| Product: |
Memphis |
| Date: |
02/12/07 (86 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Lots to see and do
Disadvantages: It's hot in August!
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BACKGROUND
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Located in the southern part of the state of Tennessee, Memphis is best known to me for its musical history, particularly as being the home (although not the birthplace) of the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley. The population of the city is over 670,000, with a notable increase in the middle of August when a good many Elvis fans travel the world to pay homage to his life and his music. Many Memphians decry these visitors as they think they are mad - August is usually the hottest, most humid time of the year, and is the period when Memphians would rather escape the city, but instead many people come to visit instead.
The city is the largest in Tennessee, the 17th largest in the whole of the USA, and is named after the ancient Egyptian capital. As well as its musical heritage, Memphis is well known for being the location for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. The Lorraine Motel, where this notorious event took place, is now the National Civil Rights Museum (see below).
Many notable blues musicians grew up in and around Memphis, including Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Robert Johnson, and Howlin' Wolf.
Memphis is not well known for its safety, being named as number 1 in violent crimes in major cities around the USA according to the FBI, in 2006. My personal experience however has been the complete opposite, and I have never been made to feel unsafe and have never been the victim of crime whilst visiting, although I have been approached by a great many panhandlers whilst there. If you can put up with this then I can't see any major problems in the city, provided you have some common sense.
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SOME REGULAR MEMPHIS EVENTS
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Elvis Week - a 10 day festival in August celebrating the life of Elvis Presley, designed around the anniversary of his death on 16 August. There is a smaller scale event in January around the time of his birthday on 8 January.
Beale Street Zydeco Festival - carnival time in Memphis (in February).
Annual Film Festival at the Malco Studio on the Square - March.
Memphis In May - a month-long festival celebrating a different country each year (May 2008 will be Turkey), and incorporating a wide variety of other events, including the Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. This is one of the biggest events in the Memphis calendar.
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PLACES TO VISIT
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SUN STUDIO (706 Union Avenue)
Sun is the birthplace of rock and roll music, and when visiting Sun Studio you are able to take a tour of the very room where music history was made. You can stand on the very same spot where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and so many others, recorded some of their best pieces of music. A must for any music fan.
GRACELAND (3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard)
Although Elvis wasn't born in Memphis, he made it his home. A trip to Memphis would not be complete without visiting Graceland, the house he bought for his mother in the 1950s, just after hitting it big, and where he lived right through to his death in 1977. Visitors can go on a tour of the mansion, in addition to 2 of the 3 aeroplanes Elvis also owned, in addition to other exhibitions. I'd recommend spending a full day here, and just immersing yourself in everything Elvis!
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM (450 Mulberry Street)
This is based in the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and is an important visit for anyone with even a passing interest in the civil rights movement. It is not a King museum, but is instead filled with information and exhibits designed to help people understand the history of civil rights in America.
BEALE STREET
Along Beale Street are a great many clubs, bars and restaurants, and out of every one comes the constant sound of the blues. Beale Street historically was a run-down area, populated by the poor black folk of America, giving inspiration to those who made the blues, and musical genres growing out of the blues, famous (including Elvis of course). For a period in the 1960s and 1970s there was not much there, with msny venues and stores closing, but a revitalisation in the 1980s turned it into the modern tourist attraction that it is today.
MEMPHIS CENTRAL LIBRARY
The Memphis Central Library at 3030 Poplar Avenue is a must-visit if you are in Memphis for more than a few days. This is because in all of the times I have been there I have never been able to find an internet café in Memphis, but the library has a great number of computers for the public to use, all of which have internet access. This means that you can check your emails, and of course keep dooyoo-ing whilst you are away! I've never had trouble finding a computer available in the library, although I advise going right up to the top floor first as the ones lower down get taken up very quickly.
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MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN MEMPHIS
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Within this review I have detailed a few of my personal experiences of Memphis. I have visited the city 3 times over the last 6 years and have thoroughly enjoyed each visit. I have found the people to be nothing but friendly, and as already stated have felt very safe each time. Memphis is not really much of a tourist destination, unless you are into the musical history of the place, and indeed no-one else who I know has ever visited or intends to visit. People from the UK, as far as I am aware, tend to prefer places such as New York, LA, or Florida. However if you have any interest in the history of popular music since the 1950s then I would definitely suggest that you pay Memphis a visit.
Summary: The city that Elvis called home
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