Today I drove about 30.3 miles traveling around Memphis, Tennessee.
I am spending a second night at the Courtyard by Marriott near the Memphis Airport.
In my standard room with one king bed.
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Howdy folks, It was a beautiful day in Memphis today, although a little cool. I left my hotel at 7:15 this morning for a full day of sightseeing in Memphis, Tennessee. My first stop was at Graceland. Every morning between 7:30 and 8:30, before the tours start, they open the gates and you can walk up the drive to the mansion for free. So that is what I did. Below is Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion.  To the immediate right of the mansion is Elvis' grave in the Meditation Garden. Also buried at Graceland are his mother Gladys Presley, his father Vernon Presley and his grandmother Minnie Mae Presley. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 here in Memphis.  After finishing at Graceland it was about a nine mile drive into the city center. My first stop there was the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. This of course was the place where Martin Luther King was assassinated.  On April 4, 1968 he was shot outside his motel room (#306) on the second floor.  I had purchased a ticket for 9:00am when they open. Lots of interesting exhibits inside. Below is the The Montgomery Bus Boycott exhibit. I walked through the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.  Below is the inside of room #306 where Martin Luther King stayed.  Next I made my way over to the historic Peabody Hotel known for the "Peabody Ducks" that live on the hotel rooftop and make daily treks to the lobby.  I watched the world famous duck march. The hotel lobby was quite full of spectators to watch this daily parade. Be sure to watch the video on my web site as I captured the entire spectacle for your enjoyment.  After the duck march I made my way down to the Mississippi River.  I rode my scooter over a mile to the bridge to Mud Island. But the elevator up to the bridge did not work. So I couldn't get my scooter up to the bridge so I wasn't able to get over to Mud Island. Below is a picture of the Mississippi River and Mud Island from my stroll along Riverside Drive in downtown Memphis.  I made my way back across town via Main Street. Below is a Memphis Trolley on Main Street.  Next I arrived on Beale Street.  Beale Street runs from the Mississippi River for 1.8 miles through downtown Memphis. It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are major tourist attractions.  I then ventured up and down the famous thoroughfare. I'm sure the street is a lot busier at night.  At the end of Beale Street you get a nice view of the Memphis skyline.  Next on the agenda was a visit to Bass Pro Shops which is housed in the world's tenth tallest pyramid.  I made my way up to the lookout which you can see in the picture above at the top of the pyramid. And in the picture below is the view from the top. You can see Mud Island in the middle of the Mississippi River along with the Memphis skyline. And if you look down on the left you can see my car.  That concluded my activities today. I drove back to my hotel near the airport. Picked up some Taco Bell for dinner at the world's slowest Taco Bell near my hotel.  Thanks for reading to the bottom. Have a pleasant day. Tim |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
| TIM'S HOME PAGE SITE INDEX | |||
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| Areas | Description | # of Pages | |
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