24 hour visit to Memphis with teenagers, need advice (Central, Midtown: home, layoffs)

[slnt]

Memphisjayhawk, thank you for letting me know about East Memphis.

bobtn, Thank you for telling me about the Crown Plaza, like the idea of not using the car in Memphis and leaving the driving to someone else.

Wmsn4life, We have both. Will look into the Westin, too.

Are there any attractions to avoid....not worth the price, or is all hype and not worth seeing?

[bobtn]

Originally Posted by slnt

Memphisjayhawk, thank you for letting me know about East Memphis.

bobtn, Thank you for telling me about the Crown Plaza, like the idea of not using the car in Memphis and leaving the driving to someone else.

Wmsn4life, We have both. Will look into the Westin, too.

Are there any attractions to avoid....not worth the price, or is all hype and not worth seeing?

Avoid-not sure, but I saw Graceland (didn't want to, but you gotta give a grad getting her Masters anything she wants, right), and we than wanted to see the Civil Rights Museum, whose centerpiece is the Lorraine Motel. Just want to warn you, both are long tours, different parts of town. Crown will take you to the Civil Rights Museum, not Graceland..that is 10 miles or so away. And even via cab, given each is a few hour tour, doing both in 1 day is unlikely. So with kids, if I were you, I'd pick the museum, as Beale St is nearby.

WC Handy Park, corner of Beale, usually has musicians playing for tips. Outside. They will draw some homeless in audience, but during the day, it seemed safe enough.

Crown has a good restaurant, although a tad pricey.

[slnt]

bobtn, thank you for letting me know about the long tours. I suspect we will unfortunately have to skip both tours this visit due to our very limited time in Memphis. Looks like we will have to confine our tours to whatever is around Downtown/Beale Street.

Do you know anything about the Gibson Guitar Factory Tour? Is it worth a visit?

[BirdieBelle]

I would NOT choose the Gibson tour over Sun Studio. The Gibson "factory" hasn't even been there that long in relation to Memphis history.

If there's anything you should see in a short time, it's Sun Records just so they understand the extent of its influence over modern music.

I always recommend Graceland because it's a perfectly preserved example of a country boy's ascent to international icon status, but the neighborhood is so different and unattractive now that people who don't know Elvis as more than a punchline really just don't get it. Save that for a true vacation in Memphis.

Drive by the Lorraine Motel so the kids can see the infamous spot. Save the tour for when they have time to process it. Go across the little bridge to Harbor Town and get out for a close-up look at the mighty Mississippi River.

There is plenty of fun, cool stuff to see and do just walking downtown. Just use common personal safety sense and don't leave anything in your car.

[slnt]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

I would NOT choose the Gibson tour over Sun Studio. The Gibson "factory" hasn't even been there that long in relation to Memphis history.

If there's anything you should see in a short time, it's Sun Records just so they understand the extent of its influence over modern music.

I always recommend Graceland because it's a perfectly preserved example of a country boy's ascent to international icon status, but the neighborhood is so different and unattractive now that people who don't know Elvis as more than a punchline really just don't get it. Save that for a true vacation in Memphis.

Drive by the Lorraine Motel so the kids can see the infamous spot. Save the tour for when they have time to process it. Go across the little bridge to Harbor Town and get out for a close-up look at the mighty Mississippi River.

There is plenty of fun, cool stuff to see and do just walking downtown. Just use common personal safety sense and don't leave anything in your car.

Thank you Wmsn4life for the great tips! Looking forward to the visit!

[REPBOY]

I agree with several suggestions here. There really isn't a better area for first time tourists in Memphis to stay than Downtown. Were you moving permanently with family, then East Memphis and other points east would be logical, but not for a visit. Unfortunately 24 hours will be a disappointingly inadequate time frame for what is available in Memphis, considering that this is the literal originating point for published and sung Blues music. The interpretation of a Blues song heard on Beale street by a Caucasian kid named Elvis became the begining of Rock n Roll, broadcast regionally for the first time also from within a block of Beale, and that was the beginning of hundreds of Rock & Blues songs recorded in Memphis. Once a day Backbeat Tours does the Memphis Mojo Tour, mentioned above, with a Rockabilly singer guiding the riders on a 50's city bus through iconic haunts of the original Rockers and passing out the tamborines so you're invoved. (www.backbeattours.com)
Staying Downtown the best transportation option going to Graceland and Sun Studio, since it's free, is the Sun Studio Shuttle which picks up hourly at the Rock n Soul Museum at the FedEx Forum and takes you first to Graceland, then picks back up for Sun hourly, then back Downtown. With only a day to do it in this schedule including the Mojo is difficult because most people need two to three hours for Graceland, one and a half for Sun, and two for the Mojo which is in the middle of the day. You still have one of the top rated zoos in the country having Giant Pandas and state of the art Grizzly and Polar Bear habitats, then Beale Street. Whether or not you'll be happy when you see what you'll miss, do stay Downtown where there is a vintage trolley system with 120 year old trolley cars to take you around when you're tired of walking, and views of the Mississippi from the buildings or from Mud Island out in the river. Welcome!

[slnt]

Thank you Repboy for all your great tips! We'll have to look into the once a day Backbeat Tour, if time will permit, it sounds like it would be so much fun! Looking forward to riding the trolley, too!

[bobtn]

Originally Posted by slnt

bobtn, thank you for letting me know about the long tours. I suspect we will unfortunately have to skip both tours this visit due to our very limited time in Memphis. Looks like we will have to confine our tours to whatever is around Downtown/Beale Street.

Do you know anything about the Gibson Guitar Factory Tour? Is it worth a visit?

I'm not familiar, but given their product line, I'd chance it if I had kids.

[eastmemphisguy]

I'm a firm believer that Stax is the best music oriented attraction in Memphis. But it's in a rough neighborhood, not in downtown. Be warned.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by eastmemphisguy

I'm a firm believer that Stax is the best music oriented attraction in Memphis. But it's in a rough neighborhood, not in downtown. Be warned.

Definitely a must, but not for first-timers in a rush. It's like a master's-level attraction!