After such a long day of driving, and ending up in such a lovely place, it was sooooo hard to get us all out on the streets of Memphis. Knowing that we only had until Wednesday, we powered through and headed to Beale street for some sightseeing and an early dinner. When we booked our Airbnb, we were mindful of it's location, but didn't quite realize how perfect it is until we made the 5-6 block walk. It is just far enough away to be quiet, but close enough for a quick walk to many sights.
On Beale st. we wandered down and back, then decided on a little restaurant called The Pig on Beale for dinner. It was delicious barbecue! Joe had a pulled pork plate and I had the sandwich. The BBQ sauce was spicy and sweet and the fries were crunchy (just the way I like them). After dinner, we wandered the street some more. When we first arrived on Beale, there were few people out, but now it was starting to get busier. We noticed that many shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays, so maybe that was one reason why it was so quiet. We did find a little shop called The Sugar Shack and picked out some sweets to take back to our loft. Then we wandered home through Main street to see what was near us. Once back, we all crashed. It had been a long day and a movie and some food was all that it took to convince us to rest.
Tuesday morning everyone (but me) slept in, so I got some time to read. Once everyone was up, Joe and I started researching plans for the day. Normally, we are plan-it-out people, but our plan for this trip was to find cities were wanted to see, but knew nothing about. Once we had a city itinerary, we did no planning. We knew that if we knew about all the sites in each area, we would get overwhelmed and try to pack too much in. Instead, we are picking prime location Airbnbs and only seeing sites within walking distance or on public transportation. No car rides between traveling from city to city. I have to say, I am loving this plan! At least in Memphis, it feels like we are really seeing the city, not just the touristy sites (but we are seeing a lot of those too).
Anyway, we decided on The National Civil Rights Museum as our first stop. Our loft is on a historic trolley line, and when I say on, I mean ON. Our front door is directly in front of a stop. So, we took the trolley to the museum. It was a wonderful way to see this part of the city and get to our destination quickly. The remnants of Tropical Storm Barry were passing through, so there was quite a bit of rain Tuesday morning and while we are Oregonians, our kiddos would lose steam quickly if we made them brave it too long.
The museum was AMAZING! The museum is housed in the hotel that Martin Luther King was assassinated. To have the view of the walkway where such an inspirational man died as the first thing you witness, is a powerful way to start. I felt emotional before we even stepped foot in the museum. Once inside, you are taken through the history of Africans being brought to America, their struggle through slavery, what they had to overcome after slavery "ended"- segregation, discrimination, poverty, harassment, brutality from the government, etc.
The kids had wonderful questions and took each part of the museum seriously. I have had so many people ask us why we do such "grown up" things with our kids. This is why. We want them to know and process and become who they are because they are aware of the world around them and the history that it has. Towards the end of the museum tour, we were pointed to the boarding house across the street, where the assassin hid in wait. It is now a part of the museum as well. Joe and I wanted to take time to read through all the information in this building, as we had in the last, but after two hours, the kids were hungry and beginning to lose interest. I plan to do some research to try to piece together what we missed.
After the museum, we walked a few blocks back to Beale street for lunch. We went to the Blues City Cafe and loved every bite! Joe and I shared a pork po boy and later we all shared a slice of pecan pie with the best ice cream we have ever eaten. It was exactly what we needed to keep our day of exploring going. If you are ever in Memphis, the Blues City Cafe should be on your list!
Next, we walked to the Memphis Fire Museum. It was so fun for the kids! The first building was a historic focus on the equipment used by fire fighters throughout American history, an area for kids with interactive information about when to call 911 and a monument for firefighters killed on 9/11. The second building was a firehouse themed playground. There was an interactive area with safety games, including a fire simulator and a maze where fire safety is incorporated into your ability to make it through.
After the museum, we headed to the gigantic pyramid housed by a Bass Pro shop. Oregonians think that Cabela's is a cool place to visit, we haven't seen anything! This place was huge and filled with outdoor scenery. It felt like a bayou that was teaming with animals. After wandering the shop, we took an elevator to the top of the pyramid to see the view of the city. We learned during our long ride up, that there is a restaurant at the top and a hotel in the pyramid. Our kids are convinced that we will be coming back to Memphis soon and will be staying there.
After taking in the view and a bit more exploring in the store, we took the trolley back to our loft and had a little rest before dinner. We walked a couple blocks to the very famous Rendezvous. Another amazing BBQ experience! This time we had pork nachos and brisket. I tried to get a picture, but everyone dug in so fast that there wasn't much left. Our final stop of the night was a repeat visit to the Sugar Shack for something sweet. Again, a movie and showers was all that it took for everyone to be ready for a long rest.
We have loved our time in Memphis and our home away from home, the Rock and Soul Loft. We can't wait to come back in the future. Today, we are headed to Nashville! It is about a three hour drive from Memphis, so we are hoping to head out soon and get there around lunch time.......we'll see.
Details and Links:
Rock and Soul Loft AirBnb
Pig on Beale
Beale Sweets Sugar Shack
National Civil Rights Museum
Blues City Cafe
Fire Museum of Memphis
Bass Pro Pyramid
Rendezvous
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