Our number one item on today’s agenda was to eat BBQ at one of the best places in downtown Memphis - check. Number two was to go out to Mud Island - check. And number three was to walk along Beale Street - check! But not in that order!
We visited Mud Island years ago, shortly after it was opened and when the kids were little and it hasn’t changed much since then. We toured the Mississippi River Museum and walked the length of the River from St. Louis all the way to the gulf. One half mile long, it covers all the twists and turns, city and lakes along the Mighty Mississippi. Instead of driving we chose to walk to Central BBQ (a 2 mile hike) where we had a very nice lunch of dry-rub ribs and brisket with several sides and nice cold ice tea!
On our way to Beale Street we stopped for a view of the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot. Several buses had unloaded there so we did not fight the crowds in the National Civil Rights Museum but it was still a sobering moment for us. Sunday afternoon on Beale was a hopping place to be. Every bar had a live band playing,or a DJ blaring his tunes, the streets were blocked off from cars so people were walking and dancing everywhere. We shopped in several stores that claim to be long standing traditions on Beale such as A. Schwab Dry Goods, Tater Red’s, Strange Cargo, and Lansky Brothers. We would stop at times to listen to the music and one group caught our attention so we sat down, had a libation and listened to a phenomenal harmonica player and singer!
We left Beale just in time to see the Ducks at the Peabody Hotel swim in the water of the central fountain and then waddle along the red carpet to the elevator for their ride back to their roost on the roof. The hotel itself is a beautiful building and worthy of a stop without the ducks.
A modern site in downtown Memphis is the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid! It rather dominates the skyline and draws people in but it is not much different inside than any other Bass Pro except that it has an elevator to the observation tower at the peak of the pyramid. Since we walked over 17,000 steps were too tired to stand in line or to pay $14 to ride the elevator.
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