There's much to do in rockin' town of Memphis
Thirty-five years ago next month, the world lost The King and Memphis is gearing up for one royal celebration.
If you are considering a trip to the birthplace of rock 'n' roll to celebrate Elvis Week (Aug. 10-16), you might wonder what to do with the kids while you pay homage at the gates of Graceland, try on rhinestone-studded jumpsuits, attend tribute concerts and seek out Elvis's former hairstylist for an autograph.
Take them with, of course!
Memphis teems with attractions that will appeal to children of all ages and their parents.
Since Graceland already will be on your list of places to visit, I don't need to tell you about the audio-set walking tour that takes you through two floors of the 1939 mansion, into the Meditation Garden where Elvis is laid to rest and through the racquetball court that's been converted into a hall of jumpsuits and gold records. So I've compiled a list of five other family-friendly places to go and things to see during a weekend visit.
Stax Museum of American Soul
926 E. McLemore Ave. (901) 942-SOUL, staxmuseum.com Adults, $12; children, $9
Not too long after Elvis recorded “That's All Right” at Sun Studio, a brother-and-sister duo, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, started a recording studio that put American soul music and the Memphis sound on the map.
That studio is now a museum, located on the site of the converted movie theater, featuring memorabilia from many of the artists who recorded there.
You'll see Tina Turner's yellow-sequined go-go dress, instruments from Booker T. and the MGs, original albums from Chicago's own Staple Singers and Isaac Hayes's fur-lined Superfly Cadillac.
You can put on headphones and listen to hundreds of songs from the Stax library, groove on the disco floor with Soul Train dancers or don funky garb for a fun green-screen photo shoot.
Memphis Zoo
2000 Prentiss Place (901) 333-6500, memphiszoo.org Adults, $15; children 2-11, $10
There are no hound dogs or teddy bears here, but you will find pandas, polar bears and komodo dragons (the largest lizard in the world) among the 500 species.
Giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le live in the recently renovated 3-acre China exhibit at the Memphis Zoo, one of only four zoos in the country to house these gentle creatures.
A grizzly cub rescued from Yellowstone National Forest is among the zoo's newest residents and a highlight of Teton Trek, a multimedia exhibit that also includes a video about the wolves of Yellowstone.
National Civil Rights Museum
450 Mulberry St. (901) 521-9699, civilrightsmuseum.org Adults, $13; children, 4-17 $9.50; 3 and younger, free
The Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, houses poignant collections that chronicle the civil rights movement from early slave revolts to modern-day protests.
The multimedia exhibits are so dense with details that you could spend several hours here; that said, this museum is probably better suited for older children.
You can walk up to the window where room 307 once stood, peek into room 306 (carefully re-created with period artifacts) where King spent his final hours with fellow ministers and view the balcony where he was struck down.
The tour continues on the other side of the road in a former transient motel and examines assassination theories and the hunt for James Earl Ray. Exhibits include travel documents and IDs found on Ray at the time of his arrest and the bathroom, with the window still cracked allowing for the muzzle of the Remington Gamemaster, and a clear view of room 306.
Mud Island River Park
125 N. Front St.
(901) 576-7241, mudisland.com Adults, $10; children 5-11, $7; age 4 and younger, free
Floating a rubber ducky down a scale model of the Lower Mississippi River from its confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Ill., 954 miles south to the Gulf of Mexico is the main attraction here, barely edging out the monorail ride that takes you to the island (a peninsula, really, but let's not quibble).
The riverwalk includes inlaid maps of prominent cities along the banks — you can even find Graceland on the Memphis grid.
There's a disappointingly small area for paddle boating; you're better off renting a kayak, canoe or bike for further exploring the river front.
On summer evenings, the 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater attracts musicians such as Norah Jones and Train.
Don't leave the island without walking through the Mississippi River Museum. This little gem of a place depicts life along the Mighty Miss from early Spanish explorers through the Civil War and into modern times. You can walk through the hall of a posh steamboat and aim a Civil War cannon.
Backbeat Tours
140 Beale St. (901) 272-2328, backbeattours.com Adults, $13-$28; kids, $9-$15 depending on the tour
If you want see a lot and learn a lot from well-versed guides oozing personality in a little bit of time, a Backbeat Tour should be on your list.
The 90-minute walking history tour takes you through downtown and into landmarks, including the legendary Peabody Hotel for the famous Peabody Duck Walk.
The Mojo Tour, two hours and aboard the music bus, takes you around to several of the places already mentioned here.
In the evening, the spirits come out for the two-hour ghost tour and one-hour dark-side tour. Kids, and even adults prone to goose bumps, might want to skip these evening treks.
We enjoyed learning about 12-year-old Mary, who is said to visit the Orpheum Theatre nearly 90 years after being struck by a trolley to play mischievous tricks on ushers and touring acting companies.
The story about Sidney, who burned to death in a boardinghouse, and pictures of his spirit caught on our guide's cellphone were a bit more disconcerting. Even more disconcerting: the fact that a couple recently purchased the home and lives there.
Getting there
It's 560 miles (give or take) from the suburbs to Memphis.
<b>By car:</b>Get to I-57 and head south. It takes about 8½ hours. You will hit construction along the way, but we sailed through the intermittent zones during our trip in mid-June.
<b>By train: </b>Amtrak's City of New Orleans leaves Chicago's Union Station at 8 p.m. and rolls into Memphis by 6:30 a.m. $465 for a family of four; more if you want sleeping accommodations. (800) 872-7245; amtrak.com
<b>By plane:</b> Multiple carriers leave several times a day from O'Hare and Midway airports.
<b>Staying there: </b>
The Memphis area has more than 23,000 hotel rooms, with 58 properties in the mid-price category.
Near Graceland, Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, (901) 332-1000, offers a heart-shaped pool and tons of Elvis-themed fun. The DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown, (901) 528-1800, is steps away from the trolley line, Beale Street and several museums and attractions.
Information
The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau
(901) 543-5300
memphistravel.com