I'm planning a three night stay in Memphis with my husband in November and would appreciate any advice. I had heard that Memphis was not the safest place to visit, but everything I've read here sounds positive. Are there any unsafe places we should avoid? I read in another post that someone was having trouble finding a hotel the weekend of Nov. 11th. That's the weekend we're going and I'm also having trouble so I'm thinking of staying outside of Memphis. I'm looking at Bonne Terre Country Inn in Nesbit, MS and The Bridgewater B&B in Cordova. Any feedback on either of these places? We're going to a football game Saturday evening, and I'd like to visit Graceland and Beale Street. Any other recommendations? How are the riverboat cruises?

The football game might account for why hotels are already booked. I've only stayed in downtown Memphis, but we've really enjoyed several different places there. Memphis does have a problem with panhandlers, but if you stay in crowded areas, you'll have no problem whatsoever. The Madison and Peabody are the most upscale. The Peabody is famous for its "duck walks" and the Madison was recently renovated. The Marriott Residence Inn downtown is one of our current favorites - all rooms have fully equipped kitchens and they offer an exceptionally good, free breakfast. Also in a good location is the Hampton Inn at Peabody Place - the highest grossing hotel in their chain. The rooms overlooking Beale Street can be quite noisey, but the hotel is fine. The Doubletree is just across the street from the Peabody and though it was recently renovated, the last time we stayed there the service wasn't up to par. The people working there really didn't seem to know what they were doing, but the hotel is nice and so is the location. All these places are good, and all are within walking distance of restaurants and Beale Street.

Don't know where you're coming from but Memphis has some of the best BBQ on the planet so eat lots of it!! Graceland is kind of kitchy but worth a visit. You may want to visit the Pink Palace museums or while down on Beale Street, check out the nearby Gibson Guitar factory.

The weekend of 11/11 is during the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) Convention which is the largest convention Memphis annually hosts. It fills up every hotel room in the area.

I would recommend staying at the B&B in Cordova over the B&B in Nesbit due to location. Cordova is a nice suburb of Memphis with many good restaurants and shopping. It's about a 40 minute drive to Downtown Memphis from Cordova.

I'm a former resident of Memphis. I lived there for eight years. In regard to crime, Memphis is like any other large city. If you stray off the beaten path into an unknown area - you may run into trouble. You'll be fine visiting Graceland and Beale Street. I recommend you also go see the Duck March at the Peabody one morning of your visit. The National Civil Rights Museum is also worth seeing.

Have a great trip!

I agree about the BBQ. If you can make it to bryants BBQ and breakfast, do it. Have fun too.
http://www.thisplaceiknow.com/place_...fm?placeID=117

The downtown hotels mentioned earlier are fine, except for Hampton Inn-Peabody Place: too close to Beale Street, too noisy, AND even if you get a room away from Beale Street, you'll feel the thumping vibration from the loud music.

There are lots other good hotels in the East Memphis area. Cordova is OK, be sure to leave plenty of time before the football game.

Enjoy your trip!

There are many great hotels both Downtown and in East Memphis (I in fact was the general manger of one of them for several years).

However, it is very very unlikely you will be able to obtain a hotel room anywhere in Memphis that particular weekend due to the COGIC Convention. The convention is that large.

In the event you're willing to take a gamble, you may want to call each of the hotels you are interested in directly and ask to be added to their waiting list(s) - keep in mind many hotels have regular customers who will be at the top of such lists.

If they are willing to add you to such list, provide a cell-phone number they may call in the event of a same-day cancellation.