Memphis, great food and great music!  Beale Street is a must-see if you’re in the area!

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Recently awarded #1 most iconic American Street by USA Today (http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/iconic-american-streets).  We visited in the morning, but we could already smell the BBQ shops getting ready for lunch. Even in the morning we saw a few street performers and heard a small blues band playing in the distance.

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Like Hollywood, Beale’s sidewalk has a walk of fame.  Instead of stars you’ll find brass music notes honoring music greats from Johnny Cash, BB King, and Elvis to even Justin Timberlake (born in Memphis starting his career in country music).

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It’s easy to include Sun Studios if you’re driving between Graceland and Beale Street.

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They hold tours but we got the impression the tour was for older visitors.  Instead, we pulled up an article on our cell phone that discussed the history and was surprised at how many artist we recognized who had recorded at the studio.  We wanted to see the ducks at the Peabody Hotel but couldn’t fit the timing into our schedule. We hope to visit both next time. 

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Parking in downtown Memphis might be a challenge depending on the time of day/week.  Do a quick search online and plan out a few options before you get downtown.

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While we didn’t stay long.  We walked up the street and back; stopping in quaint stores and reading restaurant menus.  We enjoyed reading the “walk of fame” names and taking in the ambiance. The younger kids were ready to leave but the older group could have spent several more hours there.

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