I’m staying downtown Saturday night and working a trade show Sunday afternoon so I basically have Sat. late afternoon/evening. I’m thinking about going to the Gibson Guitar Factory at some point and I’m hankerin’ for some good Corky’s BBQ. Any other suggestions? I wouldn’t mind catching some live music on Beale Street but I know nothing about the clubs down there.
Also - if anyone can suggest a good music/guitar store, that would be great.
Don’t miss the guitar factory, and the Rock And Soul Museum. Grab a beer at Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale street. Saturday night on Beale Street is full of people and clubs with live music. A good time is had by all…
Corky’s is probably the most popular barbecue in town, but for my money the Bar-B-Q Shop on Madison beats anything else by a mile. Get the shoulder sandwich, and be sure to tell them you want the meat pulled, not shaved.
The three things I take out-of-towners to do are:
[ol]
[li]Go eat at the Bar-B-Q Shop;[/li][li]Go do the tour of Sun Studio; and[/li][li]Go to Tom Lee Park downtown and look at the Mississippi River.[/li][/ol]
There’s lots more to do, of course. For events listings, try the Memphis Flyer’s Web site. We’ve got a great zoo, art museums, parks, etc.
Personally, I’m not much of a fan of Beale Street. I’m sure it was different 50 years ago, but today it’s pretty much like any entertainment district in any big city in the country. There plenty of other stuff to do downtown though, and in Midtown; check the Flyer’s site for some ideas.
Hope this helps!
Do not, I repeat, do not eat at Corky’s. It sucks. I was just at one last week against my will and I was amazed that they stay in business—much less thrive—in a city with as much good Q as Memphis. Go to the BBQ Shoppe (my favorite) or Neely’s or even the Rendezvous (which has a great atmosphere but unexceptional ribs), but avoid Corky’s like the plague on the landscape it is.
Also, the Memphis International Film Festival is this weekend, which could be of interest.
Since jackelope lives there, I’ll defer to him. What do you know about the Stax Museum of American Soul Music? I haven’t been to Memphis since it opened, but I’m definitely going to head there the next time I’m in town!
The Stax Museum is great. It depends on how much time you want to devote. Not much time for musuem? Go to Sun, which is pretty short but really cool. More time to kill? Stax is much more in-depth and totally worth it.
If you’re staying Downtown and have some time, the National Civil Right Museum is incredible.
In addition to Sun and Stax, there’s also the Memphis Rock N Soul Museum. (Warning: Site plays music.) This is, I believe, the only arm of the Smithsonian that’s not in DC.
I must hang my head in shame, however, to admit that even though I’ve lived here for ten years, I haven’t been to Stax, the Rock N Soul Museum, or the Civil Rights Museum. I’ll take vibrotronica’s word that they’re excellent.
There’s also Graceland, or you’re not too far from Tunica if you like to gamble…