Our last morning in Nashville included provisioning (our 1st grocery run) and packing up to leave town. Next stop: Graceland RV Park in Memphis, TN. We arrived mid-afternoon and learned Memphis is home to the the National Civil Rights Museum housed in the former Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, so we hopped in Peggy to go check it out. Tickets to the museum were sold out for the day but the outdoor exhibits were still wonderful and worth the trip. They had 6 or 7 kiosks with videos ranging from the causes MLK fought for, to the sanitation strike that brought him to Memphis, and of course, the events that took place that fateful day, the aftermath and journey to turn the motel into a museum. It was very moving and I would definitely make the effort to get the tickets we couldn’t if you are ever in town.

Next stop Beale Street. As we drove through Memphis I kept thinking of the Marc Cohn song so I put it on for the kids. I kept finding pieces of the song as we explored but, again, like the large apple, I was the most entertained by these little gems. We tried to stop for milkshakes at the old fashioned soda fountain in A. Schwab General Store (open since 1876) but caught it at closing so settled for massive sundaes at Hard Rock Cafe (same thing right?) There are plenty of restaurant choices on Beale Street but when the rain started we ducked into the first place that seemed child friendly. To be honest, much of the Memphis we saw this afternoon was pretty run down and sad. You can feel the history that lives here but it definitely felt like just that… history. So much more to see in town, including record studio tours, more museums, and a massive Bass Pro Shop that many have raved about, including the nice mom we met at the pool, but the crazy heat drove us back to the pool for evening swimming, followed by a lively poker game with our girls who have yet to learn the art of the poker face.

If you’re still singing the Marc Cohen song “Walking in Memphis” in your head so was I, and when we left we DID turn onto Union Ave and tomorrow we’ll “walk right through” the gates of Graceland.