Guest Author - Amanda Masoner

You know that saying, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it”? Well Memphis, Tennessee sure does and heeds that advice to a‘t’. Not many cities can boast the names of Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Al Green, and Carl Perkins, to name just a few. But in Memphis you’ve got your pick of blues and rockabilly musicians to support.

For those blues lover’s, downtown Memphis is the spot. It doesn’t matter the time of day you go-you will be mesmerized by the blues that draw you onto Beale Street. Even the Boss experienced walking with his feet “ten feet off Beale”. And I guarantee you will too. All kinds of musicians play the sweetest, saddest, music you’ve heard while you meander down the road or sit in a nearby café to munch on some fried dill pickles.

Beale Street runs right down to the Mississippi for those who’ve got a hankerin’ to visit the river that brought, and was the cause of, many blues songs and singers in this town. And for those of you who are eager to stay up late into the night and squeeze every last minute out of your trip here, most of the bars downtown stay open until 5 a.m. just pumping music into the streets.

Now if you’re part of the Johnny, Jerry Lee, Elvis, and Carl fan crowd, a fun spot to stop is Sun Studios. It’s only about three minutes from Beale Street. Not only is it a National Historic Landmark, but it was also home to some of the best records that came out of the 20th century! There are tours going all day and the studio and shop is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Make sure you’re paying attention to where you’re going though because it is surprisingly smaller than one might’ve guessed such mighty musicians made their mark. And the studio is still rocking-putting out new artists and their albums all the time.

About 15 minutes away from Sun Studios is Graceland. The former home of Elvis Presley. After you park, go inside and buy tour tickets, you stand in line to get on a shuttle bus. While in that line there is a picture of the entrance to Graceland painted on the wall where tourists can get their pictures taken for some extra dough. The bus takes you across the street to Graceland. I was shocked at the simplicity of Elvis’ home. It is not an extremely large home (like the rock stars of today own) and the accommodations inside the home are nice but not over the top. The shag carpeting sure will knock your socks off though! This is a bit of a pricy tour but fun to be able to see where the ‘King’ was just a normal guy.

With all the summer festivals going on in Memphis this summer, stacked upon the already plentiful destinations, Memphis is a great getaway for you and yours. Friends, lovers, and children alike can all experience a great time at the home of the blues.