Monday, October 22, 2018

Three Days in Memphis


For my mom's 60th birthday, she decided to go on a Mississippi River cruise that launched from Memphis, Tennessee, and ended in New Orleans, Louisiana.  My brother and his family, my sister and her family, and Tom and I met up with her in Memphis earlier this month to do a little family vacation before she got on the boat!  Please bear with me because this is going to be a long post!

We flew into Memphis on Friday night and hung out at the Airbnb house that we rented for the weekend.  We planned our strategy for the weekend - with 8 adults and 3 kids under 3, we needed a game plan!

On Saturday morning, my brother, his wife, and their two boys went to the Fire Museum of Memphis while the rest of us took a Historic Memphis Walking Tour run by Backbeat Tours.  We walked along a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and then along the trolley tracks.  While our tour guide could have been a little more succinct in his stories and thus talked about more things, I thought the tour was a great way to see some of the city.


After the tour, my mom and stepdad took the kids back for naps and the rest of us walked along Beale Street.  There was a parade going on for some of the day, so it was just mobbed with people, but the atmosphere was so fun!  Lots of bars, lots of live music.  Later in the afternoon, we all went over to Big River Crossing, which is a mile-long pedestrian bridge that crosses the Mississippi river into Arkansas - it was cool to be able to be standing in two states at once, right in the middle of the river!


On Sunday morning, we all visited the Memphis Zoo.  Everyone loved it, especially the kids!  The zoo was so well-put together, with all these different sections marked by creative architecture.  We got there right when it opened and many of the animals were waiting for us!


What's a trip to Memphis without a tour of Graceland?  My mom is a huge Elvis fan, so while the kids and a couple adults went to the Children's Museum (which they said was awesome), the rest of us drove over to tour Elvis Presley's house.  I'll be honest, the tickets were a bit pricey, and we did the most basic option, which was just an audio tour of the house and admission to his private planes.  There was a whole entertainment center that we didn't visit because it cost extra.

Surprisingly, the house isn't huge, but it's been preserved exactly as it was when he lived there.  You can't go upstairs; Elvis always considered that a private family area and his wishes are still honored today.  His daughter Lisa Marie visits the house and stays there a couple times a year.  The grounds are beautiful and there are even horses in the stables.  Elvis and his parents are buried in a meditation garden at the house.


Monday was our last day in Memphis.  We went to the Memphis Botanic Garden in the morning; this place was just beautiful and so well-done.  There was an extensive children's play area and the kids had a blast.


Tom and I always seem to go on some kind of boat cruise wherever we go, so I booked a riverboat cruise for the afternoon.  The tour guide was really great and he actually talked the whole 1.5 hour cruise, which I appreciated.  It was so breezy and cool on the water.


Although we didn't get to explore some of the music or civil rights museums while we were there, we all had a great time in Memphis, and of course, it was just so fun to have the family together and spend time with everyone!

22 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great trip. Love the pictures!

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  2. Looks like a fun trip! I have never been! I'm glad you had a nice time. Thanks for sharing pictures with us!

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  3. Such a fun trip! Bet you guys are glad you could all go and experience some of what Memphis had to offer. Happy Birthday to your Mom (she and I are contemporaries - ha!).

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    1. Haha, nice! Yes, it's always great when we can all get together and explore!

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  4. Sounds like a fun trip! I always wanted to ride those riverboats. I went to grad school in Kentucky, and they had them on the river there. I never rode one for some reason.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  5. Graceland was my favorite thing in Memphis! So glad we went. Also, I loved making our Instagram videos with Memphis music. Classic.

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    1. I'm glad we went to Graceland, too! I didn't think I really wanted to go, but it was so cool! And yes, your classic videos.

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  6. I've never been to Memphis, but we do have cousins who live in Tennessee and I love their accents. Looks like a very fun trip!

    Thanks for stopping by! :)

    Tressa @ Wishful Endings

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    1. It was my first time there, and I could see myself going back!

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  7. I have always wanted to do a river cruise. This looks like it was so amazing. You're pictures are awesome and the weather looks like it cooperated to.

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    1. Thanks, Sam! It was actually pretty hot and humid when we were there, but at least it didn't rain!

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  8. I've never been to Memphis, but would love to go sometime. Any trip with family is fun and I'm sure your mom LOVED having all of you there with her. Very special!

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    1. Yes, she loved having all her kids and grandkids in one place! With my brother and his family living halfway across the country, we can't all get together very often!

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  9. OMG, I have to visit Memphis and is one of the places on my bucket list. Amazing pictures and glad you all got together for your mom's birthday. So very awesome!

    Mary

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    1. Thanks, Mary! It was such a great trip and a really cool city!

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  10. Memphis looks amazing and it sounds like a great place to go for a family trip. Glad you had fun!

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  11. This looks like such a fun trip! That house and the gardens are so beautiful, wow.

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!