Home & Away with Robert Walshe
Holiday Hotspot – Memphis Tennessee Memphis the birthplace of blues, soul and rock and roll will be forever linked with Elvis Presley. No trip through the city can be complete without a stop at Graceland his famed mansion. Enter the world of rock ’n’ roll’s greatest star and take an IPad audio-guided tour of his family home including the living, music and “jungle” rooms. The tour also gives access to the Elvis Presley Car Museum as well as exhibitions that take you through his musical career and greatest hits including his stage suits and never before seen concert
Elvis Presley’s Graceland
www.robertwalshe.com
footage. www.graceland.com Beale Street, at the heart of the historic district is a bustling entertainment centre with plenty of live music venues while nearby Sun Studio the legendary home of the Memphis’ music industry, saw the rise of some of America’s greatest recording artists including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and B.B.King. www.sunstudio.com Stax with more than 2,000 cultural artifacts, music exhibits, video footage, and items of memorabilia is the only soul music museum in the world dedicated to music artists and labels, including
that of Motown, Atlantic, and Hi Records. www.staxmuseum.com Memphis is more than just music however. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated here in 1968 and you can visit the National Civil Rights Museum for a comprehensive insight into the history of the civil rights movement. www.civilrightsmuseum.org Beyond the rhythms of Memphis lays a darker history of vice, voodoo, phantoms, ghosts and lost souls. Backbeat Tours run a walking ghost tour visiting the Orpheum Theatre, home of “Mary,” who has haunted performances since 1921. also the John Alexander Austin House, a Victorian mansion haunted by star crossed lovers and Ernestine & Hazel’s, a former brothel home to several ghosts as well as a haunted jukebox. www.backbeattours.com The Peabody Hotel a Memphis landmark is best known for its signature ducks that march twice daily to splash in the lobby fountain. They live in a rooftop “palace,” an elaborately decorated doghouse, at night. Frank Schutt, the hotel’s gen-
The Duck Parade at The Peabody Memphis
eral manager, initiated the Peabody duck tradition in 1933 when he and his friends returned from a hunting trip and put their live decoys in the hotel’s marble fountain. In 1940, Edward Pembroke volunteered to take care of the ducks, which by then had been replaced by one drake and four female North American Mallards. Pembroke, the original Duckmaster, died in 1994. The ducks continue to attract the attention of all visitors and VIP’s like President Jimmy Carter, Priscilla Presley and Michael Jordan. Celebrities including Larry King and Oprah Winfrey have performed honorary Duckmaster duties.This grand hotel is also a shopping destination (it’s the home of Lansky’s, Elvis’ favorite clothing store). Rooms are spacious and classically decorated. www.peabodymemphis.com For full Memphis itinerary suggestions visit www.memphistravel.com Delta airlines fly daily from Dub-
lin to Memphis via Atlanta. Their business class service is by far the most impressive of the US carriers departing Ireland. For great fares visit www.delta.com Dublin Airport is also one of only a handful of airports outside North America that offers a US Preclearance facility allowing passengers arriving in the US to be treated as domestic arrivals and avoiding immigration queues. www.dublinairport.com My preferred car rental company on this trip was Hertz & pick up is available at the International airport. A reminder also that gold plus rewards members enjoy fast pick up and drop off car rental including exclusive benefits. Hertz consumer discounts with full details are available at www.hertz.ie Robert Walshe is a travel broadcaster with Q Radio in Northern Ireland. He is also Travel Editor for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland. www.robertwalshe.com