memphis to do
 

Am a big Elvis fan, my husband is not, but he will change his mind after we have been to Graceland. Can anyone pass some ideas as to how would we be able to spend a day and a half in Memphis?

Civil Rights Museum, Mud Island, Beale St., Sun Records, and The Peabody duck march. The Peabody is a grand old hotel that has a duck master who leads the ducks in a march to the fountain in the lobby of the hotel. Their website may list the times and a better description. Also, if you enjoy gambling, Tunica is a 30 minute drive from Memphis where there are 9 casinos.

Second all that; the Civil Rights museum is excellent, from what I remember. You might also check and see if the Redbirds are playing while you're there; that's the Memphis minor league baseball team, and the ballpark is right downtown.

I also strongly recommend the Civil Rights Museum. Another option--and I can't recall how far it is--is to drive to Oxford, MS and visit William Faulkner's home.

Definitely the Civil Rights Museum, highly recommend it!

When I lived in Memphis, I found that even people who were not Elvis fans really enjoyed Graceland. Especially the car museum. I could spend the whole day there but you also might check out the Pink Palace Museum and go to Rendezvous for ribs.

gee, thanks for the info. definitely the Civil Rights Museum..and Graceland..that would fill our one and a half days!

Hi kimmos. You can do the Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, and also Sun Records in the day and a half. Sun Records is where Elvis actually got his 1st break. One of those evenings check out Beale Street. Recommend staying downtown and taking the trolley to the Civil Rights Museum and Beale Street.

Others had good suggestions also such as the Peabody duck march. That would only involve probably an hour & could be tossed in if the timing is right.

thanks so much!

I can't emphasise enough; DON'T MISS SUN STUDIOS. My family enjoyed it as much as Graceland. For a quick overview of the city, take a Ride the Ducks tour (even the chauffeur gets to see the sights). The Civil Rights museum is a must, its amazing. Eat some good food while you're there.

thanks kennythecook, certainly will.....does the Sun Studios need booking?

The Civil Rights museum (in the Lorraine Hotel, where MLK Jr. was assassinated) is one of the best special-topic museums I have visited.

But, don't count on Graceland converting someone into an Elvis fan. While there are certainly a few Elvis songs that I enjoy, I actually found Graceland a bit silly.

Don't miss Beale Street! If you enjoy music, it's the place to hang out after hitting Graceland.

and pardon the ignorance.....are all these places in the city except for Graceland?

Beale Street & the Civil Rights Museum are within walking distance of each other. A trolley ride is the best way to get to the area from downtown. Mud Island, the least of the attractions, is downtown as is the Peabopdy Hotel.

Graceland and Sun Studios are also located in the city but are not within walking distance. Ask the hotel about tours/transportation. Not expensive and easy to get to, especially Sun Studios.

What I do on my trips is obtain the address of attractions, restaurants, etc I may visit in a particular location. I then pull up www.mapquest.com or www.yahoo.com (punch in maps) to determine distance from my lodging to the desired locations of places where I may eat, drink, or visit.

thanks for tips roy2moira, generally that's what we do....but as we would like to buy tix before hand for graceland, just trying to figure out which part of our one and a half days to fit it in. again, does the Sun Studios need to be booked beforehand?

As of summer '05 no. Just find a place to park walk in and join a tour.