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Things to do for everyone

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• Beale Street – The historic home of the blues is alive and well, with plenty to keep visitors on their toes, or should we just say on their feet…DANCING! Grab some ribs or gumbo at Blues City, then walk across the street and check out B.B. King’s club, he might just surprise you and show up! Afterwards, do a club crawl to hear legendary Beale musicians such as Ruby Wilson, Joyce Cobb, or the James Govan band, who perform regularly at the local clubs on Beale.
• Center for Southern Folklore – This unique spot includes southern-style lunches with live music on weekdays during lunch with more music in the evenings. The Folklore Store offers great regional books, art and music.
• Cooper Young District – Known to locals as “the” intersection in Memphis, this area is as hip as they come. Check out the Beauty Shop Restaurant, housed in the former salon where Pricilla Presley went to get the sky-high hive, and next door’s Do Sushi. Across the street, Café Ole serves a mean margarita and has music on the patio, while the Young Avenue Deli is part eatery, part music venue. Tsunami and the Blue Fish offer more upscale dining options and newcomer Lux is now clothing the ultra-fashionable. Then there is Goner Records where you may be able to find that elusive vinyl record. Or if it’s a vintage department store you are looking for, be sure to hit Flashback.
• Davies Manor Plantation House – Shelby County’s oldest log house was build by an Indian chief in 1807. Purchased in 1851 by the Davies family, it was then turned into a farmhouse. It became the centerpiece of a 2,000 acre plantation where deer and other wildlife still roam.
• Graceland – The house that Elvis bought in 1957, which is still furnished as it was when The King called it home, today attracts some 600,000 visitors annually. A tour of the home includes the living room, dining room, TV room, pool room, his parents’ bedroom, and the “jungle room,” as well as a look at the trophy building, which holds his huge collection of gold records and awards.
• National Civil Rights Museum – The National Civil Rights Museum, housed in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, is the first of this kind in the country. Interpretive exhibits and audio-visual displays bring to life the most significant moments of modern American history.
• Overton Square – In addition to a variety of restaurants and bars, this three-block square features theatrical offerings at Playhouse on the Square and TheatreWorks.
• The Peabody Hotel – Affectionately known as “The South’s Grand Hotel,” The Peabody opened at its present location in 1925. When it fell on hard times in the 1970s, the Belz family not only restored the landmark to its former glory, but added many modern amenities. Today, Memphians and tourist relax in The Peabody’s fabulous lobby, dine in its restaurants, party in its ballrooms, and dance on the Plantation Roof. It is possible however, that the true stars of The Peabody are the ducks, who march twice-daily. Each morning the ducks, led by their very own “duck-master,” waddle off of the elevator, and strut their stuff down their own red carpet and splish splash into the hotel lobby fountain. They return to their “Royal Duck Palace” each afternoon.
• Sun Studio – There is always a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on down at Sun Studio. You can go and see the very place where Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley made rock n’ roll history, as well as Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and many other notables as well. And you can join the list as you can make your very own recording at Sun!
• Tunica, Mississippi – Now the gambling center of the Mid-South, just 30 miles from Memphis, Tunica County is home to nine glitzy casinos that light-up the delta sky. They offer a variety of gaming options, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, dance pavilions and big-name entertainers.
• Memphis Symphony Orchestra – The MSO has a rich history of providing the most renowned musical talent for Memphians. They perform at the Cannon Center in Downtown Memphis as well as other venues like the Germantown Performing Arts Center.

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