Memphis

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Memphis, Ameripass stop 15

A July 2003 trip to Memphis by kwadz

Rum Boogie CafeMore Photos

Memphis was our 15th stop on our 30-day Greyhound Ameripass trip. Out of all the cities we visited, we both loved Memphis the most because of its combination of awesome food, fun, music, and activities.

  • 11 reviews
  • 1 story/tip
  • 19 photos

Sleep Inn At Court SquareBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

Sleep Inn is a standard hotel. The rooms are very clean and have very pretty views of either the Mississippi River and Confederate Park or of Court Square. The hotel is less than a 5-minute walk (1/2 mile) to Beale St. and it is directly across from Mud Island. For the hotwire.com price of $71/night, we wouldn't have wanted to stay anywhere else.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Sleep Inn At Court Square
40 N FRONT STREET Memphis, Tennessee 38103
901-522-9700

Homestead Memphis-AirportBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Homestead Memphis Airport"

We reached Memphis around 10:10pm and we got the driver from Homestead to pick us up at the Greyhound station. He said he’s only really supposed to go 5 miles, and we were about 8, but he didn’t mind. We checked into our room with one queen bed and a full kitchen, then put our laundry in the wash. When we asked Trina, at the front desk, where we could order good BBQ delivery, she shut down the desk and actually drove us to the River City BBQ, which was a 24-hour, very inexpensive local favorite. In the meantime, she gave us her personal cell phone to call her at the hotel for a pickup when we were ready! She dropped us off and we ate until we were stuffed. We called her, she picked us up, then both of us took showers, dried our clothes and passed out for the night. When we checked out, they even gave us a free lift to Graceland. This was the most hospitable place I’ve ever stayed in and it only cost us $36 on Hotwire. We chose to stay here for the first night, so we could see Graceland the next day, and then at Sleep Inn Court Square the second night to go to Beale St.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Homestead Memphis-Airport
2541 CORPORATE AVENUE EAST Memphis, Tennessee 38132
901-344-0010

Bar-B-CueBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "River City Bar-B-Que"

When we arrived at our hotel, Homestead Memphis Airport, at midnight, the first thing we asked the girl at the front desk was where we could get some good Memphis BBQ (which we had heard so much about). She took us out to the van and drove us to a little shop in the middle of a not-so-affluent neighborhood and dropped us off with her cell phone to call when we were ready to be picked up. She told us that the food is worth the long wait.

River City Bar-B-Que is a local 24-hour favorite, apparently, as it was mobbed with locals at 12:30am. Between waiting in line and waiting for our food to cook, we were in there about 30 minutes, but it WAS worth the wait.

It was the most amazing food, with a slow-cooked, pit-smoked flavor and coleslaw mixed in. I had a Polish sausage sandwich and a bologna sandwich (both smothered with their Southern-style BBQ sauce).

Out of all the BBQ we ate in Memphis (I mean at least six different restaurants, including some on Beale St.), River City Bar-B-Que was unquestionably the best. I ordered a BBQ smoked sausage sandwich, a BBQ bologna sandwich, pecan pie, and a green apple soda, all for $8 including tax. You CANNOT beat that!

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Bar-B-Cue
3465 Cazassa Rd Memphis, Tennessee 38116
(901) 345-5200

Brown PigBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Pig on Beale"

We split a BBQ nachos and wing appetizer and I had a BBQ chicken sandwich. Nothing compared to River City BBQ. It was a little pricey at around $10/person (considering River City BBQ was less than $4 for the same thing). My second favorite BBQ on Beale St. with Rum Boogie Cafe being my favorite.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Brown Pig
7967 B St Millington, Tennessee 38053
+1 901 872 1910

Blues City CafeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

I decided to try fried Mississippi River catfish. It was my first time having catfish and it was the best that I've had to date. The setting of the restaurant is similar to a diner. Therefore, I expected prices to be a little cheaper than they were, but considering it was on Beale St., I guess $10/person is fair.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Blues City Cafe
138 Beale St Memphis, Tennessee 38103
+1 901 526 3637

Joe's Crab ShackBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

We ate at Joe’s Crab Shack, which is a Southern chain that Ellie, from Texas, recommended. I had Snow Crab Alfredo and we split crab dip as an appetizer. The food was OK, but I personally still prefer Red Lobster any day. It seemed to be trying to create a fun atmosphere (like Hooters, but without the hot girls), but it just wasn't appropriate for a seafood restaurant.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Joe's Crab Shack
263 Wagner Place Memphis, Tennessee 38103
(901) 526-1966

