Tag: #throwbackThursday

Memphis, specifically Mud Island, was on my list for several years. Maybe I expected too much from the city because the long weekend included several let-downs. A year later, however, most of my memories are positive.

Problems started right off the bat. Our hotel had issues with our reservation, we left our luggage to go explore the city hoping to come back to a clean King room only to find two queens. We stayed downtown and were steps away from the Blues Hall of Fame Museum  and National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel. Both were moving experiences, one to remember great musicians and one to remember Martin Luther King Jr..

After enjoying the afternoon, my driver’s license flung out of my pocket near Beale Street. The sad part is, I didn’t even partake in the fun of Beale Street and wasn’t able to after losing my only ID. Furthermore, we soon found out riding a scooter wasn’t an option – they require a driver’s license too. To top it off – I started a new job the following Monday and I needed my driver’s license for orientation. Asking to come-in late the first week of a brand new job is not something I recommend. Losing my license overshadowed the whole weekend but we continued on and tried to make the most of it.

The next day, we trekked across the bridge to Mud Island Riverpark. Given, we made this trip in early November past peak tourism season, the museum on the island was closed but we could still access the Mississippi River model on the island. In the summer months, the model river is full of water and flows all the way to Gulf of Mexico. This weekend, crunchy leaves replaced water and the whole island looked unkept. One of these days, I’ll make it back to see the island in the Summer and give the model a fair chance.

From there, we walked down to the Bass Pro Shops store in the pyramid. This was the most unexpected delight during the trip and I highly recommend a visit. The store itself has several different areas with wildlife. Ducks wandered from pond to pond through the store and, as you can see, didn’t mind shoppers coming very close. You can also go bowling, eat in a couple of restaurants, see several aquariums, and pet alligators. Okay, maybe not actually pet the alligators, but you can wave from a safe distance.

Spend the extra few dollars to take the elevator to the top of the pyramid for the best view in town. From here, you can walk out to the observation decks to see the boats and towboats ply the river and enjoy the restaurant at the top. The grits were out of this world!

Something else on my bucket list was seeing the Peabody ducks. Glad I saw them but not much else to say here. If you’re in Memphis, take a few minutes to see the ducks but they aren’t worth a special trip. The hotel lobby itself is a bit crowded and stuffy and the ducks weren’t anything special. The ducks at the Bass Pro Shop beat these ducks any day!

 

Most of the time, I schedule every activity for trips way before hand but since this trip was changed at the last minute, the only thing scheduled was a dinner cruise with Memphis Riverboats. What a great way to end the weekend! Good food and good music but the best part was watching the light show on the bridge. I haven’t seen anything quite like this anywhere else and made for a romantic end to the trip.