Planning first trip to Memphis... (Central, Dyer: where to stay, to rent, how much)

[pixiepony]

We just got my husbands schedule and are going to plan on 2 trips to Memphis prior to our relocation. We'll be making the trip together this time around to get a feel of the area and surrounding areas.

I was hoping some one could advise on where to stay while in town...reasonably priced. I was hoping for someplace close to midtown or downtown...with parking since we will be driving in.

I'll be making a trip out in Oct to actually look for a rent place. We just wanted to get a feel for the area this go round.

Thanks for any help!!!

Also any MUST visit restaurants we should hit while there??

[Pearlbob]

Parking downtown can be hard, since most places require valet (or, you can park in a garage and then walk to the hotel). The Peabody has their own (very confusing) garage, but that a very expensive hotel.

What is your price range for a hotel?

I would honestly suggest you stay elsewhere. If you are coming for house-shopping and to get a feel for the city (to live here), then staying downtown isn't the best idea. It is very unlike the rest of the city. It would not give you a correct idea of what Memphis is like.
Midtown does not have any good hotels unfortunately.

There is a nice Holiday Inn east of midtown, connected to the U of M campus. It's in a very nice area of town. It would be central to everything, no matter where you are wanting to see in Memphis. It's on Central Ave (I'm not sure what the "name" is, but it's the U of Memphis campus Holiday Inn). And it's not "on" campus per se, so don't think there are students running around being loud and obnoxious It's more of a convention center type of hotel.

[klmrphy]

Holiday Inn MEMPHIS Hotels | MEMPHIS-UNIV OF MEMPHIS | Welcome

That's the UofM one Pearlbob mentioned. It's run by students from the Wilson hospitality/hotel management program and is quite nice.

If you're set on downtown, the Sleep Inn is usually the least expensive, but the Peabody is the prettiest.

What area of Memphis are you looking to rent in?

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by pixiepony

Also any MUST visit restaurants we should hit while there??

You are going to start another BBQ argument.
Leonard's BBQ - been on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives (Food Network)
The Memphis BBQ Tour : Diners, Drive-ins and Dives : Food Network

Tea Shop - also on DD&D - Little Tea Shop - Memphis, TN

Rendezvous - The Rolling Stones eat here when in town.
Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Alton Brown eats here when passing through
Neely's BBQ - Nephews of Jim. Pat is also host of his own Food Network show
Ken Neely's BBQ - Son of Jim. He ran the Southaven Interstate restaurant before branching out on his own.
Huey's - No BBQ here. Burgers and a great atmosphere.

-Robert

[2nomadic4me]

JNIBBQ is the BEST!

Embassy Suites in River Oaks is a great hotel and has a shuttle to some main attractions. 1020 Shady Grove.

[clobbersaurus01]

Originally Posted by Robert_J

You are going to start another BBQ argument.
Leonard's BBQ - been on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives (Food Network)
The Memphis BBQ Tour : Diners, Drive-ins and Dives : Food Network

Tea Shop - also on DD&D - Little Tea Shop - Memphis, TN

Rendezvous - The Rolling Stones eat here when in town.
Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Alton Brown eats here when passing through
Neely's BBQ - Nephews of Jim. Pat is also host of his own Food Network show
Ken Neely's BBQ - Son of Jim. He ran the Southaven Interstate restaurant before branching out on his own.
Huey's - No BBQ here. Burgers and a great atmosphere.

-Robert

Non BBQ --

Gus's Fried Chicken
Arcade
Majestic Grill

Asian Palace -- best Chinese food, two locations, both in the burbs, order the roasted duck.

Sekisui -- great sushi

I can personally recommend the above five places. I think Gus's is an absolute must, and Asian Palace's roasted duck is so fat and juicy it fits right in in the gluttonous South!!

Kooky Canuck -- never been, but I heard from some folks they have one of the largest burgers in the world.

Dyer's (on Beale) -- home of notoriously greasy fried burgers.

I'm sure there are some healthy places that aren't bad. There are at least two farmers markets, one downtown in South Main by the train station and I think the other is by the Agricenter.

Other places to visit, depending on the time of the year --
-- rooftop parties on thursdays during the summer, other places that young professionals and college knuckleheads like to go to include Raifords and Ernestine and Hazel's
-- Dixon Art After dark (3d thursday of each month),
-- free music at the outdoor Levitt Shell (I think it's only during July),
-- Brooks Museum After Hours (every thursday, maybe only during the summer).
-- I don't know if the South Main trolley tours are only during the temperate months, but they're on the last friday of every month.
-- Cooper Young neighborhood has its festival sometime in September.

[pixiepony]

The Holiday in near the UofM sounds perfect. The hotel doesnt have to be anywhere in particular. I just know we'll be planning on visiting downtown, sometimes down town hotels are easiest to be central, but clearly not the case here...LOL The one you suggested sounds great. I am just looking for mid-range prices. we usually get good deals no matter where we stay ( i dont know how we do it, but we always find amazing deals on pricey hotels!!lol). I will look into that one as soon as we nail down our Sept travel dates.

We are just coming to get a feel for the area. We wont be doing any house hunting at all. We'll just be renting our first year anyway. We don't want to comit to an area in Memphis that we may end up not liking a few months later. So we're just gonna take this trip casually to get a feel of Memphis and jut have fun visiting our future home! When I come back in Oct it will be a serious down to business trip! HA!

It doesnt have to be bar b que, but we'd like to hit a place or two!

What about any fun bars?? Or is Beale Street pretty much all that at night? We'll be coming without the kids this go round. So I'd like to do some adult stuff! When we get there it'll be a while before we find a baby sitter we're comfortable with, so this may be our only chance for date nights in memphis for a few months!!!

We'll wait to do the touristy stuff like Graceland when we have the kids with us!

I can't wait. You guys have no idea how much we are dying to get there already. Living here in OKC temporarily is such a pain.

[Pearlbob]

Beale St is okay during the early evening. At night, it turns more into a rap/hip hop type of crowd. Not sure if that's your scene. The rest of downtown has a lot of very good bars, without the same crowd. Beale also just re-implemented the metal detector law, due to some shootings at the end of the street (I assume). So you actually have to wait in line and get searched to get onto the street. They did they years ago, and it usually meant waiting in line for 30+ minutes on a busy night. Not fun. Hopefully they've managed to speed up the process some. All of these shootings have been at the Plush Club at the end of Beale, which I believe, is STILL OPEN. (Anyone listening? SHUT IT DOWN!) Beale is okay to see, but if you are looking for places that you would want to keep going to back to when you live here, look elsewhere.

The rest of downtown has some great restaurant/bars - Kooky Canuck, Huey's, Flying Saucer, Flying Fish, Majestic, Sauces, Circa, Spindini, Bluefin, Silly Goose, Bardog, Blue Monkey........

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

Beale also just re-implemented the metal detector law, due to some shootings at the end of the street (I assume).

Actually the metal detector was re-implemented by the 'Guns Allowed in Restaurants Serve Alcohol' law that just went into effect. The Beale Street Restaurant Association has opted out and want to give the appearance of being safe.

-Robert

[Pearlbob]

That makes sense. Either way, I think it's a good move. They need to figure out a better way to get it done, at least better than it was a few years ago.

Originally Posted by Robert_J

Actually the metal detector was re-implemented by the 'Guns Allowed in Restaurants Serve Alcohol' law that just went into effect. The Beale Street Restaurant Association has opted out and want to give the appearance of being safe.

-Robert