Rum Boogie CafeBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Rum Boogie Cafe
We went to the Rum Boogie Café when we saw the food people were eating. The $3 cover was well worth it to see the band and I ordered a BBQ pork shoulder sandwich. I just couldn't get enough of the BBQ here in Memphis! The band was more of a Rhythm & Blues band with a trumpet, 2 saxes, guitar, keyboard, drummer and singer. They played more upbeat rock n’ roll with a touch of James Brown (the singer even looked like an older version of him). When they took a break, we left and stopped in some other bars, but after an hour of checking out other places, we ended up right back at the Rum Boogie to watch the band again (and didn't have to re-pay the cover since the bouncer remembered us).
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Rum Boogie Cafe
182 Beale St Memphis, Tennessee 38103
+1 901 528 0150

Sun StudioBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Sun Studio
We hiked all the way to Sun Studios and bought our tickets for the tour. We honestly expected it to just be a tourist trap, but after the hot girl (dressed in a yellow '50s dress with bright red lipstick and a '50s hairdo) finished the tour, we were really amazed. It started out in a museum room with showcases in chronological order of the black blues artists right up through the first white artist, Elvis Presley. That part was interactive, with the guide playing recorded samples and videos throughout the tour. She then took us down into the reception office from the original Sun and into the studio space, where we were told more stories about Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, BB King, and Elvis. After hearing more sound clips, we were shown where Elvis and his bandmates stood and we were even allowed to touch and take pictures with his microphone.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Sun Studio
706 Union Ave. Memphis, Tennessee 38103
(901) 521 0664

Mud IslandBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Mud Island Park"

Mud Island
We made the long walk from Sun Studio to the bridge for Mud Island and balked at the $2 monorail price, so we decided to walk the bridge, despite the 89-degree Memphis heat. I was fascinated with the 5-block-long, perfectly scaled model of the Mississippi River, which was complete with stories and identification markers of key locations. Some people waded through it, but we didn’t feel like spraining an ankle on the uneven “riverbed.” We also took a few cool pictures of the Memphis skyline and the Mississippi River.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Mud Island
125 North Front St. Memphis, Tennessee 38103
(901) 576-7241

Gibson Guitar FactoryBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Gibson Guitar Factory
We browsed the Gibson custom shop and I got myself a Gibson hat to take care of my hair. The tour was only eight people, and being July 4th week, no one was working the floor, so our guide was able to take us to see everything up close. We saw every step of the process, from attaching the necks and molding to buffering and painting to installing the electronics. After seeing how many tedious steps are spent individually on each guitar, it’s understandable that they cost so much to buy (starting prices are about $1600.) She did tell us that favored workers receive a free Les Paul each year.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Gibson Guitar Factory
145 Lt. George W. Lee Ave. Memphis, Tennessee 38103
901-543-0800

GracelandBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Elvis Presley's Graceland"

Graceland
Graceland was shockingly awesome. It was only $13 for the mansion tour with AAA and student ID. We got our audio tour headsets and entered the house. You’re led through the living room, dining room and kitchen and then downstairs. My favorites were the yellow and blue TV room, the pool table room downstairs, and the Jungle Room, which was the living room with green shag carpet on the floor and ceiling. Once you’re led outside, you go through a series of museums and exhibits before being led by the swimming pool to the meditation garden and gravesite. I was extremely crazy about the TV room and want to model my living room just like it. We then browsed the stores and got ice cream. I have not found any place in the country that has custard like ours back home (South Jersey). After picking up our bags at the security office, we left the magic of Graceland on a free shuttle to Beale St. and walked about 3 blocks to the $70 (Hotwire) Sleep Inn at Front and Court, right across from Confederate Park.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by kwadz on December 12, 2003

Graceland
3734 Elvis Presley Blvd. Memphis, Tennessee 38116
(901) 322-3322

Beale StreetBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Beale Street
We were surprised that everything was only one block long, but it was awesome, with old-fashioned big neon signs and back-to-back blues clubs. It was set up like a real block party, with the street closed to traffic at night and people drinking right out in the open. We browsed around some shops on Beale and eventually watched a few outdoor street bands. Our favorite was a one-man band with a cigar-box guitar that was a one-string bass and three-string guitar combo, a bass drum, and a snare/hi-hit combo. I took a picture of him playing. At this point, it was 10pm and we were pretty beat, so we just sat down on a cement wall on Beale until I got the great idea of watching a movie, but of course the theater was closed, so we couldn’t see Terminator 3. We eventually got snow cones (lemon) and sat in the outdoor amphitheater to eat them.

About the Writer

kwadz
kwadz
Merchantville, New Jersey

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