Meandering through Memphis, TN

My time in Memphis was fairly short, only an evening, but what I was able to see was very exciting. Memphis has a lot of history behind it, so everywhere you looked, there was something to learn.

Before stopping in the city, I went straight to my hotel room. To my surprise, I crossed over the Arkansas line. Apparently, West Memphis is actually in Arkansas. As I was booking my room, I guess I didn't notice the state line that ran down the middle of the Mississippi River. I simply saw a decently priced room and booked it. Needless to say that now I knew I had a little bit of a drive to get back to my room that night after I was done exploring.

My Second Trip to Memphis?

Back to Tennessee I went to explore the city of Memphis. I started out by going to Graceland and unfortunately, it was closed, but I still was able to explore some of the things outside of the park, like the Lisa Marie. I walked around for a bit and then I was off to my next sight.

The Famous Beale Street

An area that I could not miss while in Memphis was Beale Street. It's such an iconic area and I spent quite a bit of time there. Much of the main strip is blocked off to traffic and you can walk in the streets past all the historic shops. During daylight, most people stick to the sidewalks, but as the sun sets, more and more people end up in the streets. I can only imagine what it was like pre-COVID.

Walking down the streets of Memphis was really neat. From horse-drawn carriages to street art, you could feel that the people in this town really love and appreciate the history and culture. I did my best to stop and appreciate it too.

Paint the Sky Orange

As the sun started to set, I made my way down to the Beale Street Landing. I spent way more time here than I meant to, but the view was amazing and the colors of the sky continued to get more and more beautiful as time passed. I have so many pictures from this spot, but each one is unique and captures the light differently.

Something on my list to see was the Mighty Light Show at the Riverfront, so naturally, I stayed put at Beale Street Landing once the sun went down, even though I was hungry and hadn't had dinner yet. The light show did not disappoint. This was my second bridge light show - one of many more to come. Check out this not-so-high-quality video I shot on iPhone.

Now that it was fairly late (especially for dinner), I made my way to Gus's World Famous Chicken to eat the BEST fried chicken I've ever had in my life. When I walked up to the building, there were people standing outside waiting for their order or for a table. I knew this was going to be some delicious chicken! I went in and placed my to-go order and ended up waiting over 45 minutes for my food but it was beyond worth the wait. I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area!