Travel Guide: Memphis, Tennessee

Every year, Brian and I travel at the beginning of May for my birthday and to celebrate our anniversary (6 years this year). This year we (me) decided to go to Memphis, TN. I have been asking Brian to take me to Memphis since we stopped there on our way back from St. Louis last September.

Memphis is not too terribly far away (6 hours), so it was an easy drive from Dallas. We hopped in the car on Thursday and made our way to Tennessee. This was the first time that both of us have visited Tennessee and Memphis besides stopping for lunch.

We really enjoyed this trip. And were able to do everything we had written down on our list! Keep reading to see where we stayed, what we did, where we ate and what I packed in my suitcase!

Thanks for reading. xo, Nataly

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed in East Memphis at the Crown Plaza Hotel. Brian was really happy with his choice this time around. Seems like the last couple of trips we’ve taken….minus HHI…he’s picked a hotel that he didn’t like. But, this time we were happy with our choice. It was a nice hotel and had wonderful customer service. I would recommend staying here.

At first, we tried to find a VRBO in Memphis, but didn’t seem to have much luck, that is why we chose to go with a hotel.

WHAT WE DID

We set out with a really large list of things to do when we arrived in Memphis. I reached out to a couple of blogger friends who have visited before and had a running list in my phone of everything. And we pretty much did everything we wanted to while we were in Memphis. It was the first time that this has happened.

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GRACELAND

This was at the top of my list and the main reason I picked Memphis for our anniversary trip. I have always been an Elvis fan and wanted to visit his home. The home/airplane tour did not disappoint. I loved every single minute of our tour, from the tour guides to seeing inside Elvis’ home. It was so cool to see how it was decorated and all the history! I highly recommend this tour to anyone…kids and adults alike.

I suggest buying tickets online in advance. We bought our tickets when we arrived and had to wait quite a while for the house tour to begin.

EXPLORE BEALE STREET

The first night we arrived we decided to eat near Beale Street. There are so many restaurants and shops on/near Beale Street that you could get lost for a couple of hours. This street is famous for being the starting place for blues music. Today, the street is lined with restaurants, blues clubs and tourist shops. It is a site to see, that is for sure.

SUN STUDIOS

Sun Studios was another highlight of the trip for me. This studio is the birth place of Rock N’ Roll. And where so many greats, including Elvis, first recorded their albums. I even got to hold the same microphone that Elvis and so many others sang into when they were recording. It was a surreal moment for me.

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PEABODY HOTEL

Another recommendation from our friends was to check out the Peabody Hotel. This hotel is famous for the “Peabody Ducks” that live on the rooftop of the hotel and make daily treks down to the lobby. We didn’t stay to watch the ducks make their famous trek, but we did visit them on the rooftop. We also took some really great photos on top of the hotel. I would recommend this spot just for the rooftop views and photo opportunities.

MUD ISLAND

Technically, Mud Island isn’t an actual island. It is a peninsula surrounded by the Mississippi River. We drove around this area, just to see it. It is the up and coming neighborhood of Memphis. It is really cute and definitely where I would live if we moved to Memphis. A great spot to stop and take in the sights. It was raining when we visited, so we didn’t get out of the car to really explore.

BASS PRO SHOPS

As soon as we drove into Memphis, we spotted the larger than life Bass Pro Shop. Since it was pouring rain on Saturday we decided to take a look around. This Bass Pro has a hotel inside as well as a 32 story elevator that takes you to the top to an observation deck overlooking downtown Memphis. I have to say this elevator ride isn’t for the faint of heart. The whole elevator is glass making it a little nerve racking for someone who doesn’t like heights. Once you get to the top you can either sit down in the restaurant or take a look outside on the observation deck. It was beautiful up there!

OVERTON PARK

Overton Park is a 342 acre park in the center of Memphis, TN. The park contains a nine hole golf course, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis College of Art, The Memphis Zoo, and 2 playgrounds. This is the perfect area to check out if you are traveling with little ones. They would love the parks and you can check out the zoo while you are at it.

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ELMWOOD CEMETERY

Elmwood Cemetery is the most historic piece of land in this part of the world. Between, 75,000-80,000 souls have been put to rest on this land, including those who fought in the American Revolution, civil rights leaders and blues singers. There are nearly 1,000 confederate soldiers buried here. This is a great stop if you are a history buff or not. It was so interesting to see all the different graves and all the dates. Some of them date all the way back to the 1800s.

WHERE TO EAT

I picked all the restaurants on our trip this time. Usually, Brian does this job, but since he picked the hotel, it was my turn to pick the food. I always find that using Trip Adviser to find restaurants is the easiest and gives the best results. There wasn’t a restaurant that I picked that we didn’t like.

BREAKFAST

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STACKS PANCAKES

If you go anywhere out of all my recommendations this one is at the top of the list. Their breakfast is hands down one of the best I have ever had. It is such a cute spot too! I would arrive early….like 7 am or 8 am early to get a table. It starts getting busy really early, especially on the weekends.

I would definitely order the biscuits and gravy. Best I’ve ever had!

PERKINS DINER

MISS POLLY’S SOUL CITY CAFE

Miss Polly’s is right in the middle of Beale Street. A great way to see the sights and grab a yummy meal. They are known for their chicken and waffles. Brian tried them and said they were pretty good!

LUNCH

YOUNG AVENUE DELI

We grabbed a snack here one afternoon, just to kill some time before dinner. It was a cute little spot. Perfect if you want to grab a snack or drink.

GUS’S FRIED CHICKEN

We tried Gus’s back in September when we were on our way back from St. Louis. We loved it so much that we made sure this was our first stop when we made it into town. There fried chicken is out of this world!

DINNER

THE MAJESTIC GRILLE

This was the very first dinner we had in Memphis and it did not disappoint. The Majestic Grille reminds me of Houston’s in Dallas, if you are familiar with that restuarant. It was very good! I went for the Grilled Mahi Mahi and Brian tried their famous grilled cheese.

HOG & HOMINY

This little spot is right in the middle of Germantown, which is one of the nicer neighborhoods in Memphis. It is totally Instagram worthy too! We tried the grilled oysters and shared a pizza. Both of which were so good!

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RENDEZVOUS

When I asked friends for suggestions this was the first place that everyone said we should try. So, we made it a point to check it out. We arrived really early because I was worried it would be packed, but luckily we got seated right away without waiting. And the food was amazing. By far the best BBQ I’ve ever had. We went for the BBQ pork nachos and pork ribs. They did not disappoint either!

THE 901 SCOOP

If you know me, then you know I always try to find a local ice cream shop when we travel and this time we stumbled across The 901 Scoop. They specialize in the rolled ice cream…which surprisingly Brian and I both had never tried. It was definitely worth the stop and calories.

WHAT TO WEAR

Unfortunately, it was really chilly and rainy the whole time we were in Memphis. I didn’t really pack the right stuff for this trip because I forgot to look at the weather prior to packing….silly me! I packed lots of dresses, tanks, and casual looks. All of which ended up working just fine for the weather. I was a little chilly, but did bring my trusty denim jacket and a cardigan along with me and that kept me warm.