i finally gave up on the surprise and asked my husband which he preferred, he read all the posts and wants Memphis for our first trip to TN!

has anyone heard of the Madison hotel? since this is his big 40th, i have a decent budget for a room (up to $250) and they were willing to give me a suite for that much (which was weird, i basically told them that $340 was too much and they said, how much do you want to pay?).

I've read some decent posts - not big on chain hotels, so it seems to be between Peabody and Madison.

I've never heard of it, but visited their website and it looks beautiful. The Peabody is the big "name," but by some accounts the rooms are small and some may need renovation. You might want to check out reviews on tripadvisor. The public spaces in the Peabody are beautiful, though.

You've totally made the right decision! Memphis has MUCH better food and music! Music choices in Nashville are extremely limited. Though there are a few decent high-end restaurants in Nashville, most mid-range are awful. And most restaurants close EARLY. And you have to drive around -- can't walk from your hotel to a variety of places and no mass transit to speak of. For a fun weekend, Memphis is the place!! (Before I get blasted, I lived in TN for 11 years! Don't really see why anyone wants to go there at all.)
If you really want the best choice of music, bbq (and Mexican food), and of course beer, come to AUSTIN TEXAS!

when's his birthday?

Lori25j, you and your husband have made a good choice. Speaking just to the BBQ side of the debate, I consider myself something of a connoiseur. I am part of a group of BBQ'alholics who over the past 13 years have gone on 6 trips devoted to consuming the best BBQ this country has to offer. We're talking 4 day trips where we average 1500 miles of total driving and between 4-7 different BBQ joints PER DAY. And we eat nothing but Q. No sides, no buns, etc. Just give us the Q, and a little beer to wash it down.... We'll supply the Tums. We've done the Carolinas, Texas, Alabamy, KC, Nashville and, of course, Memphis, among others. No offense Gekko, but Nashville is in the BBQ minor leagues while Memphis is in the major leagues. No comparison. Dave

Lori, you made the right choice. I'm from California and have only visited Nashville and Memphis as a tourist. For what you and your husband want, Memphis is the way to go.

We stayed at the Peabody and really enjoyed it (we were upgraded to the an Executive Club level room, so the room had definitely been renovated). It had an old Memphis feel and we walked everywhere. If you can get a "good" room, I'd recommend it.

For the record, I liked Nashville, too. I was there for a music festival week, though, so there were many offerings all over town every night.

Have a great time.

Lori, good choice for the Blues & Q in Memphis.

dcd, I would certainly be interested in checking out some of your Q joints. Is there a place you have posted your findings and scores?

Just an fyi, my dh grew up in NC and I grew up in West Tennessee. In the beginning, we thought our tastes would clash in BBQ, but found out we both like each others area for Q. Oh, for yumo........gonna see my sister in 2 weeks in Nashville...maybe I will ask her to bring me some good ole BBQ from Memphis!

Lori, have fun!

iceeu2, I haven't done any trip reports on those BBQ binges. No score card either, altho some in the group keep one. But I have a picture of every joint we've ever sampled so I could recreate where we've been. And I do have some favorite memories. The Ridgeways in eastern TN was as good as it gets. Don't know if it's still around. Wilbur's in Goldsboro, NC was outstanding. Lexington, NC, oh my god.... Take your pick. Texas had some real all stars--Kruetz, Southside Market, Black's to name a few. Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur, AL. Memphis was all pretty good. We ate at The Interstate around midnight and, as usual, came in with our cameras flashing away. Some of the workers dove for cover, thinking it was a police raid!! Bozo's in Mason was excellent. I remember struggling to find BBQ joints in Nashville, much less good ones. But in all fairness, that trip was about 8 years ago so the BBQ landscape may have changed.

Oh wow, I forgot about Bozo's. That place has around for a very long time. I remember stopping there as a child (and that was..a while back). Do you have your photos posted on worldisround.com or any place where I can see them?

If you only have 2 days, I would do Memphis. You can enjoy some BBQ and enjoy Beale Street downtown. Nashville is kind of spread out.
Have Fun!

Thank you for the comments about Nashville music scene. They booked for Aug 16-21 and will stay at Comfort Inn "Opryland Area" = 2516 Music Valley Dr.

Don't know how good this area is, but they get a "family" discount at hotel, and the Enterprise car (will they need one?) will cost $185/5 days OFF-airport rental, even with the "under-25" surcharge. Thanks again for the help.

iceeu2, the pics are at home in albums.... One of these days I'll have to figure out how to use one of these photo websites to post pics. So far, I have not gone digital. Dave

rb, they most definitely will need a car to get around Nashville.

Why???
Is the flight to Memphis from NYC more than double the flight cost to Nashville from NYC??? it is over $300!!!! any ideas???

The flight to Memphis is more expensive because Memphis is a much smaller airport and isn't a regional "hub" for any airline. Nashville used to be an American hub (although I'm not sure if it still is).

rbtraveler -- your friends will *definitely* need a car in Nashville, especially if they're staying in the "Opryland area," which is several miles from downtown Nashville. The only thing out there really is the Opry and several hotels and chain restaurants.

i agree with the comments about the car. just stay near beale street and it's all right there for you. drink, walk around, listen to music and enjoy the time away from responsibilities.

nashville seemed to have more "temples" to music rather than real places to just relax and listen to music. an easy decision in my opinion. have fun.

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lisettemac said "The flight to Memphis is more expensive because Memphis is a much smaller airport and isn't a regional "hub" for any airline"
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Memphis is a Hub for Northwest Airlines.

You're so right, Hunter! I forgot about them. Thanks for the correction.

rb...how did your reply help with Lori's question? Why didn't you start your own thread and ask the questions, or did you think no one would reply when they saw who was asking?

Southwest Airlines serves Nashville and not Memphis. Maybe that is why fares to and from Memphis are so much more.

I live between the two cities. I find the Memphis airport much more convenient (and I get a kick out of seeing all those FedEx planes) but almost always fly out of Nashville because it is so much cheaper.