Memphis, Tennessee

Rolling into Memphis we realized we knew very little about it, so Tim reached out to his buddy John Rote, a Memphis native, for some highlights. After checking into the sketchiest Airbnb to date, we immediately headed to Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous Charcoal Ribs joint for an early BBQ dinner. The ribs did not disappoint, nor did the back alley entrance to the restaurant in a basement. We picked up some BBQ sauce and headed to Beale Street for some action.

Beale Street is a much smaller Bourbon Street, less strip clubs, more legit music and same open container laws. Our first find was the Ernest C. Withers Photography Gallery which happened to be hosting a special exhibit highlighting Memphis’ involvement in the Civil Rights movement. Ernest was Martin Luther King Jr.’s photographer for years and captured so many emotion yet beautiful moments, including his assassination. On the lighter side, he also captured some epic shots of local musicians and athletes in action.

After a somewhat teary exhibit viewing, we grabbed some beers and headed for live music. Street performers doing back flips paved the way to the Blues Hall where we snagged the last open table and soaked in the soulful sounds of The McDaniel Band.

Wanting one last cold one, we took John’s suggestion and headed to Bardog, a local joint, conveniently located by our crash pad that also served late night sliders. Solid night cap!

We weren’t done with Memphis yet! The next morning we woke up early to be first in line for a tour of Graceland, Elvis’s mansion just outside the city. We may not be die hard Elvis fans but his amazing ability to blur the lines between gospil, country and soul are unmatched and changed music forever….plus, his fancy footwork is pretty great too. We were handed headphones and an iPad for our virtual tour led by Mr. John Stamos. While no longer a “mansion” by standards today, the 13 acre property did not disappoint. From the peacock stained glass in the living room to the fully draped pool room to the epic jungle room….Elvis was a king. If you are ever in Memphis, make sure to head to Graceland.

On our way out we had to make one last stop, the Stax Museum of American Soul music. We didn’t have nearly as much time as we had hoped, or quickly realized that we needed, but man if Stax Record label was around today it would be the cats meow. So many of our favorite artists had their start with Stax: Otis Redding, Tina and Ike Turner, Isaac Hayes and Sam and Dave just to name few. Thanks for taking us to Soulsville Memphis. If Cleveland rocks, then Memphis definitely rolls!

Strangest Building: Bass Pro Shop Pyramid
Miles Clocked: 2,385