Monthly Archives: August 2007
The Peabody Ducks
The oldest and, short of the Heartbreak Hotel at Graceland, surely the coolest place to stay in Memphis, the Peabody Hotel is known for its world-class restaurants, the super hip Lansky Bros. boutiques (started by the clothier to the King … Continue reading
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Graceland: Part V
The sun setting over Graceland, we enjoyed the remarkably good Elvis “tribute artists” in the plaza — practically all of whom were non-native English speakers! — and mingled with the crowd of super cool Elvis look alikes. My favorites were … Continue reading
Graceland: Part IV
Now that we’d eaten that famous sandwich, toured the mansion, and mourned at the grave, we set off to see the rest of Graceland. While all the museums were awesome in their own way, the highlights for us were the … Continue reading
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Graceland: Part III
Since we lacked the foresight (or the space in the back of Mom’s car for that matter) to actually bring a cool homemade memorial wreath with us to Graceland, I begin this post with something I created after our visit. … Continue reading
Graceland: Part II
As a child Elvis promised his mother Gladys that: “One day, I’ll make money. I’ll be somebody and I’ll take care of you. And Momma, you’ll never have to work on your hands and knees again. I’ll buy you the … Continue reading
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Graceland: Part I
Before we left for our trip, we were warned by my brother Ryan — the only person we knew who had ever actually been there — to plan on spending a LOT of time at Graceland. And man, he wasn’t … Continue reading
Memphis Ribs: Dry vs. Wet
Anyone who’s been there can tell you that there are two very distinct schools of thought when it comes to smoky, down-home Memphis BBQ. Those who like their ribs “wet” — slathered with BBQ sauce BEFORE they are smoked for … Continue reading
Arriving in Memphis!
From the minute we exited the freeway and caught our first glimpse of the moonlit Mississippi River, the sultry Memphis night literally tingled with the magic of Elvis Week 2007. Now, I know that sounds crazy, but it’s totally true. … Continue reading
Loretta Lynn’s Ranch
Situated on a lush, sprawling 3,5oo acre site about 75 miles outside of Nashville, Loretta Lynn’s town (yes, she owns the whole town!) of Hurricane Mills has it all. There’s a slew of restaurants, a campground, horse trails, an outdoor … Continue reading
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The Music Highway
Snaking through the rolling green hills between Nashville and Memphis is Interstate 40, which we were delighted to discover is also known as “The Music Highway”. Named in honor of the iconic musicians born and bred along its 210 mile … Continue reading
Nashville’s Parthenon
Our last stop in Nashville was the Parthenon in Centennial Park, which, ironically, is the first thing we saw from the road when we drove into town a couple nights back. Originally built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition of 1897, … Continue reading
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Opryland & Cooter’s Place
Since we were so blown away by our experience at the Ryman, we kinda knew visiting the “real’ Opry in the Disney-fied Music Valley area would be a disappointment, so we saved it for the end of our visit. And … Continue reading
The Pancake Pantry
After checking out of our hotel we ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry, a beloved Nashville institution with seemingly a different type of pancake for every person waiting in the snaking lines outside. Seriously, if you could dream up a … Continue reading
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The Bluebird Cafe
Much to our friend James’ dismay, neither Christine nor I had heard of the quintessentially-Nashville Bluebird Cafe before we began planning our trip. I know, we’re lame. Had we simply gone with him when James implored us to see “The … Continue reading
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Deep-Fried Pickles!
Whoa, two of our favorite things together at last…deep-fried and pickles. Like peanut butter and chocolate these two were destined to meet. And the minute Christine and I read that they were staples on almost every menu in Nashville, we … Continue reading
Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop
Winding up our walking tour of the District pretty much where we began, we found ourselves at the legendary Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Broadway. Featured prominently in movies like “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, “Sweet Dreams” and “Nashville”, the cavernous record … Continue reading
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Hatch Show Print
After touring the Ryman and stopping for a snack (deep fried pickles, which I’ll discuss later) and some rocking good live music at The Stage on Broadway, we made our way towards world-renowned Hatch Show Print. One of the oldest … Continue reading
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The Ryman Auditorium
Our first stop after breakfast was the birthplace of Bluegrass, the amazing Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. The original home to the Grand Ole Opry (which moved to newer, more Disney-fied digs called Opryland in 1974) the Ryman was built … Continue reading
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Bongo Java & The Nun Bun
Our first meal in country music mecca was eaten fittingly enough, at the holiest of holy cafes…Bongo Java. Nashville’s oldest and most famous coffeehouse, and it was so good, we ate breakfast there twice. Which is really saying something considering … Continue reading
Nashville – Athens of the South
Though we arrived in Nashville under the cover of night, the skyline was still dazzling and even the exit signs along the freeway thrilled us to no end: Opryland, Music Valley, Music Row, The Country Music Hall Of Fame, you … Continue reading
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Knoxville – Home of the Dew
Named for George Washington’s Secretary of War, Henry Knox, Knoxville is home to the Tennessee Valley Authority (created by FDR in 1933 to provide “electricity for all”) and is also the adopted home of “Roots” author Alex Haley. But most … Continue reading
The KFC Buffet
Wow…who knew? We never actually ate of one of these strange Sizzler-meets-the-Colonel hybirds — for some odd reason, the ladies vetoed me every time I asked — but man, did we see a lot of shiny red, white and blue … Continue reading
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The Adventure Begins!
Here we are at the very start of our trip in Mom and Courtney’s driveway in Cary, North Carolina. Hitting the road at the crack of 1:00pm — which is way early for the four of us — our bags … Continue reading
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