{this is stop 2 on this Brehm Family Road Trip. To read the first post in this series and find out more about our family travels, click here to go to stop 1}
When we planned to stop in Memphis so we could get a taste of Tennessee {I’ve only been to Nashville overnight… otherwise, we’ve never done the Volunteer State} I did some searching for suggestions of taking on the city with kids in tow. Sure, for adults, I knew about the blues and bar scene, but would there be any fun for kiddos {9, 6, and 4}? And after spending a day and half there, I can affirm that YES! Memphis is a ton of fun for families. So what did we decide to fit in on this trip? Here’s the round-up…
Fun fact, when you drive from Missouri to Tennessee, you don’t actually enter Tennessee until you hit Memphis.
We split up our night stays in Memphis, which I know might sound bananas with kids but it helps us stay on-budget AND get to experience different areas of the city. The first night, we stayed at a Hampton Inn in east Memphis which was just like any other suburban area {picture being in West Omaha — Olathe, Kansas — Schaumburg, IL}. We scored that room on a Priceline Express Deal for 55 bucks {score}. It was clean, had a king bed and a pull-out sofa, and complimentary breakfast {which we call a huge win!}. When researching restaurants, I knew one thing for sure, we needed to find some real Memphis BBQ. The hubs has a few food love languages and one is bbq. I try to stay away from simply looking at TripAdvisor and instead, look for personal blogs, crowdsourcing on Social Media, talking with locals once we get to our destinations, or look on reddit or google. That’s not because it’s the right way to search but simply because I know that if I looked at the “best of” list in my city, the lists do not always seem to give the best of local fare and even seem to include chains. And if there’s one thing we try to steer clear of while adventuring, it’s a national chain that we can find anywhere.
Okay, so dinner… we chose Central BBQ on Central Ave. We were told that this would be some of the best bbq Memphis has to offer AND that the Central Ave location is the OG store. The drive from the motel to the joint was really pretty and reminded me of driving through the Minnehaha area of The Twin Cities. Lots of old homes, green space, and home to the University of Memphis.
We waited in line about 25-30 minutes and dipped on an adult beverage as we waited. It’s an order-at-the-counter place {which I feel like tends to make it more legit as a BBQ joint}.
The food was delicious and we enjoyed sitting on the outdoor enclosed-patio. The boys loved the Mac n cheese and grilled cheese and the hubs and I dug the bbq sampler.
If you’re looking for great ribs, this is the place to try them! And, while the hubs does not enjoy vinegar-based bbq sauce, I loooooved their offering. The kids dug the kid menu options and the Oldest declared it the best grilled cheese he’s ever eaten.
The next day {Sunday}, we ate hotel breakfast, packed up the car {I’ll write more about our strategic packing in a future post}, and headed into downtown. We did a drive-by of Graceland and saw the planes and mansion and with the kids in on the action, we decided that was good enough for this trip. Then, to downtown Memphis.
First stop: the historic Peabody Hotel. The Peabody provides luxurious accommodations and a good bit of history. But the main reason for our pop-in? The Ducks. Each day at 11am and 5pm, the Duckmaster rolls out the red carpet {literally} and there is a duck march. They also share the history of the ducks, and the fanfare is just as fun as seeing the little guys walk the red carpet.
Anyone is welcome to come in and see the ducks and children are offered front row (floor) seats to make sure they can see the action. I had read that you should be there 45 minutes ahead in order to get a great viewing spot AND see all the “show” so that we did.
When the March is complete {the ducks waddling from the elevator to the fountain took about 30 seconds}, all the kiddos and onlookers are invited to see the ducks circle about in the fountain.
Very cute, festive, and unique. And except for the fact that we paid for parking, free!
Following the ducks, we popped back in the car and headed to the National Civil Rights Museum. We really want to make sure that as we experience each state, we have a mix of activities. We also want to take the time to explore things that make the state what it is, past and present.
The National Civil Rights Museum is actually built onto the Lorraine Motel, which is the actual location of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. The Museum takes you through the history of civil unrest in the USA. It covers everything from pre-civil war to modern-day events.
We were there for nearly three hours and still didn’t tackle the Legacy portion which was in another building across the road.
It was $52 for the family with The Littlest {4} being free. There was so much history and information to pour over. One could probably spend a whole day taking in the entirety of the Museum.
I know that the Oldest got a lot out of it. He asked a lot of questions. Good, hard questions. The Middlest asked questions as well. And always surprises me with his perspective and wisdom. 
And the Littlest, as we expected, was definitely tuckered at the end.
I highly recommend the Museum. The Oldest and Middlest both said they thought it was “really awesome” and the hubs and I decided it was well-worth the money and time. It was extremely emotional and thought-provoking. And it offered a whole timeline of the friction and unrest due to race. The conversations with the boys as we went through and after we were done were evidence that kids are never too young to talk about the big stuff.
We headed down toward Beale St and grabbed lunch at Huey’s. It came highly-recommended by the locals. They are known for the cheeseburger and the toothpicks in the ceiling but I thought the homemade onion rings were really the showstopper. The cheeseburger was just fine but again, the kids were jazzed about the Mac n cheese. Someday when we talk about this trip, the Middlest will probably refer to it as “tour de Mac n Cheese.”
Then to Beale Street to take in the atmosphere, do a little bit of walkin’ in Memphis, and get a touch of the flare that you feel on a famous party street, even during the daylight.
We stopped into Wet Willies for a “weak Willie” flavor-of-the-day n/a slushee for the boys and a grown-up “attitude adjustment” slush for the hubs and I. We walked in and saw the famous goats in Silky O’Sullivan’s courtyard. And then walked to A Schwabs, an institution of Beale Street that is part-general store and part soda fountain . Oh, and the Middlest used some of his trip cash to buy a trick hand buzzer which has kept him laughing since.
We were all tired out and headed to check into our next hotel, the La Quinta on Union St. It appears to be a new model of the chain hotel, was very clean, had an in-door pool, free and safe parking, AND was on the edge of downtown. Oh. And the pool towels weren’t shrimpy little wash cloths… they were actually soft and big. That’s a huge win in the mom-world.
The two youngers were interested in pooling for a bit and the Oldest still wanted to explore so we divided and conquered. The Oldest and hubs went to try to check out Mud Island but unfortunately it was closed until “spring” so they headed to the Bass Pro Shops headquarters which is a pyramid-shaped building complete with all sorts of animals, a bowling alley, and an observation deck {$10 per person}.
To end the night, we picked up some fried chicken from Gus’ {world-famous and highly-recommended from one of my gals} and had a little floor picnic before bedtime. Oh. And the chicken is a MUST. It’s a little spicy but we like spice. It’s a tiny joint but worth the wait if you’re dining in or doing takeaway.
After a good night’s sleep, we grabbed breakfast in the hotel {we decided that even though all of the complimentary breakfasts had the same items, this one was the best because of the fruit for the waffles, and the already peeled “squishy” eggs.}
and then, we were en route to our next destination, Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama.
All in all, we loved Memphis!! And though we didn’t cover all the cool things available to families, I think the things we did were big hits with the kids. They all loved Beale Street {in fact, the Oldest decided it reminded him of my hometown festival which says quite a bit from him because of his affinity for Czech Days;)}. The food was a home run, and the museum was a great experience.
I would definitely go walkin’ in Memphis again some day but for this time, I think we felt like we got the spirit of the city and a little taste of Tennessee.
