Memphis in May International Festival
by myrtle
May is quite possibly the best time to visit Memphis. It's finally warmed up & Memphis in May is back!
Memphis in May is a festival we have been celebrating here in Memphis for many years. Each year a different country is selected for us to celebrate. People representing that country are brought to Memphis to share their culture with us. For 2005 we are celebrating Ireland.
The month long festival starts out the first weekend in May with the Beale Street Music Festival. It's a 3 day music festival with 2 main stages & a few others. You will find not only very popular well-known bands, but also a few unknowns. This music festival offers music from many different genres & they're all brought together to celebrate Memphis in May. You can buy 3-day passes in advance, but they always say "Once it's May, the deal goes away." It's a better deal than buying 3 one-day passes. The Beale Street Music Festival actually takes place in Tom Lee Park overlooking the Mississippi River.
One weekend is dedicated to the Barbecue Festival. There is a BBQ cooking contest, and there are tons of groups that enter. You can enter as an amateur or representing a BBQ restaurant as a professional. As far as I know they don't sell the BBQ after the contest is over, but if you know someone who is in the contest, they may invite you to come & join them after the contest is over so you can try some of theirs.
The last weekend of Memphis in May is when they have the Sunset Symphony. I've never been, but I've heard it's really nice.
There are many other activities involved in the Memphis in May International Festival. You can look them up on their website.
I know this sounds goofy but...
by salway
I know this sounds goofy but we like to play miniature golf when we're doing the touristy stuff and there is a really cool place in the Peabody Place Mall downtown (next to the duck hotel). It is completely lit with black lights and painted with day-glo colors. It was wild.
Smokey Club
by myrtle about Rayford's
The music at this club is great, but you may not like the environment very much. I think it used to be a strip club, so there are stripper poles on the stage. They also play this horrible siren sound every now & then that is just annoying. The only drinks they sell there are 40 ounce beers. It's not a very big club, so it can get pretty crowded quickly. I know it was recently shut down temporarily because they were caught selling drugs in there. I never noticed this the few times I was there, but they're back in business now from what I understand. It's very smokey not only from the smokers, but also they have those smoke/fog machines going in there. The music they play is hip-hop, which is my favorite to dance to.
It's not far from Beale Street. Just about anyone on Beale Street ought to be able to tell you how to get there. It's just a bit of a walk through a bad neighborhood. When I took some friends that were from out of town, one of my local friends made the comment about the song "Walking in Memphis." He said, "If you're walking 10 feet off of Beale you're in a bad neighborhood." That's pretty accurate.
Typical Hard Rock Cafe
by recipe_addict about Hard Rock Cafe, Memphis
This was our second stop on Beale Street, and it is your typical Hard Rock Cafe. In my opinion, the food is average but the atmosphere is where it's at. We got there before the dinner rush, so the restaurant was not too busy, although the wait for the food still seemed to take forever. We got to sit upstairs, which was neat. Other than that, not much more to report. Average restaurant, average report. It's something to do, just to say you did it. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I couldn't even tell you what I ordered that particular night. I think I got the hot wings, but they must have been average as well because I don't remember my meal impressing me.
Hard Rock on Beale Street
by Toughluck about Hard Rock Cafe, Memphis
It's a Hard Rock Cafe. Much a alike, with a local Blues theme. Music and TV's all around, easy to find and a place everyone can be comfortable in. Good Question. What did we eat? There were six of us, and we tried a bit of everything. Steak, salad, etc. Everybody was happy with what they choose and there was plenty of selection.
Sign in with Facebook
The Peabody marching ducks, Peabody hotel, Memphi
Elvis clothes
2010 Schedule
Guitars in the Rum Boogie Cafe
