MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

What a wonderful time we had in Memphis.  So much to see and do and experience.  We had beer and lunch at B.B. King's honky tonk where there was a live blues band.  All kinds of B.B. King memorabilia decorated the room.  Even tributes to "Lucille" his beloved guitar.  Every time we passed by a sign or street.....words of famous songs played in our heads.  

"I'm walkin in Memphis"

"I was walkin with my feet ten feet off of Beale"

"With my blue suede shoes"

"I picked up on Lucille and started singing the blues"

We walked all around the city and saw the Mississippi River which runs alongside the city.  Also a statue of "The King" and Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.

"The King"

Jefferson Davis.....President of the Confederacy

We went into the beautiful Peabody Hotel where the famous Peabody Ducks have marched twice a day since the 1930's from the lobby fountain up to their penthouse.

The Peabody Ducks

Another famous landmark is the amazing Memphis Pyramid....aka The Great American Pyramid.  It is the home of Bass Pro Shops.  Wow!!!  What a surprise we had when we went inside.  Yikes!!!  You could easily spend a whole day in there!!

After seeing the play/musical off Broadway with Katy and Juan in NYC...."Million Dollar Quartet"....we almost jumped out of the car when we stumbled upon....THE ACTUAL SUN RECORDS STUDIO!!!!  So so cool.  Great pics of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins and their recording session in 1956.

A highlight of our trip was visiting the National Civil Rights Museum.  This should be visited by all.  Extremely well done and moving.  The museum is built around the Lorraine Motel.....where Martin Luther King Jr. was staying when he was shot and killed.  Part 2 of the museum is across the street and built around the building in which James Earl Ray was staying when he fired the gun.  

Room 306 where MLK was staying.  

The building across the street from which James Earl Ray fired the gun.

This granite line depicts the trajectory that the bullet followed
to its target.

One of 7 World Peace Flames in the world.

Eerie Klan forms

Rosa Parks holding her ground on the bus

The Greensboro Four sit in at Woolworths counter protesting
that separate is not equal.

The room MLK was staying in at the Lorraine Motel

James E. Ray's car

The room and window from which the gun was fired

The room JER was staying in

His view of the target from across the street.

And finally......we visited Graceland and got to see into the private life of Elvis Presley.  

Priscilla said that she could hear him coming down this
staircase because of all the gold chains he wore around
his neck.

The backyard of the home

Gold records

Platinum

His army uniform

Wedding clothes

So many familiar outfits

The eternal flame

The beautiful car collection

We loved Memphis.  On our way to Nashville and then up to Kentucky to see Mammoth Caves.   TTFN!!!