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Published: January 24th 2023
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Red Bay, AL - Memphis TN
Graceland RV Park & Resort
Days 28--30
Originally we had not planned on going to Memphis, but Nick & Ginger suggested we swing by and check it out. Red Bay was close enough, and a couple of phone calls later we were able to change our reservations and add Memphis to the trip.
Right after we made our plans Lisa Marie Presley passed away, and her Memorial Service was scheduled during our visit. Dan & Cherri also changed their plans instead of meeting us in Nashville, they came to Memphis also.
When traveling, picking places to eat is always a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you say, how the hell does this place stay in business. Friday night’s dinner fell into the last category. We probably should have left as soon as we walked into the place. I turned out to be a fast food, BBQ restaurant. That would have been fine, but the food sucked.
The two places that were suggested to visit were Graceland, and Beale Street. Not knowing what to kind of
crowds to expect, we purchased tickets to tour Graceland while we were in Red Bay, it turned out we could have waited at bought them at the door. Touring Graceland is not cheap, but it was worth it.
We spent most of the day Saturday there. I enjoyed touring the house and the grounds, but by the time we got halfway through the multiple museums, I was all “Elvised out!!!” How many jumpsuits can you look at. I did find it amazing how much stuff was preserved.
Saturday night we went to Beale Street. Both Angel and I were expecting it to be more like Nashville. It was interesting but we both agree Memphis is a one-time stop. The BBQ was much better on Beale Street, than where we went Friday Night.
Sunday Morning was Lisa Marie Presley’s Memorial Service. We could have walked to the service (The RV park, is on the Graceland property) but we were content with watching it on TV. When we were outside we could hear the service from our campsite. People started arriving at 5am to go to it. The opened the gates at 7am,
and the service was at 9:30am. When we toured Graceland we were able to see her crypt. They had a small tarp over the headstone and they were finishing the work around it.
We started our day by going to Bass Pro Shop. The store is located in the Memphis Pyramid, which original was an arena. The Pyramid is 32 stories high, and also houses a hotel, archery range, bowling alley and a couple of restaurants. You can take an elevator ride to the top of the pyramid, and go out on the sky walk to look over the Mississippi River and the city. We did not think it was worth the money to take the ride.
Our next stop was Mud Island Park. Mud Island is a small island that was enlarged with the spoils from dredging the Mississippi River. Half of the island has been developed with Condo and a small shopping center, and the other half is a park. The park centers around a ½ mile long concrete scaled map of the Mississippi River Basin. It is supposed to be water filled, but it does look like it has had anything
but rain water in it for years. There is also a museum and amphitheater that also has not been open in years. It is a shame that such a great resource is not maintained. It was still fun to walk along and see the places we stopped at while doing the loop. The only thing that looks like it is new and maintained it a 20’ high by 50’ long Memphis sign. It was also neat to watch the barges go up the river. Watching them fight the current, it is easy to understand why they call it “The Mighty Mississippi”.
Sunday night was spent back at the RV’s making chili and watching the Dallas/San Francisco game. Sadly at the end of the night it was time to say goodbye to Dan & Cherri. It was great to see them.
Monday we are heading to Nashville Tennessee.
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