My husband and I went to Memphis for a short 2 day/1 night stay this past weekend and I wanted to post a report. I got a lot of great tips from these boards!
We got a $60 room at the Wyndham Garden downtown on Priceline. I felt that it was a great deal! The hotel was nice--not fancy, but clean and large rooms. We didn't really spend that much time there, anyway.
One thing I wasn't aware of is the great trolley system downtown. For 60 cents/ride, you can get pretty much anywhere you need to go downtown. We rode it from our hotel to and from Beale, Civil Rights Museum, Peabody, etc. It was a great deal.
We really enjoyed the Civil Rights Museum. It was a very well-done museum with many interesting exhibits and a great audio tour. The tour ends at the window looking out onto the balcony where MLK Jr. was killed. It was quite moving and very educational.
We went to the "duck ceremony" at the Peabody--in my opinion, only worth it if you happen to be in the area anyway (which we were). It was kind of funny to watch the 100 people go crazy with their cameras when those little ducks scurried out of the fountain. The thing we really enjoyed at The Peabody was a visit to the roof. It was a great city view.
We went to Rendezvous for dinner--GREAT ribs! My husband now has a new definition of "good ribs." We shared a full order and it was enough for us. We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and decor.
After dinner we had a great time on Beale. Thanks to the previously mentioned trolley, we were both able to take part in a few beverages! We stepped in to hear an Elvis impersonator at one club, then spent the bulk of the night at BB King's. THey had a GREAT band and we enjoyed the atmosphere. If we went back, we may do the wristband thing where you buy a band for $10 and it gets you into any bar on Beale. It seemed like everywhere had at least a $5 cover.
The next morning we headed out to Graceland. We were both surprised at the fact that it wasn't as tacky as we thought it would be. It was a fascinating look into Elvis' life and the fame that surrounded him. Sure, there is some pretty outlandish decor in the mansion, but you kind of leave with a feeling that Elvis was just a normal person who had a lot of money to burn and a lot to deal with in his life. Of course, the 5 gift shops on the other side of the road were just as tacky as we thought they'd be! I'd recommend Graceland if you are in Memphis already, but not as the centerpiece of a trip. It just wasn't as "larger-than-life" as I thought it would be.
All in all, we had a GREAT trip! Memphis is a fun city with a lot to do--we only scratched the surface. (Sorry for the super long post)!

Sounds like an awesome weekend. Thanks for the report - I enjoyed reading it.

Paul

The thing that impressed me most about my trip to Memphis was a visit to Mud Island on the Mississippi to see The Memphis Belle B-17 bomber. This plane and it's crew defied all odds and completed 25 missions over Europe during WWII. To stand and look at this plane and think of all it and it's crew went through and still made it back. Jim, Chicago

Does anyone know the approximate driving time to Memphis from Washington, DC? Our beach plans for the end of July are falling through, and my husband was a big Elvis fan and has always wanted to see Graceland. Thanks!

Funny you should ask for the driving time. We also stopped and toured Memphis as travelisfun did. We were headed to a wedding in Tulsa and it was a convenient stop.

We left from Annapolis Md and went to Rt 66 and then on to Rt 81 south into Nashville Tenn. We stayed there two nites and then headed over to Memphis.

I would estimate for us that it was approximately 12 hours from Annapolis to Memphis.

We really enjoyed the Civil Rights Museum when we were there too. Very well done.