Things to do in Tennessee
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Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
Tucked in an alleyway off Union Ave, this subterranean institution sells an astonishing 5 tons of its exquisite dry-rubbed ribs weekly. Friendly service and walls plastered with historic memorabilia make eating here an event. Expect a wait.
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Brother Juniper's
Trek down to the University of Memphis for a straight-up good eatin' Southern-style breakfast in a kid-friendly joint. Omelets, biscuits and grits oh my!
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Huey's
Pass through the graffitied foyer and under the Xmas lights to get the best burger in town, at this lively Huey's location nearest the Beale St action.
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Sun Studio
It doesn't look like much from outside, but this dusty storefront is ground zero for American rock and roll music. Starting in the early 1950s, Sun's Sam Phillips recorded blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf, BB King and Ike Turner, followed by the rockabilly dynasty of Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and, of course, the King himself (who started here in 1953). Today packed 40-minute guided tours through the tiny studio offer a chance to hear original tapes of historic recording sessions. Guides are witty and full of anecdotes; many are musicians themselves. Pose for photos in the old recording studio on the 'X' where Elvis once stood, or buy a CD of the 'Million…
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National Civil Rights Museum
Housed in the Lorraine Motel, where the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr was fatally shot on April 4, 1968, is the gut-wrenching National Civil Rights Museum. Five blocks south of Beale St, this museum's extensive exhibits, detailed timeline and accompanying audioguide chronicle the ongoing struggles for African American freedom and equality in the US. Both Dr King's cultural contribution and his assassination serve as prisms for looking at the Civil Rights movement, its precursors and its indelible and continuing impact on American life. The turquoise exterior of the 1950s motel and two preserved interior rooms remain much as they were at the time of King's death, and…
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Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
'Honor Thy Music' is the catchphrase of this monumental museum, reflecting the near-biblical importance of country music to Nashville's soul. See case upon case of artifacts including Patsy Cline's cocktail gown, Johnny Cash's guitar, Elvis' gold Cadillac and Conway Twitty's yearbook picture (back when he was Harold Jenkins). There are written exhibits tracing country's roots, computer touch screens to allow access to recordings and photos from the Country Music Foundation's enormous archives and walk-in listening booths. The fact- and music-filled audio tour is narrated by contempor-ary country musicians. From here you can also take the Studio B Tour, which shuttles you…
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Graceland
If you only make one stop in Memphis, it ought to be here: the sublimely kitschy, gloriously bizarre home of the King of Rock and Roll.
Though born in Mississippi, Elvis Presley was a true son of Memphis, raised in the Lauderdale Courts public housing projects, inspired by the blues in the Beale St clubs, and discovered at Sun Studio on Union Ave. In the spring of 1957, the already-famous 22-year-old spent $100,000 on a Colonial-style mansion, named Graceland by its previous owners. Priscilla Presley (who divorced Elvis in 1973) opened Graceland to tours in 1982, and now millions come here to pay homage to the King and gawk at the infamous decor. The King himself had the…
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Hermitage
The former home of seventh president Andrew Jackson lies 15 miles east of downtown. The 1000-acre plantation is a peek into what life was like for a Mid-South gentleman farmer in the 19th century. Tour the Federal-style brick mansion, now a furnished house museum with costumed interpreters, and see Jackson's original 1804 log cabin and the old slave quarters (Jackson was a lifelong supporter of slavery, at times owning up to 150 slaves; a special exhibit tells their stories). The arcadian gardens and grounds are lovely to wander, though somewhat marred by the highway passing nearby.
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Pink Palace Museum & Planetarium
The 1923 building was built as a residence for Piggly Wiggly founder Clarence Saunders and opened in 1996 as a natural- and cultural-history museum. It mixes fossils, Civil War exhibits and a replica of the original 1916 Piggly Wiggly, the world's first self-service grocery store.
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Memphis Zoo
At the park's northwestern corner, this world-class zoo hosts two giant panda stars, Ya Ya and Le Le, in a $16-million exhibit on native Chinese wildlife and habitat. Other residents include the full gamut of monkeys, polar bears, penguins, eagles, sea lions and so on. Imagine an animal, the zoo probably has it.
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Tennessee Aquarium
That glass pyramid looming over the riverside bluffs is the world's largest freshwater aquarium. Climb aboard the aquarium's high-speed catamaran for two-hour excursions through the Tennessee River Gorge (adult/child $29/22). While here, check out a show at the attached IMAX theater.
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The District
The historic 2nd Ave N business area was the center of the cotton trade in the 1870s and 1880s, when most of the Victorian warehouses were built; note the cast iron and masonry façades. Today it's the heart of The District, with shops, restaurants, underground saloons and nightclubs.
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Parthenon
Yes, that is indeed a reproduction Athenian parthenon sitting in Centennial Park. Originally built in 1897 for Tennessee's Centennial Exposition and rebuilt in 1930 due to popular demand, the full-scale plaster copy of the 438-BC original now houses an art museum with a collection of American paintings and a 42ft statue of the Greek goddess Athena.
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Blues City Cafe
Coined 'the best meal on Beale', the Blues City Cafe is a great choice for chowing on some good old Southern fare while listening to local bands. Take you're pick from ribs, steaks, tamales...whilst listening to live music Tuesday to Sunday.
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Brooks Museum of Art
At the park's western fringe, this well-regarded art museum has an excellent permanent collection encompassing everything from Renaissance sculpture to Impressionists (eg Renoir) to abstract expressionists (eg Robert Motherwell).
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Overton Park
Stately homes surround the rolling acres of Overton Park, where the Levitt Shell was the site of Elvis' first concert, in 1954. Today the newly reopened band shell hosts free concerts all summer.
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State Capitol
At the northeast edge of downtown, the 1845 Greek Revival state capitol, between 6th and 7th Sts, was built from local limestone and marble by slaves and prison inmates working alongside European artisans.
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Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Q
Two words: barbecued spaghetti. It's just as weird as it sounds, but not half bad. Jim Neely's ribs and chopped-shoulder sandwiches are superb, and the atmosphere is homey and family-friendly.
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Aretha Frankenstein's
This turquoise cottage, tucked away on a residential street in the hip North Shore area, is tops for all-day pancakes and omelets, burritos and BLTs, or enjoying a beer on the sprawling patio.
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Pig on Beale
Slow-smoked pork ribs slide off the bone at this Beale St BBQ joint. You can get wet or dry ribs, served up with classic creamy coleslaw or corn on the cob…and plenty of napkins.
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Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Fried-chicken connoisseurs across the globe twitch in their sleep at night, dreaming about the gossamer-light fried chicken at this downtown concrete bunker. On busy nights, waits can top an hour. So worth it.
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Memphis Redbirds
This American Automobile Association (AAA) minor-league affiliate of the St Louis Cardinals baseball team plays at AutoZone Park April to August.
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Elliston Place Soda Shop
This venerable eatery has served fountain Cokes and meat-and-threes to Vandy students since the 1930s, and the decor hasn't changed much since.
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BB King's
A full restaurant serving ribs and Southern favorites, BB's is better known for its friendly fun-seeking crowd and great live music.
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Willie Nelson Museum
The Willie Nelson Museum, which might as well be called the Everything-But-Willie-Nelson's-Used-Toothbrush Museum.
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