Road Trip to Memphis Tennessee

 Memphis, home of the blues and birthplace of rock and roll!

Hey yall!  I’m back from my road trip to Memphis!  As a lot of you may know that I travel to Memphis every 4^th of July weekend for my family reunion on my dad’s side of the family.  A month ago we had a mini family reunion in Destin Florida.

For the family reunion each year we usually do different things like go to a baseball game at Autozone Park, rent out a pavilion at a national park to bbq, someone host the bbq at their home, etc. 



This year my dad was the host so he had the bbq at his house.  I enjoy when my dad host because I love his nice backyard patio and watching him throwing down on the grill, he clears out his garage and set up a table for people who would like to play cards, inside his home he has a big screen tv for those who would like to watch movies, and my dad has a kid’s room that the kids can play video games to keep them entertained.  My dad’s house is like the fun spot.

My family and I arrived at my dad’s house on the 4^th of July after a 6 ½ hour drive in the 2015 Kia Sedona (make sure to read about my experience in the van).  

Usually I would stay at my father’s house when I’m visiting Memphis but this year I chosen to stay in downtown Memphis so I could go exploring there later.

My family reunion consist of good eating and fireworks that the family and I put our money towards so the kids can pop and shoot them in the air.  My girls hate fireworks, including me, and my girls were not having it so I had to take them back inside the house to calm them down since they were shaking like a leaf and tears streaming down their faces.

 

After the $600 worth of fireworks were all popped, it was time for the girls and me to head downtown to check into our hotel.

Priceline for the second time let me down again.  I did their Express Deal to save money on my hotel stay and they placed me in the Crown Plaza.  We walked into the lobby and was immediately turned off by the looks of it; it was old, run down, with an old lingering smell.  When you do an Express Deal with Priceline once you pay you cannot get your money back, so we were stuck.

Checking in wasn’t a problem and the people at the front desk was very welcoming so that was a good thing until we arrived to our room.

Our room was old looking, still with that old smell lingering in the air, the furniture had wear and tear that needed replacing or repairs, and in the bathroom shower the water was freezing cold, it would not get warm or hot.  I called front desk to have us moved into another room.

Front desk quickly placed us in another room which was a bit better but once again the shower water was cold unless we had the sink hot water running at the same time- how terrible!  Maintenance wasn’t available until the next morning so we just stayed in that room.  

Only good thing about our room was the view outside, you can see the huge Bass Pro Shop, the freeway, and St. Jude’s Hospital.  I was not happy that the room did not include a refrigerator or a microwave, and our ironing board was off balance looking like it was about to break any second.  The beds were stiff and not comfortable but the pillows were soft and fluffy.

If you’re ever visiting Memphis do not stay at the Crown Plaza, there is a nicer hotel the Sheraton right across the street you can stay in.  Crown Plaza is considered a 3 ½ star hotel and they seriously do not deserve that rating, it is more like a 2 to 2 ½ star.

We made the best of the situation and was just happy to be located close to all the attractions downtown.

The next day, the girls and I had breakfast with my aunt at the Arcade Restaurant, the oldest café in Memphis located a few blocks from Beale St.  Elvis has eaten here including several different celebrities.  The kind of foods they serve are American dishes.  

I thought their food taste wise was average, pretty much go there just for the experience.  The price of food wasn’t expensive which was good to help save some money.  

After breakfast/lunch, the girls and I visited the National Civil Rights Museum where Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel.  After all these years of visiting Memphis we finally got a chance to tour inside the museum.  

Hotel room Martin Luther King Jr. was staying in.

This museum is a must see.  The girls and I really enjoyed our time there learning about American Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr. legacy.  There are a lot of exhibits inside as well as another one across the street, where James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot.

This is where James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot through the window

Although I try to shelter my girls from all the crazy stuff in the world they really need to know what people had to go through to get the rights that they have today.  Sadly there are still ongoing fights for equal rights now.

After we finished our self-tour of the National Civil Rights Museum we went to Bass Pro Shop.  You may be thinking, “What is so special about going to Bass Pro Shop?”  Well this is not no ordinary Bass Pro Shop, this is the biggest Bass Pro Shop in the world that recently opened in late April. 



When you walk in it’s like walking into an indoor forest.  So much to do inside like, go bowling, shooting range, lodging, fudge shop, two restaurants, billiard room, shopping, and an elevator that goes 25 stories to the top of the pyramid to overlook all of Memphis (this is where one of the restaurants is located).

When we arrived at Bass Pro Shop we only had 30 minutes to look around since they were about to close.  I told the girls we would come back the next day so we can look around some more and eat at one of their restaurants.

When it was time to leave the girls and I went back to my dad’s since he was having another get-together at his house.

Early Monday afternoon we went back to Bass Pro Shop so we could have enough time to explore the inside. 

These are the lodge hotels you can stay overnight.  You can have a tree house room experience.

We rode up the elevator to the top and viewed Memphis and the Mississippi river.  The view was amazing but Michelle wasn’t having it, she was scared of being that high off the ground.  I’m scared of heights too but for some reason I really wasn’t that frighten at being that high.

I wanted to eat at the restaurant on the top of the pyramid but they were only serving appetizers since their full menu is not complete yet.  That restaurant will be fine dining and the one on the main floor will be more of a family style restaurant and has more kid food options.  

The line was long for seating at the restaurant on the main floor but the girls and I waited for over an hour because we wanted to be able to experience the new family-style restaurant.  Our food was good although I felt like they added bbq on everything, I’m not a fan of bbq.

During our lunch, we were entertained by a scuba diver in a tank catching fish.  Why he was catching the fish?  I have no idea.

After our lunch we walked around and left to walk off our food at the riverwalk at Beale Street Landing.  I was hoping we would have a chance to do a river cruise but the last one had already sailed.

It was hot and muggy outside and the girls were complaining that they were sweating and wanted to go back to the hotel to go swimming so we went back.

The girls swam for a few hours, we went back to our room and ordered room service (food was way better than I expected), and then called it a night.

Tuesday it was time to check out and hit the road back to Atlanta but first we had breakfast with my aunt at Miss Polly’s Soul City Cafe on Beale St.  You can’t visit Memphis without visiting Beale St.!  Although Beale St. is more catered to the adult crowd due to the bars and clubs, during the day children are allowed to go on Beale St. since there are restaurants and stores they can go to.

Ike and Tina on our table.

Our food was delicious!  Tasty home-style down south cooking of chicken and waffles, veggie omelet, grits, scrambled eggs and potatoes covered our table.  I recommend you visit Miss Polly’s restaurant when you visit Beale St.  I’m glad one of the locals recommended this restaurant to us.

Are you thinking of planning a trip to Memphis with your family?  There are several fun destinations for families:

Memphis Zoo

My Big Backyard- Memphis Botanic Garden

Children’s Museum of Memphis

Fire Museum of Memphis

Putt-Putt Golf and Games

Pink Palace Museum- Explore Memphis natural and culture history

Bass Pro Shop

National Civil Rights Museum

AutoZone Park

Beale Street Landing- There are splash pads for the kids and river cruises.

Mud Island River Park and Museum

Make sure to use Groupon to save money on Memphis attractions.

Now I'm packing my bags to head west to Las Vegas and no I'm not driving there, I'll be flying!  Make sure to follow my adventures on Instagram this weekend.

How has your summer been so far?  Have you traveled anywhere?

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