Tom Cruise gets approached by the FBI agents in The Firm, that is kind of fun for dinner.

I lived in Memphis for a year. You must see Graceland. Even if you're not an Elvis fan it can be fun. Plus, it is the second most visited house in America. The first is Monticello! Then go to the Civil Rights Museum which is in the hotel where Martin Luther King was shot. Wonderful. The Pink Palace Museum is also great. Go to Beale Street and listen to blues. Make sure you check out the Peabody Hotel and see the ducks in the fountain. Downtown has really sprung up since I lived there and has lots of fun places to eat. I always enjoyed Automatic Slim's and the Samovar. Enjoy yourself. TCB. The King Lives!

Bennie: Walk Beale Street and check out B.B. King's, the Rum Buggy Cafe, and Elvis Presley's Cafe for some good music, okay food and lots of fun. Don't miss the ducks at the Peabody Hotel, and a short tour of Sun Studios should give you a good taste of Memphis. Enjoy!

Something else that I thought was neat in Memphis was the scale model of the Mississippi on Mud Island. It's outdoors and is fairly long - about 1/4 mile long, I think.

Where is the Pink Palace Museum?

One other idea while you're there is to take the tour at Sun Studios. This is the recording label where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and others got their start. It's a short tour, but very interesting. They have a cafe next door.

Be sure to eat barbecue while you're there. There are many arguments over which is the best, but try the Rendezvous (in an alley across from the Peabody) since it is famous for its unusual dry ribs.

You should know, by the way, that Germantown is quite far from many of the attractions that have been mentioned here. Germantown is on the far east side of town and most of the places mentioned here (Peabody, Beale Street, etc) are downtown (the western end of town) or midtown. Graceland is south of town, near Mississippi.

Oh, CG, the restaurant you are thinking of where Tom Cruise is approached by the FBI is the Front Street Diner on Front street downtown.

Thanks, Lisa!

My hubby and I watched The Firm right after we visited, not knowing that that restaurant was in there.

We both were totally psyched to see it in the film (yes, we're easily entertained).

Thanks for the tips. Any chance there is an Irish bar in town?

Where is the Pink Palace Museum?

The Pink Palace is in midtown, just east of Overton Park, I think.

Can't think of any Irish bars off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are some. Memphis is a great bar town.

One other thing for CG-- my favorite scene from The Firm is where the firm is hosting the party for Tom and his wife on the roof of the Peabody. You can see the house where the ducks live. Tom takes the wife aside to ask what she thinks and she says something like, it all sounds good, "but *Memphis*?" The audience in the movie theatre started laughing -- because I was seeing the movie in NYC and they think of Memphis as some back-water place. Then, you'll recall that the next scene is of them driving down North Parkway or some other wide avenue with the trees making a canopy over the street. The cynical New York audience quit laughing and gasped -- they hadn't expected anything so beautiful! Then it was my turn to laugh at all of them!

Lisa - I forgot about that scene! We loved that one, too - we spent a bit of time up on that roof when we were there. The duck condo is so cool.

Memphis really is beautiful if you drive through some of the older neighborhoods. I love all the big trees and neat old houses. Also all the amazing old buildings downtown - it's just a bit sad that nothing is being done with them. Hopefully someday!

The only irish bar I know of is TJ Mulligans. The original is downtown, but there is another in east Memphis, close to G'town. I think it is on G'town Pkwy. Take a trolley ride around downtown- do the whole loop and you'll see the better part of downtown from one end to the other, at least for an overview.
Everything already mentioned for things to do are good essientials of Memphis. There is a Gibson Guitan plant and museum recently opened downtown that I've not been to yet, but it looks cool. The Center for Southern Folklore is a funky, interesting place downtown. There is also a firefighers museum downtown.
Other ideas for restaurants: The Pier for seafood (downtown), Huey's in midtown and all over the place- there's one in G'town- for great burgers, Bosco's Brewery- one in midtown, I think there is one at Saddle Creek in G'town for variety, The Bayou in Overton square my husband claims has the best wings in the world, Memphis Pizza Cafe, several locations.
Also, just FYI, the Front Street Deli that was in the Firm has closed.
Someone already mentioned to you that G'town is towards east Memphis. That part of town is largely overrun with every chain everything- restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, Lowe's and Home Depot on every corner, etc- so don't let that be your only impression of Memphis. Please venture to downtown and midtown and see what it's really all about.

If you like to gamble, Tunica is about a 30 minute drive from downtown Memphis and has lots of big and relatively new casinos.

Thanks for all the great tips. I've been to Memphis twice already for business but haven't ventured beyond the immediate vicinity of the hotel and office park. This trip is a little longer so I'm sure I'll get out and about a bit more.

I grew up in Memphis around the G'town area. The Rondevous is an excellent BBQ place but downtown. Corky's BBQ is in Cordova on G'town road this place is much more popular and very good. It is more casual than Rondevous. BBQ is definatly a MUST for Memphis. Peabody ducks are funny to see they have a little house on top of the hotel. Beale street if fun if you like to hear jaz and party. Mud Is. is pretty hokey and boring, I would save that for last if you have some time left. This is more for daytime anyway. There is new entertainment place called Peabody Place downtown by the stadium. It's supposed to be really neat. Have fun! Hope you have a great experience in Memphis.

ttt