In 2015, my mom and I started a traveling tradition. We live about ten hours apart, and we never traveled much when I was growing up. My mom loves to explore, and she's a tremendous travel companion. Our tradition is to get away together every year and on Christmas morning, I surprise her with a new destination. Christmas of 2022, I surprised her with a weekend away to Memphis for January 2023.
We'd never been to Memphis and were excited to check out what the city had to offer. My sister joined as well, and the three of us ladies set out for an adventure. We stayed at the Moxy Memphis Downtown which served its purpose, but meant we had to uber more than we typically do. Going again, I would recommend staying in the Cooper Young or Germantown area.
Food Highlights:
Breakfast - sunrise Memphis, Arcade Diner (front room), Sugar Grits
Lunch or Dinner - Central BBQ, Soul Fish Cafe (Cooper Young), Gus’s Fried Chicken’s, The BBQ Shop
The Beauty Shop had RAVE reviews. We went to dinner there … it’s definitely expensive (compared to Memphis standards) - and we weren't WOWed by anything.
People spoke very highly of the Lafayette Music Room. We didn’t end up making it there - but several locals brought that up as a place to go for music / food. I would definitely check it out if we went to Memphis again.
Activities We Loved:
BB Kings Blues Cafe, Sun Studio Tour, Civil Rights Museum, watching the Duck March at the Peabody Hotel! My mom loved going to Graceland and walking through Elvis' old home and seeing his unique decorating style as well!
Final thoughts on Memphis:
Memphis has a bad reputation due to crime, but staying in the touristy areas, there are plenty of things to do and rich history to be immersed in. Memphis is home to delicious food with awesome prices! Everyone we met showed us pleasant Southern charm! The biggest thing that Memphis is missing, is more people! I'm hopeful that people will continue to visit Memphis and benefit from its appeal.
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