Places to Stay in Memphis

While still on Main Street, check out the shopping in Muse and Gestures, both of which feature cutting-edge women’s gifts and clothing. Then give your feet a break, taking the Main Street Trolley for $1; it stops at the Tennessee Welcome Center and Pyramid area. On the last Friday of each month, a trolley tour takes visitors to galleries along the South Main Arts District.

And when Memphis culture comes into play, you can’t pass up Beale Street. Go during the day for an uncrowded stroll. Poke around in A. Schwab, and plow through rare blues CDs in Memphis Music.

Take it from me, when you’ve walked the Barbecue Festival, shopped, and explored all day, you’re ready for a peaceful haven. You’ll find it across the river on Mud Island. Mud Island River Park, which you can reach by monorail from Front Street, gives you breathtaking views of the Mississippi River. A five-block-long scale model of that river is a main attraction of the park, as are the museum and the pedal boats you can rent.

photo: Mud Island River Park