Home of Motown and Elvis , love it!

Hi all, hope you enjoyed my last blog from New Orleans, Time to get Rock’n and a Roll’n now in the home to Blues and the birthplace of Rock and Roll, with a bit of Elvis thrown in…

I decided to head inland a little to explore Memphis. As I have quite an eclectic taste in music this place looks and by the sound of it sounds amazing too. , and I think Everybody loves a bit of Elvis, I remember the year he died (I know he still lives according to some), My uncle was living with us at the time, waiting to join the air force and he was a massive fan of Elvis. Therefore we watched every Elvis film that was re-run during that time. My favourite is either G.I. Blues or Kissing Cousins. He truly was an amazing singer. One of my dearest friends is a big fan and managed to fulfil one of her biggest dreams to visit Graceland a couple of years ago and has never stopped beaming since. 

Look who popped by to say hello!

Memphis is the 2nd largest city in Tennessee. Only Beaten by Nashville, and as home to rock’n’ roll and other music genres, it has more than 1,000 commercial recordings of over 800 distinct songs containing  “Memphis” in them. Some of the more famous being ” Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn. Songs that mention Memphis include two of my favourites: “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Honky Tonk Women” by the Rolling Stones.

If its Blues your after then, Beale Street is the place to be, it’s in  Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km). It is a significant location in the city’s history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are major tourist attractions in Memphis. From the 1920s to the 1940s, Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Memphis Minnie, B. B. King, Rufus Thomas, Rosco Gordon and other blues and jazz legends played on Beale Street and helped develop the style known as Memphis Blues. On December 15, 1977, Beale Street was officially declared the “Home of the Blues” by an act of Congress.

During the first weekend of May (sometimes including late April), the Beale Street Music Festival brings major music acts from a variety of musical genres to Tom Lee Park at the end of Beale Street on the Mississippi River. The festival is the kickoff event of a month of festivities citywide known as Memphis in May.

Then, of course, to keep with my crime theme, The firm, The Client and The Rainmaker by John Grisham were set in Memphis and were filmed in that area when the books went to film. Fantastic if you haven’t either read or watched them do now!

In keeping with the horror aspect too Silence of the Lams was filmed there too. Very scary.

couple of our Taylor made to wet your appetite:

ALL INCLUSIVE Escorted USA with Chicago, Memphis & New Orleans

New Orleans with the History of Memphis & the Caribbean

Why not take a look at these examples, might be a bit late for this year for the first one but there is always next year. I was privileged to organise a bespoke package for some customers and they are doing the Graceland tour whilst not forgetting the rock ‘n’ soul museum and Music Hall of Fame. I didn’t know they existed till my customer asked me about then, now after reading, I would love to visit.

Graceland

Make the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll pilgrimage to Graceland – the home to the one and only Elvis. Embark on an unforgettable journey that shows you just how Elvis is still the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.Highlights- Explore Elvis’ home – The perfect day for Elvis fans. The new Memphis Music Hall of Fame joins the “Must Visit” list of any Memphis Music Pilgrimage. This new, interactive ever-change museum presents personal, never before- seen belongings, interviews and artefacts from the official Hall of Fame inductees, who changed the world and placed Memphis on the world map. If you want to know Memphis Music, the best source is directly from the mouths and the memorabilia of Memphis’ musical legends. Unique and personal memorabilia from Elvis, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash, Justin Timberlake, B.B. King and dozens of other inductees. See Jerry Lee Lewis’ custom Cadillac and Isaac Hayes’ organ from Stax Records, view interviews and see performances from Sam Phillips, The Staple Singers, ZZ Top and more. Test your knowledge of Memphis’ music or world-changing lyrics. Plus, each year, as new musical legends are inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, the exhibit changes.The Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum’s exhibition is about the birth of rock and soul music, created by the Smithsonian Institution, it tells the story of musical pioneers who, for the love of music, overcame racial and socio-economic barriers to create the music that shook the entire world.

If its gardens your into then do not forget to check out The Memphis Botanic Garden. It is a 96-acre botanical garden located in Audubon Park at 750 Cherry Road, Memphis, Tennessee.  The Memphis Botanic Garden is open to the public daily, where guests can take a stroll through various gardens on the grounds. There is also a children’s garden, called my Big Backyard, (sounds fun) which is very popular with Memphians and out of towners. The Memphis Botanic Garden hosts many community events each year, such as the Daffodil Dash Race, The Family Egg Hunt, and Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch.

Today the garden contains 23 speciality gardens, including:

• Tennessee Bicentennial Iris Garden – hundreds of varieties of bearded irises, plus other iris types from Louisiana, Japan, Siberia and Spuria.
• Conifer Collection (1981) – including many dwarf conifer varieties.
• Herb Garden (2011) – over 500 types of herbs.
• Japanese Garden of Tranquility (1965, 1989) – designed by Dr. P. T. Tono, Tokyo; redesigned by Dr. Koichi Kawana.
• Rose Garden – 75 rose varieties.
• Sensory Garden (1989)
• Anne Heard Stokes Butterfly Garden (1997)
• Memphis Garden Club Water Garden

I know my mum would love this.

If you fancy a meal out don’t forget to try the hard rock cafe, beat the queues and ask us to book before you go.

And lastly, if you do not want too much flying you can always ask us to include the Amtrack train to see the beautiful countryside on your way to New Orleans or Galveston Texas to dive on board your cruise.

This has to be my idea of heaven: click on the link for more details. (includes the Amtrack from Memphis to New Orleans) do not forget we can always add any extras so you make the most of your time, ask us for ideas.

13 Nights From £2049pp

• 2 Nights 4* Graceland Guest House Stay
• FREE Graceland Tour, Elvis Airplanes & Cars
• 3 Nights 4* New Orleans French Quarter
• FREE Steamboat Jazz Cruise around the Mississippi
• FREE Upgrade From Ocean View to Balcony

25 February 2019

Graceland Elvis Experience, Carnival Season in New Orleans, Jazz & The Bahamas

Have you been to Memphis, seen Elvis and would like to share let me know below…….

I am off to hit the Caribbean Islands starting with the little ones, join me in 2 weeks ………………….