Walking In Memphis

Hello sweet friends! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. We have been busy getting the Fashionista unpacked and temporarily settled here at Storybook Cottage. I finally had a moment to download the hundreds of photos we took on our recent adventure. On the way to Nashville, the divine Miss Megan and I made a quick detour. Let’s go Walking In Memphis.

Walking In Memphis

Megan (Sweet Guy’s amazing girlfriend) and I left Texas in the wee small hours of the morning so we could arrive in Memphis early in the day. Our first stop was brightly glittering Beale Steet. It is one of the most iconic streets in America and sections have been declared as National Historic Landmarks. It has a rich history in the Civil Rights movement and is considered to be the Home of Blues Music. Today it is an entertainment district filled with nightclubs, restaurants, and shops.

While the mural is lovely I loved seeing this marker. I wrote about Ida B. Wells here. 

There are several theaters located on Beale Street where performances are regularly held. 

I loved the old Daisy theater. 

We popped into A. Schwab’s drugstore. It has been in operation since 1876 and is the only original place of business left on Beale Street. 

I had a delicious root beer float and Megan had a strawberry cone at their famous soda fountain.

The Peabody Ducks

The Peabody Memphis is a luxury hotel within walking distance of Beale Street.  The hotel is famous for the “Peabody Ducks” that live on the hotel rooftop and make a daily trek to the lobby where they spend their days swimming in the fountain. You can read how the tradition was started HERE.

Here is a video of the ducks getting out of the fountain at the 5 pm show. 

Then making their way back up to their penthouse suite via the elevator. 

The Lorraine Motel

Just a five-minute drive from the Peabody hotel is the Lorraine Motel. It is an important stop on the Civil Rights history tour. The motel, built around 1925, was originally listed in the Motorists Green Book or “Green Guide” which identified establishments that welcomed black travelers.

You may recognize it as the site where the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place. On that dark day, April 4, 1968, the building firmly cemented its place in American history.

Today it is the home of the National Civil Rights Museum. A series of buildings now holds several exhibits that trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present.

A wreath marks the approximate location that Dr. King stood at the time of his assassination.

It is a deeply moving museum. Take time to view it all. This video provides a good overview. 

Around the corner from the museum is the Arcade Restaurant. It is Memphis’ oldest cafe. The diner is still run by fourth-generation family members. If you’re lucky you can even sit in the last booth. It was Elvis’s favorite. 

Victorian Village

Victorian Village was Memphis’ first suburb. It was known as Millionaires Row. Various mansions were built by the city’s elite during the Gilded Age. Today only a few of the old mansions remain. In an effort to revitalize the area a few new homes have been built in similar styles. They operate as Airbnb’s. This is the William Henry House. 

The James Lee House is a spectacular mix of Italianate, Queen Anne, and Romanesque styles. It was first built by William Harsson in 1848. Then later expanded a few times by his son in law Charles Wesley Goyer. It was recently restored and transformed into a luxury bed and breakfast.

The Lowenstein mansion, located at 756 Jefferson Avenue, was recently for sale. Judging the state of the roof it is a bit of a fixer-upper. Real estate photos can be seen HERE. 

Woodruff-Fontaine House was built in 1871 and is now a museum as well as an events site. You can also visit the Mollie Fontaine Lounge, located at 679 Adams Avenue, for dinner. 

In the backyard of the Woodruff-Fontaine House sits the Gingerbread Playhouse built in the 1890s by John W. Handwerker for his children. You can find the building plans HERE. 

The Mallory–Neely House was built in 1852 in the Italianate style. It is also now a museum that is generally open to the public. Check here for information. 

Bass Pro Shop

From Arkansas, as you cross over the Mississippi River and enter Tennessee the Bass Pro Shop looms large on your left-hand side. In all the trips I’ve taken to Nashville I never once stopped. Although, I will admit I was curious. When Megan suggested we end our night there I agreed. 

 The immense 535,000-square-foot pyramid houses a hotel and the world’s tallest freestanding elevator. It rises 28 stories to the top of the Memphis Pyramid where you can look out on multiple glass observation decks. Um no thanks. This big chicken enjoyed the various aquariums on the first floor. 

I had to watch these two until one blinked and I knew that they were real. 

The 13-lane ocean-themed bowling alley sits over a portion of the saltwater aquarium. 

We ended our evening by checking into the Guest House at Graceland. But I think Graceland needs a post all to itself. 

I’ll be back on Saturday with a fabulous post on architectural salvage. 

Laura