I’m back to finish off blogging about the second half of the Great James-Wallace American Road Trip of 2018! The next stop after New Orleans was Memphis – from one gritty city to another. When I was researching the trip, I was intrigued to read the Lonely Planet’s description: “Memphis has a certain baroque, ruined quality that’s both sad and beguiling.” Memphis was also one of the few places on our itinerary where the Airbnb reviews emphasised the importance of being in the “right” neighbourhood for safety reasons. It was thus with both excitement and trepidation that we embarked on our visit here.
We only had one day in Memphis, so to maximise our time we left our car parked at our Airbnb and ubered around the city for the day. This was a great option as it left us free to enjoy the sights without worrying about traffic, directions and where to park the car. We stayed in a fabulous Airbnb in Memphis (pictured below), which really gave us a feel of what it is like to be a resident of Memphis. The houses have no dividing fences and people were all out and about on the streets, so the neighbourhood had a lot of life to it.
We started our day with a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum, which is across the street from the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4 1968. This was easily the most moving experience from our American trip. Both my husband and I spent most of our time in the museum fighting back tears. The exterior of the Lorraine Motel and the room King was staying in at the time he was shot are much the same as they were at the time of his assasination. The statue of Rosa Parks on the bus and a preserved copy of a tourist guide for African Americans showing them where they were free to stay, eat and shop under the segregation rules were also very moving. It was great for us to be able to explain this history to our kids and for them to gain an understanding of racial discrimination.
After our time in the museum we headed to Central BBQ, a Memphis institution for lunch. You have to queue for a table here, but it was well worth the wait, as the food was amazing. The pulled pork, sauces and iced tea were particularly memorable. The boys loved the ribs!
After lunch it was onwards to Graceland. I wouldn’t call myself a die hard Elvis fan, nevertheless it was interesting to take the tour and to understand a bit more of what made Elvis tick. It was also a good opportunity to explain another part of history to the kids. Elvis’ house, although lavishly decorated, was quite humble, particularly in comparison with those of the stars of today. Elvis’ grave is also here.
After leaving Graceland we headed back into town to the Peabody Hotel to see the famous ducks who live in the hotel and swim in the lobby fountain. This is a 1930’s tradition which draws a big crowd! Every day at 11am the ducks descend the elevator to the fountain and make the reverse trip at 5pm that same day accompanied by their duckmaster. It was hard to get a good photo, but you can see some of the ducks to the right of the fountain below and the back of the red coated duckmaster. It was like something out of a fairy tale!
What a day! It was very intense, but very enjoyable. Memphis is certainly a very real city with soul. We finished off with a stroll along Beale Street and some ice cream sodas in a beautifully old fashioned store. After that it was back to our Airbnb for dinner and an early night ahead of an early start into Laura Ingalls Wilder territory!