Oh! By the way, the shows are very cheap...money shouldn't be much of a problem.

I do not think this will happen, but if they get bored, they can always make a long car trip to st. louis or see where elvis was born in mississippi.They could also see nashville or little rock. I think nashville is better though.

When in Memphis you should check out the Memphis Zoo (only $13) and the Pink Palace Mansion (more pricey but quirky and fun.) For food and night life, spend a night over by the University of Memphis for that wild uni atmosphere. For two great day trips, I recommend heading north to Reelfoot Lake and east to Shiloh. Reelfoot formed when the worst earthquake in US history actually caused the land to sink and the Mississippi to flow backwards!! Shiloh was the bloodiest battle of the War Between the States, and seeing the Bloody Pond is moving everytime. Longer overnight trips to Nashville or Knoxville give completely different views of Tennessee. See plantation houses and country music life in Nashville, and experience total beauty on the rivers and mountains around Knoxville, including the nation's second most popular national park, the Great Smoky Mountains. Enjoy my home state TJs!

Hey TJ's! I just asked my Mom if y'all could stay at our house for a night or two while y'all were here in Memphis, and she actually agreed to it. I was taken aback, since I originally intended it to be a joke. So, if y'all want a free place to stay and food for a day or two, let me know on this board! You are assured some Southern hospitality if you stop by!

Bar-b-que, Graceland, and the Peabody ducks are nice and all, but those are things that every Memphis tourist tries.

For a more local flavor, I suggest checking out what Midtown has to offer. (Here's a Wiki article for exact location details.) It has the city's largest park, Overton Park, which can be a fun place to spend the day. Lots of grass and patches of old forest -- Memphis is a great tree city -- and attractions like the Memphis College of Art, the Brooks Museum of Art, and the Memphis Zoo.

Another Midtown attraction is the Cooper-Young area, which functions like the Haight-Ashbury of the city. It's got a very hipster feel, with independent coffee houses, clothing boutiques, and even a cat sanctuary, called The House of Mews, which would be a good place to visit if you have the time. The area has some good restaurants, as well.

Speaking of restaurants, here's some of my favorite places to eat:

Saigon Le - Awesome, awesome Vietnamese food. They claim to also be a Chinese place, but Vietnamese is their specialty. I have been eating here for over 10 years (since I was 11 or so), and it's just great. Extensive vegetarian selection. Try the Vietnamese egg rolls.

Jasmine Thai - In the Cooper-Young area. Small restaurant with tasty food. The best part is having a Thai coffee and fried bananas with honey for dessert. Parking is hell, though.

India Palace - Simply good Indian. This is a great place to stop in for a lunch buffet (which ends at 2:30). Order a mango lassi, load up your plate, and enjoy. They also feature great service and as much free garlic naan as you can handle.

Edo Japanese - Haha, can you tell I like Asian food? This is probably the best Japanese you're going to find in Memphis. It's family run and has both excellent, authentic food and a cool atmosphere. Best to get there between the lunch and dinner rushes. It can get hectic in the evening.

Garibaldi's Pizza - Check out the one by the University of Memphis. The other locations can't compare. This place has won awards as the best sit-down pizza place in the area. (Maybe the country.) It's not quite as cool as it was when I was a kid, but it's definitely worth checking out. It's been around since the 70s, at least, and it shows. Be careful in the bathrooms, though. They're tiny, and half the stalls don't have doors. It's an improvement, though, since NONE of the stalls used to have doors. (It's also right across the street from Juniper's, which is supposed to have the best breakfast food ever, but I have yet to try it myself.)

Huey's - Another Memphis institution, the original Midtown location is arguably the best, but they're all good. This is perfect if you want good American casual food without spending a lot. They have live music on a regular basis, and you're actually encouraged to write on the walls and shoot toothpicks at the ceiling. It's got gobs and gobs of local flavor.

Follow my restaurant suggestions, and you shall not be disappointed. I only wish I could suggest more.

Another few more things, before I'm finally done...

A downtown attraction that's sort of off the beaten track is Victorian Village -- here's the Wiki on that one -- which is a whole neighborhood of (yeah) Victorian houses that were kept from being torn down, some of which offer tours. Another, even older, Memphis building is the Mageveny House, which seems to be closed to tours for the time being because our city government can't seem to manage it's budget.

For some lighter downtown fun, there's Peabody Place. This is not the same place as the Peabody Hotel, but they're not far from each other. It's got a movie theater and a sweet shop and an arcade and even a fake-y Irish pub that's pretty good.

