We also talked to others who were cautioning us about different parts of town (Beale Street after 10:00 for example) and offering recommendations of where to go.
We headed there with cautious optimism but determined to see some things (Graceland, Bass Pro Shop, and Beale Street....maybe more) and as it turns out to stay long enough to wait out a significant weather system that is spawning tornadoes in Oklahoma which is the next scheduled stop. Our weather lady (Kathy) is very nervous of the weather reports we are seeing so good or bad we will hold up in Memphis for three nights.
We checked into the campground at T.O. Fuller state park where we were greeted with very friendly folks in the park office and a nice campground with water and electric hook-ups for a reasonable price. The roads and neighborhoods leading into the park are not the best - one way in is through an industrial area and the other is a residential area that wasn't the best but when you're in the park it is pretty nice!
Memphis Day One - we head out to see the Bass Pro Shop and spend nearly three hours there to include having lunch. It is an amazing building shaped like a pyramid that includes two restaurants, a hotel and many square feet (on two levels) of outdoors retail merchandise....enough to keep us busy awhile. We reluctantly paid the $10 each fare to ride the elevator to the observation deck and the restaurant that is in the top of the building - good choice and nice lunch. Donald is not a fan of heights and the open glass elevator did not impress him at all.
 |
| Bass Pro Shop in Memphis - quite and attraction |
 |
| Taken atop the BPS |
 |
| Top of Bass Pro Shop |
 |
| View across the Mississippi from Memphis to Arkansas |
Leaving there we thought it'd be a good idea to visit the Memphis Visitor's Center and see what advice they might have for folks with two (actually now less) days in town. There we met Eric who was a pleasure and he helped us plan out the remainder of our time and saved us some money doing so....he was very good at his job and we had fun talking with him.
We left there with tickets to the STAX museum, tickets to the civil rights museum, information on how to get the best value (and price) at Graceland, Memphis BBQ restaurant recommendations, and a plan of attack for an evening of Blues on Beale Street. Yes - only a day and now a couple hours left to do all this.
Note - when I went to pay for the tickets I realized that I had left my credit card at the restaurant at Bass Pro Shop so I called and the manager was very nice and said he had it and we could pick it up anytime until 10:00 - now we had to add that stop to the list :-(
When we left the visitors center we went to the STAX museum as they were closing at 5:00 and it was now approaching 3:30 but we were assured it would only take about an hour and a half to do. The museum is an old recording studio turned museum with many historical artifacts from the early soul (Sam Cook, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes.....) era and a lot to learn about...we took them to closing time and really enjoyed it - Kathy especially liked the old Soul Train television video that was running non-stop. A lot of great old music and the history to go with it.
 |
| Isaac Hayes ride - it was on a rotating platform |
From there we went BACK to the Bass Pro Shop to fetch my credit card.....it didn't seem to suffer any extra damage while out of my control and for that I was thankful!
Next - Eric had recommended a few BBQ restaurants but we decided to try the one nearest to the Bass Pro Shop since we were getting pretty hungry at this point. It is called Cozy Corner and as we pulled up it was one of those places where you think "if not for a recommendation it is not likely that I would just stop here to eat". We even double checked our notes to confirm we were at the right place - food was excellent!
 |
Cozy Corner - Fine Dining, Memphis style :-)
|
Memphis Day Two - We had a plan for the day that seemed perfect. First we would do Graceland and be there when they opened (0900) and it would likely only take until noon. Then back to the campground to cool off, eat lunch and rest before heading out to the Civil Rights museum that is located near Beale Street - first one, then the other.
We arrived at Graceland soon after it opened and began what was a pretty nice tour of the house, the automobiles, the planes and more Elvis memorabilia than one thought even existed. The tour of the house was well done with an audio equipped laptop that was a great way to do it and tell about it. We literally went through almost all parts of the house with a guided narration....ending at the memorial garden where he (and several other family members) are buried. By the time we finished there it was nearing 3:00 and the Civil Rights Museum was closing at 5:00 - there went our original plan :-(
 |
| Graceland |
 |
| Two of many admiring fans there |
Jet named for his daughter
|
We hustled from the Graceland tour and moved on over to the Civil Rights Museum. The museum is in two parts - one is attached to/built around the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was killed. It is a well done and well laid out history of many tragic/embarrassing events that eventually led up to the murder of MLK on that balcony. The museum leads you through these events in an unsuspecting way that ends up at the hotel room and balcony where he died.
The second part of the museum is across the street where the shot was fired and focuses more on the crime, evidence, apprehension and prosecution of James Earl Ray to include some of the conspiracy theories that go along with the story.
 |
| Lorraine Motel with a wreath marking the spot where MLK was killed |
To Beale of not to Beale? - So back at the campground now getting late, needing supper, and feeling tired. All of us wanted to do Beale Street but we were all also pretty tired at this point and I think somewhere between beer number one and two we decided that we were really too tired to enjoy it, especially since we were departing the Memphis area in the morning.....sorry BB King, we will have to catch your place next time.
Speaking of departing Memphis - our weather lady had advised against Oklahoma City area so those plans have now also been altered. Instead we opted to take amore southerly route via Texarkana, Texas and spend two nights and one restful day at the Wright Patman Lake and Corps of Engineer campground there. Other than some Walmart shopping we are committed to resting a day. From here we have two drive days headed to Santa Fe New Mexico where we intend to anchor down for a few days of exploring.
 |
| Wright Patman Lake - Piney Point Campground |
 |
| Wright Patman Lake - Rocky Point Campground |
No comments:
Post a Comment