40th Bday getaway... (Memphis, Central: safe area, restaurants, shop)

[Dr. Jeremy]

Hi Memphis friends,

For my sister's 40th birthday, my brother and I are taking her on a long weekend getaway in late March. We're thinking Memphis, as it's a city none of us has been to. Is this a city you'd recommend? We're looking for good food, perhaps BBQ, good music and nightlife, and possibly places to explore during the day. Does anyone have ideas of what we can do? Also, we have heard that there are parts of the city that are unsafe. Is that something we should be concerned about?

Thanks so much advance,
Jeremy

[CristenS]

Memphis is a great place to visit for a weekend getaway. Yes, there are a lot of unsafe areas here, a lot of crime. The only locations that you'd be visiting that would be near that is Graceland and Stax. The rest of the tourist spots are in fine areas. If you want BBQ - Central BBQ in midtown or downtown, BBQ Shop in midtown. Music - pretty much every place on Beale St has music on the weekends. If you are into music history, there is Stax, Sun Studio, Rock & Soul Museum, and Graceland. The zoo is very nice, and near the Brooks Art Museum and Overton Park/Overton Square. Overton Square has a lot of restaurants and bars, a good place if you want to walk around a bit. Cooper Young is also in midtown and has bars and restaurants.

[eastmemphisguy]

For food, be sure to head to Gus's Fried Chicken on Front St. Extremely casual and so tasty. While I agree with Cristen that Stax is in a rough neighborhood, I encourage you to check it out. The tour is great and it's very unlikely that you'd encounter any trouble there during the day. Beale is fun for nightlife, but it's pretty quiet during the day. Not sure if it interests you, but our zoo is also a great attraction. Only about a 10 minute drive from downtown, and in a large park in an area that just about everybody should feel comfortable visiting.