Memphis day trip suggestions

Parent Cafe
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<p>We have made our second short trip to Memphis and wanted to give an update.</p>

<p>Had concert tickets for a Friday night, so drove up Wednesday, six hour drive.</p>

<p>Stayed once again at Residence Inn on Monroe. Really nice hotel and great location, right on the trolley line.</p>

<p>Took the trolley, then short walk to Beale Street, to eat at Blues City Cafe. It was a Wednesday, and it was full of motorcycles. Apparently, there is now a Bikes on Beale event every Wednesday. Awesome bikes, people, pets. Great people watching.</p>

<p>Ended the evening with the Riverfront Loop trolley, where we could get our bearings for the next days’ itineraries. Were pleased to see we were only a trolley ride away from the Civil Rights Museum.</p>

<p>Spent the following day at the Memphis Zoo. Fantastic! The “new” Northwest Passage and Teton Trek exhibits were fantastic. Loved the polar bear, bald eagles, grizzly bears, penguin show, sea lion show. The cats were great!</p>

<p>Friday night was the concert, so we wanted a relaxing day. We spent a few hours at the Civil Rights Museum. Wish we had more time, to read every single thing. Very moving exhibit and would like to return to learn more. Would recommend more than a few hours to really absorb the importance of this museum.</p>

<p>Ended the evening with the concert at FedEx Forum, which was a really nice venue. Highly recommend attending a concert there. </p>

<p>Mud Island was still closed due to the flooding, but should be open by the end of May. Hope to return so my son can see it. Highly recommend going there.</p>

<p>I would definitely put Memphis down as a short trip destination. As the Foo Fighters had limited American dates on their initial concert schedule, we met people at our hotel from New York, Pennsylvania, as well as Midwesterners from Chicago and St. Louis. They were all enjoying Memphis as a mini vacation combined with a concert stop.</p>

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<p>thanks for coming…apparently all the flood talk has scared off so many visitors!</p>

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<p>^^^We were happy to be out of town ambassadors for your great city!</p>

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<p>For those who are interested in the Arts, Memphis has two reallly high quality art museums, the Brooks and the Dixon.</p>

<p>The Dixon Museum and Gardens is an older home set on 15+ acres and has a really nice permanent collection as well as many outstanding visiting exhibitions.</p>

<p>Brooks is a more traditional museum setting but has an good permanent collection as well.</p>

<p>The visual arts scene in Memphis puts Atlanta to shame. The Zoo does as well.</p>

<p>Memphis has been blessed with really generous philanthropists and corporate donors who have been very generous to Memphis.</p>

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<p>FYI: Opening Sunday, June 26, The Dixon in Memphis is the only American venue for this summer’s retrospective of Jean-Louis Forain, essential member of the Impressionist circle, protege of Degas, and mentor to Toulouse Lautrec. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the world of Forain and turn of the century Paris through 130 paintings, pastels, drawings and decorative objects - only at the Dixon, only in Memphis!</p>

<p>The last Friday of each month is free art trolley night between 6-9 on so. Main.</p>