Beale
Street
'If
Beale Street could talk, married men would take their babes and walk.'
That was local blues composer WC Handy's Beale St, circa 1915. In its
turn-of-the-century heyday, Beale St was the hub of social, civic and
business activity for the city's large African-American community and
much of the middle South.
Today, the Disneyfication of the two-block strip of Beale between 2nd
and 4th Sts might give some travelers the blues. The rough and tumble
barrooms and brothels of yore have been replaced by swanky clubs, restaurants,
souvenir shops and neon signs - something of a blues theme park. But
it's hard to find fault with the district's safe, comfortable and locally
owned and operated nightlife.
Between 2nd and 3rd, musical notes embedded in the concrete mark the
Walk of Fame, where some of Memphis' finest musicians are honored. The
Beale St Police Museum exhibits such criminalia as the extradition order
for James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr's convicted assassin. Schwab's
Dry Goods Store, in the family since 1876, is the only remaining original
business on Beale St. Schwab's fills three floors with voodoo powders,
handcuffs, clerical collars, saucepans and the largest collection of
hats in town. Tucked in behind Beale St at 3rd is the Gibson Guitar
Plant, where many of the guitar models made famous by local artists
are made. Within the plant, the Smithsonian Institution's Rock 'n' Soul
Museum examines the social and cultural history that produced the music
of the Mississippi Delta.
Between 3rd and 4th Sts, the WC Handy statue overlooks a park named
after the composer, where an amphitheater hosts outdoor concerts and
New Year's Eve celebrations. Also on the block are the shotgun shack
where Handy raised six children, and the Center for the Study of Southern
Folklore. The nonprofit center, in an old dry-goods store, has excellent
exhibits on art and music, and features live performances.
Sun Studio
Sun bills itself as 'the most famous recording studio in the world'
- considering its roster of alumni, it's a fair claim. Among the luminaries
who recorded here are Howlin' Wolf, BB King, Ike Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis,
Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and, of course, Elvis Presley.
The room with its warped tiles remains active today, though the 'tour'
(30 minutes of standing around) is a bit moribund. Still, you'll get
to hear great vintage audio clips and breathe the hallowed air. The
studio is less than a mile east of downtown; as the neighborhood it's
in is a little sketchy, you're best off taking a cab.
Graceland
Elvis
Presley's home for 20 years, Graceland is part shrine, part museum,
all tacky. You'll see the all-white living room, the jungle den, the
cobalt-blue drapes, the peacock stained glass, the 15ft (5m) couch,
the interior waterfall and the green shag carpeting on the ceiling.
A visit to Graceland is a mind-bending multimedia experience, with a
free 22-minute film, a tour narrated by Presley's former wife, Priscilla
Presley, car and airplane collections and a gift shop. There's a reasonable
fee for touring the house itself, plus additional costs for seeing the
car and plane collections. Unless you enjoy standing for hours in long
lines, it's probably best to avoid going on January 8, when Memphis
celebrates Elvis Presley Day, or August 15, which is the anniversary
of Presley's death. Graceland is a few miles south of downtown and is
accessible by car or cab.
National Civil Rights Museum
This outstanding museum is in the Lorraine Motel, where the Reverend
Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968. The motel now houses
exhibits on key events in the civil rights movement that led to the
end of legal segregation in the mid-1960s. The museum is a few blocks
south of Beale St.
Full Gospel Tabernacle
Soul and R&B legend the Reverend Al Green holds forth at the Tabernacle,
where he preaches and sings on Sundays. A formidable choir backs him
up when the hymns start to flow. This is a house of worship, though,
and visitors should dress neatly, have at least a dollar per adult for
the collection plate and be ready for over a 2-hour sermon. The Tabernacle
is a few miles southwest of downtown.
Chucalissa Archaeological Site & Museum
This reconstructed 15th-century Native American village sits on a bluff
overlooking the Mississippi. The village sits atop ancient moundworks
unearthed during construction of the nearby state park. A central plaza
once used for ceremonies, dances and games is surrounded by thatched
houses that would have belonged to the chieftain, shaman and craftspeople.
The buildings sit on elevated earthworks that also served as burial
grounds.
Museum exhibits, crafts demonstrations and a knowledgeable staff tell
the story of the sophisticated Mississippian civilization that once
dominated the southeastern US. One highlight is an enclosed cutaway
trench revealing the sequential layering of one ancient mound. The Spring
Powwow is held on Mothers' Day weekend (late May or early June), and
a Choctaw festival featuring native dances, crafts and foods happens
the first weekend in August.
The site is about 10mi (16km) southwest of downtown; it's accessible
by car.
