Category Archives: Tennessee

The Peabody, Memphis – March 2012

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Prior to this past weekend, I had only been to Memphis once and that was my pit stop at Graceland. I have a good friend from home who has taken part in reenactments all of his life and he was taking part in the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. It’s a great excuse to see a friend and take a little weekend getaway trip. What’s a couple hundred miles, right? That’s right, I’m a great friend. So last Friday, Sy and I rented a car and began our trip. We drove a few hours and decided to stop and stay in Little Rock (home of the Clinton’s), wake up early and take off for Memphis (where we’d be staying Saturday night) and then travel to the battle site which was about two hours east.
We had decided since we don’t really treat ourselves to relaxing trips all that often that this was going to be it – even if it just happened to be on a weekend. With that being said, we were staying at The Peabody in Memphis. With our helpful AAA discount, the rate of the room was just a little more than the surrounding hotels but what the heck. It’s our getaway but in the end, it was the best decision and completely worth it.
The Peabody is a hotel that sits about two blocks from Beale Street and has been around for over 100 years. Besides having Presidents, celebrities and quite frankly people who are a big deal stay here (I mean, we were staying here which was the biggest deal yet), they are famous for their ducks. Yes – I said ducks. Quack Quack. The story goes something like this, the original owner went on a hunting trip to Arkansas and when he and his friends returned (and after a few too many Jack Daniels) they had decided to put ducks in the fountain of the hotel (since they couldn’t use decoy ducks). Now, it has become a tradition and the ducks live in their mansion on the roof of the hotel and are brought down the elevator daily at 11am and 5pm. The red carpet is rolled out and they run to the fountain in the middle of the hotel lobby. No – I am not even kidding.
It draws a lot of attention. Much more attention than I thought it would. It’s seriously a big deal.

This is the Duck Master presenting the young lady next to him a certificate for being Honorary Duck Master for the day!

The Peabody is gorgeous. I fell in love. Our room was cute. I especially loved the doors to the rooms. I know, kind of odd. The room was a little small but I mean how much room does one really need? The bed, so comfortable and I really didn’t get to sleep enough since Sy wanted to wake up early and get a head start on our long trip back to Texas. They do leave two rubber ducks on the desk (which you can purchase for $8). No thanks. The atmosphere and architecture within the hotel is where it’s at.
Seriously, the one of the most comfortable beds!
The lobby. It’s like the kitchen of any home, right – where everyone gathers. Check it out – it’s beautiful.
The lobby also holds the “hotel bar”. There are tables and big comfy chairs where you can hang out and relax and listen to the pianist play the piano (I later learned the piano also plays itself, unless it was a ghost…). In the morning there is tea and coffee available. In the evening they set out an arrangement of desserts which you can purchase for $6.50. We ended up ordering dessert in the lobby Saturday night after dinner. Tiramisu was what we wanted and it was delicious!
Obviously, it was shaped as a little tea cup with a chocolate stick on top. The tea cup was completely made of chocolate. The filling was a soft cream with the wafers in the middle. Yum!
The mezzanine. Here we found a piano which was custom made for Francis Scott Key who wrote the Star Spangle Banner. This level also leads to the ballrooms which we looked inside (cleaning up from a wedding I presumed) and it was magnificent. The ceilings and stage inside. Now I wish I got a picture, I guess you’ll just have to reference the website.
The staff were gracious and extremely nice. Honestly, it was one of the best hotel experiences I’ve ever had. It’s too bad I can’t really afford to stay more than one night. It’s no wonder The Peabody is known to be one of the prime hotels of the South. If you don’t believe me, stay there and find out for yourself!

Graceland!

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When I decided to move, I had one request for my 2,000 mile road trip. I had to stop at Graceland. Must. Necessity. Must go to Graceland. Period. So… I went to Graceland.
I had never been to Memphis, heck I didn’t even know what else was there but I was going to find out and find out I did. Graceland itself is so much bigger than I had imagined. The house itself wasn’t as big as the mansions that celebrities are living in nowadays but the property itself was very large. The history and memorabilia is extensive. We flew thru it and were there for three hours. Elvis, you were a popular man!
A little bit of history on the King: Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935 which is not that far from Memphis. Music is huge in Memphis and it is not surprise that his influences came from country, gospel and blues which you can take in at the the same place he did in Memphis, Beale Street. In 1954, his first recording took place at Sun Studios, not far from Beale Street and within two years he was known internationally. And as they say, the rest is history.
I took many, many, many photo’s when I took the tour. Some are dark due to the lighting and my camera at the time but I’ll share some of my favorites.
Graceland.
Yes, you need to take the shuttle up to the front of the home.
For the tour they give you a very fashionable headset. Each room has a number which you enter in so you can go at your own pace.
Can’t you just see him sitting at the piano, singing and playing a tune.
This picture is really bad quality but I wanted to include it. I was surprised at how small the kitchen was. It wasn’t anything that I would’ve imagined.
The Jungle Room.
Appropriately named.
Look at the arms of the chair!
This room actually creeped me out a bit. I think its just because of the alien monkey sitting on the table.
This room (below) was actually covered in fabric. You can see the walls and the ceiling.
I would hate the dust that would collect. Good thing he could afford someone to clean the home for him!
The backyard swing set for his daughter and horse area. You wouldn’t think the back yard was this big from the front.
In addition to the main house, there are a few other buildings on the property. One was the racket ball / court area which is now housed with memorabilia. Another which was considered his office and I believe one more as well. Forgive me, it’s been a couple years.
One of my favorite things to check out were his outfits. LOVE THEM!
His wedding tux and Priscilla’s wedding dress were also on display.
It also goes to show you he wasn’t a very big man.
Seriously, you know you wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to put one these on and swing your hips a little bit! Don’t deny it – I know!
Just a tiny, minute portion of all of his awards and memorabilia.
I believe this was in one of his offices.
The backyard.
The backyard holds the very nice pool.
It also holds something else that I had no idea of at the time.
Elvis is buried here with his parents, grandmother and twin brother.
Once you are done touring the side of the street the home is on, you are still not done.
Yes, I’m serious.
Back on the other side of the street (the side where you buy tickets) there is a car exhibit where you can find his extensive collection including the famous pink Cadillac. It’s actually pretty interesting to walk through. There are plaques and information available telling the story of why the vehicles are important.
One more thing that you might not have thought of originally. You can also tour his planes. Go in, walk around. Check them out and all their retro decor.
Graceland holds an abundance of information, souvenirs, memorabilia all commemorating the life of Elvis. Even thought we went during the week, there was still one heck of a line to check the place out. Tickets are a little expensive but I considered this something that I would do once so I found it worth it. If you do plan on visiting, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. I didn’t realize how many buildings and items were on display to check out. We did a very fast forward version of the tour since we didn’t have a ton of time and had to get back on the road. You could definitely plan on spending your entire day here just taking your time and checking out the entire area. Whether or not you are a huge Elvis fan, I would say it’s worth stopping to check out. It’s a part of American history folks!