And while I'm at it, I might as well mention some of the less nice things about Memphis. I wish I could recommend Liberty Land, Memphis's amusement park, for a visit, but it was shut down under rather shady circumstances recently and is in the process of being dismantled. It's a real shame. It was the home of the Zippin' Pippin, the oldest working wooden rollercoaster in the nation (and Elvis's favorite, apparently.) The Pippin was sold for a measely $2,000. We had the Mid-South Fair recently, and the absence of Liberty Land, which had always been connected and free to fair-goers since it opened, was felt strongly.

Memphis is also home to some very depressingly delapitated neighborhoods, which you probably won't want to visit or feature. But they're there. I'm actually told that my zip code, which contains some of these neighborhoods, has the highest infant mortality rate in the country, comparable to some third-world countries. I don't know if this is true, so take it with a grain of salt. But there's a reason this rumor is going around.

Finally, on a happier note, please don't be afraid to drink our tap water. Memphis is famous for having the third best quality tap water in the country. Buying bottled water in this city is a waste of money.

Blargh. Sorry this turned out so long. I hope I helped. And when you guys make it here, I'd love to hang out! I'm a hopeful cartoonist (as in comic books) who was raised in Memphis, so why not? Hah! Whatever you guys choose to do, I hope you have a good time.

You totally need to tour Sun Studios. You get to stand in the actual studio that Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash recorded in!

If any of the TJ's notice a big pyrimid next to memphis and they want to know what is inside, then that is an arena for basketball,I think.

Actually the only thing in the Pyramid is an OLD basketball arena. The local politicians with all their genious closed the place down when they built the Fedex Forum. I think they're actually using the vacant building for a movie set right now. There is talk of converting the thing into a Bass and Pro shop/amusment park.

sorry for my mistake . I don't know much about memphis. In fact, i've never been there. but if they turn the pyrimid into an amusment park, then that will be fun for the people of memphis.

Sorry, Mr2zo. I wasn't mad at you, if it sounded like it. I'm mad at the politics driving Memphis right now. The Pyramid just happens to be a good example of their poor and corrupt management. Sorry if I came off as a jerk.

thats ok

A web site says that you can ride a 4 mile long trolly ride that takes you from the top of downtown next to the pyramid and the pinch district,by the convention center near peabody place,the orpheum theatre,beale wtreet near the civil rights mussum,and the central station.Then it goes west and north to proceed along the riverfront, where you can visit bluffs river park and mud island. It runs every 10 minutes and is $.60. All day passes are $2.50. They run monday through thursday from 6 am to midnight,friday from 6am to 1am, saturday from 9:30am to 1am and sunday from 10am to 6pm. There office is located at 547 north main street. their number is 901-274-6282.There is also a memphis queen riverboat tour that you can do for sightseeing,sunset dinner,Saturday party,blues,fireworks dinner. dinner features primerib, full service bar,wine list, live memphis music,and is open year round. The sightseeing costs $12.50 and i don't know about the rest.you need to call for reservation. there number is 901-527-5694.

Hey. A few more suggestions from me. I promise this post will be shorter.

First off, I told my mom about this, and she had a couple of suggestions. She thinks you guys should visit Elmwood Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in town, chartered in 1852. It's full of cool old grave markers. (Dead people may not be your thing, but it's a neat place nonetheless.) She also thought that you guys should go to the Big One flea market if you're in town on the right weekend. Okay, Mom.

I wanted to mention that Memphis is home to a drive-in movie theater, the Summer Avenue Drive-In, one of the few left in the country. It's open well into the fall -- maybe year-round, I'm not sure -- so you guys could visit that and catch a double feature, provided you have a car.

My last suggestion is for Zach the comic book guy. If you need your Wednesday fix, you can go to Memphis Comics & Collectibles, the only comic store in Memphis. Just thought you might like to know. That's where I shop.

If the TJs aren't going to see any other city like Nashville, which they should, they have to go to hear some country music. I may not be a big fan of it, but you can't visit TN from another country and not hear some country music. It is one of the few types of music that other countries don't hear a lot of from America if at all. So country music is a must. Just make sure it isn't the type to make tennesseans look like bumkins.

I KNOW THIS IS NOT IN Tennessee, BUT THEY NEED TO GO TO CHICAGO, MAINLY BECAUSE JUST OUT SIDE OF CHICAGO IS WHERE THE MOST SPIRTUAL (unifying) PLACE IN ALL OF THE US IS! IT IS THE BAHA'I TEMPLE. PLUSS THIS CITY IS JUST AWSOME!!! WITH SO MOANY REASONS IT IS CONECTED TO THE OUT SIDE WORLD (other countries)... I'll be real sad if this is not on your chow.

Tahnk you fro taking the time to read this.
Sincerely,
Tahira Hamilton