Source: Wikipedia.
Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee and one of the state’s top tourist destinations. It features many museums, parks, and historical landmarks, and is considered the home of blues music. There are many associations with music in Memphis, including Elvis Presley, and the city is a great place to dine out being one of the cheapest cities in the USA.
Cuisine and Restaurants of Memphis
According to TripAdvisor there are nearly a thousand places to eat in Memphis so you can see that Memphians really have a love for their food! Southern cuisine is very popular here, and the local barbecue options are a big hit, too. In fact, Memphis is home to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which is the largest pork barbecue cooking contest in the world!
So where should you go to eat some of this pork barbecue or southern inspired cuisine? Well, don’t be perturbed by looks as many of the laid back restaurants serve some of the best foods, but if you prefer to go high end opt for Memphis’ top rated place, Restaurant Iris. It’s in a residential neighborhood and specializes in French-Creole. Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken is one not to miss – reputed to be the best fried chicken on the planet, Gus’s is in several locations in Memphis and is great for families.
Attractions in Memphis
Let’s start with the music as Memphis is the founding home of several genres including blues, gospel, and rock n roll and is associated with artists like Elvis Presley, Jerry lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding, and B.B. King. Memphis is famous as being the home of Graceland, Elvis’s home between 1957 and his death in 1977. Open to the public since 1982 it is the second most visited private home in the country (behind the White House). On Beale Street, in the heart of Memphis, B.B. King used to play. Today he partially owns a club on the street and there are many bars and clubs playing live music. You can also see the Memphis Walk of Fame on Beale Street.
Popular museums in Memphis include the Pink Palace Museum, which is science and history based. The Brooks Museum of Art is very good, and there’s the Children’s Museum of Memphis too. The former Lorraine Motel has been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum, chosen because the motel is where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
Parks in Memphis
Aside from the museums Memphis has other attractions that are great for families. Memphis Zoo, in Midtown Memphis has been located within Overton Park for over 100 years. It has around 3,500 animals from 500 or so different species including a giant panda. Overton Park is also home to the Brooks Museum of Art and the Old Forest Arboretum.
Shelby Farms is one of the largest urban parks in the country, covering more than five times the area of New York’s Central Park. It’s a great place to walk or bicycle along trails alongside lakes and wildlife.
