Memphis

The home of the famous Beale Street, is much more than I had originally anticipated. From what I had heard from folks that had been there or lived there was not to expect much, so I came in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. My first trip to Memphis was for 311 Day in 2006. We grabbed a cheap hotel just north of Beale Street and across the street from "The Pyramid", which is now the country's largest Bass Pro Shop. After arriving in Memphis, we went down to Beale Street and had a few Hurricane's at Pat O' Briens. After about 4 of those and a couple of beers, I was well on my way to being trashed. Alcohol was served at the concert as well and 311 played for more than 5 hours. I actually ended up passing out with about 30 minutes left in the show. On our return to trip to Memphis for my brothers bachelor party, we were able to sample out more bars and restaurants. We spent some more time at Pat O Brien's, as well as Coyote Ugly (Terrible Idea), Silky O' Sullivans and B.B. Kings. Silky's offers up something that I have never seen before, Drinking Goats. I am not kidding around here. There are two goats that sit in a fenced in area on their patio and they will turn up a bottle of beer until its gone. It's really amazing. Between the group, we spent a decent amount of money on trying to get the goats drunk. They then have to walk up a spiral walkway to get to his little castle. Silky's also offers up a drink called a Diver bucket. Its a mixture of beer and many other liquors and is actually quite tasty. Just ask my friend Frank, he drank nearly a bucket by himself. At $20, they are pricey, but its enough for a group of 10 to drink. They also have dueling pianos on Friday and Saturday night. Coyote Ugly is just like it is in the movie without the hot bartenders. They still dance, which is completely unnecessary and wear skimply clothing, which is even more unnecessary. Make sure your beer goggles are on when you hit up this spot. B.B. Kings is a pretty cool place with your usual beer offerings and live music. If you are in town during the baseball season (April to September), hit up Autozone Park, the nicest minor league stadium I have ever been to. It is located a couple blocks north of Beale Street. They offer up Barbeque Nachos, a must have for those that haven't tried them. After the baseball game, a stop by Rendevous is required. It sits in an alley just to the west of the stadium. The ribs were good, but the Barbeque Nachos are simply amazing. For one of the best burgers in town, I recommend Huey's with several locations around town. I was too hungover to drink on the day that we stopped in, but they appeared to have a good selection available. I have heard that once you get outside the downtown area, that its not the safest place to be, especially at night. My recommendation is find a hotel downtown, go out on Beale Street, catch a ballgame and grab some food at Rendevous or Huey's. It's a great place to spend a weekend.