Any quaint little towns around Memphis? (Bartlett, Germantown: for sale, homes, neighborhood)

[Ginsaw]

Hex, you're close but not quite. I was talking about Helen's in Brownsville, just north of the square. Bozo's is in Mason, up the road from Memphis just off I-40 and a lot closer than Brownsville. Bozo's is on the way to Helen's however. There are actually two BBQ places in Brownsville. Nothing wrong with the other one, but Helen's is truly outstanding IMHNSO (that's "in my humble never sure opinion", you understand). Btw, Helen's is mostly carryout, but does have a small seating area.

[kingchef]

ginsaw, you are exactly right about the austin-peay hwy. going that route gives you a bit more feel for the cypress trees and the swamp habitat. this area, of course, is a continuation of some of what one sees in the hatchie wildlife reserve. this entire river system spider webs throughout a good deal of w. tn, from the reelfoot area northwest to the bolivar area, southeast of I-40.

[corgiloveTN]

Bozos has great BBQ. Be careful driving there. I got a ticket.

[rockadoodle]

The old asylum in Bolivar is an awesome display of architecture. When I was a kid we'd drive out to Bolivar from Somerville for shopping. I'd stare at that place from the split second it came into view until it disappeared.

Since we're discussing places that far out, I did truly love Somerville as a kid. It was a dang dinky little town back then, but I had a blast growing up there (til my teens, when we moved). There are some fantastically wonderful folks there. Haven't been there in quite a while. I hope it's as fun and safe for kids as it was when I was a young'un.

[hex_haight]

rockadoodle...my grand parents lived there. they had lived on a farm near whiteville, but moved to a small house right off the square when the farm became too much for them. when my parents eloped, they were married at the courthouse there. my father ran a junk store on the square for a little while, too. it is a lovely little town. it has one of the best cemetaries for a town that size too. =)

[KaLioMele]

Thanks for all the great responses. For commute, I'm talking 45 minutes with traffic as the top end. From Poplar Ave in MEM. Would like it to be in TN, for the tax benefits.

I define 'quaint' as : no strip malls (or very few), older houses that are architecturally pleasing, a community feel, no 'monster house subdivisions', and not overly expensive, but every place has it's upper $$ area, I know.

[JoeCartpath]

"Poplar Avenue" doesn't help a lot with the commute time since it runs from one side of Memphis to the other - about a 30 minute distance from end to end.

I really don't find any of the small towns within 30-45 minutes of Memphis to be "quaint". To me that would be a picturesque town with a well preserved, historic town square surrounded by neighborhoods with well kept older homes.....the kind of town you see in movies. Covington and Somerville probably come the closest, but I don't consider either of them particularly "quaint". They are probably the only ones with an actual town square within that range since they are both county seats. Oakland doesn't have one. Collierville does but, beyond that immediate area, Collierville is just a huge, sprawling suburb. Arlington's center may be quaint, but it's very small with only a handful of businesses - and it's surrounded by subdivisions.

If you find what you're looking for, please let us know!

[KaLioMele]

How about Midtown, near Overton Park?

[JoeCartpath]

Originally Posted by KaLioMele

How about Midtown, near Overton Park?

I think Midtown might suit you well. There are some Midtown experts on this board who can advise you as to where to be...and where NOT to be!

[weisenheist]

Originally Posted by KaLioMele

How about Midtown, near Overton Park?

Midtown ?? heck no