Vacationing in Memphis

[susano]

You've picked a great time of year to visit. The humidity and sizzling temps should have started to decrease making your time spend out side much more enjoyable! I like to check out places online if possible before I visit them so I'm including web sites for the places I recommend.
My husband and I have stayed at both The Peabody (Downtown Memphis Hotels & Accommodations in Downtown Memphis Tennessee - The Peabody Memphis) and the Hampton Inn Beale (Hotel - Memphis, Tennessee - TN - Hampton Inn & Suites). The Peabody is beautiful and a destination in itself. The Hampton Inn is very nice and right at Beale Street.
As far as things to check out while you're here:
Memphis Zoo (The Memphis Zoo - Home)
Brooks Museum of Art (www.brooksmuseum.org)
Pink Palace Museum (Pink Palace Family of Museums)
Graceland (Elvis Presley - Official web site for Elvis Presley)
National Civil Rights Museum (www.civilrightsmuseum.org)
The Rendezvous for BBQ is a fun place to eat downtown with lots of atmosphere(Charles Vergos' Rendezvous :: The Restaurant)
Boscos in Overton Square is a micro brewery with great food and one of our favorite places to eat. The Beauty Shop (Beauty Shop | Restaurant Review | Memphis | Frommers.com) is an interesting little restaurant in the Cooper-Young area, that used to be what else but a beauty shop, that's great for lunch. Huey's is a "don't miss" for burgers. This would be a good choice for lunch after a zoo trip. The origional is on Madison near Overton Square but there is another downtown on Second Street.
The downtown area is pretty safe to walk in day and night. Just use common sense and stay in well traveled areas. The Zoo and the Brooks Museum are in Overton Park and are perfectly safe in the day light hours (my kids and I frequently walk to the zoo to enjoy and afternoon.) Graceland, unfortunately, is in a not so great part of town. We visited there last Christmas while my sister-in-law was in town and it was definitely worth the visit. We only did the house, skipped the Lisa Marie plane tour, ect. You will not want to stop for a meal or do any other site seeing in that area.
There's lots to do and see in the Memphis area. As in most large ciities stick to the well populated, busier areas for most of your visit and you'll have a great vacation.

[mzloolue]

If you are thinking of a house tour, there are no plantations that I am aware of unless you want to look at the old Davies Manor Plantation house, but I somehow get the feeling that it is not what you are looking for. I would google it and call to see when they might be open.

You might be interested in the old homes on Adams in Victorian Village.
The Fontaine House and the Mallory-Neeley House. Unfortunately I see that the Mallory-Neeley House is closed to tours until further notice.

But if looks like the Fontaine House is still open.
And it is lovely and worth the time to see it.
I would call to verify when they are open too.

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And I have always wanted, although I have not done it yet, to do the afternoon tea at the Peabody. It looks lovely and you could probably work it in with a trip to see the ducks walk.

The National Ornamental Metal Museum is quirky and the last time I was there they would allow you to bring along a lunch to eat in their pavilion overlooking the river.

The riverboat ride is touristy, but it is fun. I do it every once in a while myself.

And then, if you have any interest at all in fireman stuff, the fire museum is a cute fun little museum. I like the Dixon Gallery which is a nice Impressionist art museum partially located in a lovely old house with really nice gardens. So when you get through looking at paintings, you can go out and walk about the gardens.

Personally I would look for a moderate hotel close to the expressway in one of the suburbs, maybe just off the interstate in Bartlett. (But that's just me.)
Then you can go downtown or to Whitehaven or whatever.

[pineywoodsfats]

For plantations--or at least many antebellum mansions--take the 45 minute trek southeast of Memphis to Holly Springs, Mississippi--an old, old town of about 15,000 that was the heart of a cotton growing region. I believe there was a civil war battle there as well.

Google for more info.