MEMPHIS — Driving to (or through) Memphis, you can’t help but notice the giant pyramid. Standing 321 feet tall, it towers over most of downtown as an homage to the city’s Egyptian connections.
If you look closely toward the top, you’ll see a lighted deck around it — and people on that deck. If you are lucky enough to stand on that deck, you can get a spectacular view of the city with the quiet Mississippi River on one side, the bright lights and big sounds of a bustling downtown on the other.
Built in 1991, the pyramid began life as an entertainment venue and later served as an arena for the Memphis Grizzlies NBA team. It has a long history of dreams and plans and ultimately troubles. After being closed for years, it opened as Big Cypress in 2015, a hotel and entertainment venue built by Johnny Morris of Branson’s Big Cedar fame. Big Cypress has a giant Bass Pro store in its middle.
Standing roughly 32 stories tall, Big Cypress has about 100 hotel rooms (only on the second and third floors), an archery range, a shooting range, a laser shooting gallery, a spa, bowling and large aquariums with fish talks daily as well as bars and restaurants. One of them, the Lookout, stands at the top of the pyramid and cannot be beat for its views. Take the glass elevator to the top ($8 per ride) for a view even if you aren’t a hotel guest and even if you don’t plan to dine there.
When Memphis was settled in 1819, founders named this Mississippi River city after the ancient Nile River city in Egypt. You’ll see other references to Egypt throughout town, most notably the hieroglyphic-filled entrance to the zoo (plus an obelisk and Egyptian-style temples once you enter the zoo and a lighted sphinx during the holidays). There’s also the Egyptian art collection at the University of Memphis (and outdoor replica of a Ramses II statue) and works from antiquity at the Brooks Museum of Art.
The rooms at Big Cypress shy away from the Egyptian motif, but they are every bit of the rustic elegance you’d expect from an upscale Johnny Morris property. Some rooms have a deck that looks out into the Bass Pro shopping area and indoor cypress swamp. From them you can watch alligators, fish and ducks below. But maybe splurge on a room with a loft, called the Fly Fishing Lodge. Or the Treehouse room, which can accommodate six people. On a recent girls trip, we got a junior suite with doors to an outdoor deck with a seating area, perfect for drinks after the hotel bar closed. Rooms start at $430; big-cypress.com
Other things to do in Memphis
— National Civil Rights Museum: For a museum to be great, it must both educate and move you. And this is one of the best I’ve ever been to. On the site of the Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, you’ll begin with the slaves’ journey to America. You will then move on to exhibits where you can sit at the lunch counter with three- dimensional figures, or on a bus with Rosa Parks. Exhibits and films take you through time, with chilling photos from the Ferguson protests toward the end of the museum. The culmination of the self-guided tour takes you to the room at the Lorraine Motel where King stayed in his final hours. $18 (timed tickets must be purchased online); civilrightsmuseum.org
— See the ducks: Rooms at the Peabody are fittingly gorgeous for one of the most upscale hotels in the city, but even if you can’t afford to stay there, stop by one morning or one afternoon to see the famous Peabody ducks. Under the guidance of the duckmaster, they make their way from their rooftop penthouse down the elevator to the lobby at 11 a.m. each day for the famous duck march. They spend their day frolicking in the lobby fountain, then at 5 p.m. head to the elevator for home. They’ve been doing it since 1933. Get there early to snag a good seat in the lobby or sit at the bar, where you can order a Rubber Ducky Cocktail for $12.50. The rum and juice drink comes with a duck stirring stick and, of course, a floating rubber ducky. Free; Peabodymemphis.com
— The Memphis Zoo: I visited the zoo during its holiday lights special event in December. Everything from the lighted Ferris wheel to “snow” falling from the sky at the entrance was simply enchanting.
But I will return again to see the exhibits that were closed at night, particularly the China exhibit with its 50-foot pagoda and giant pandas. Ya Ya and Le Le are two of only a small number of giant pandas at only four U.S. zoos.
The China exhibit also contains waterfowl, deer, otters and cranes. The Animals of the Night exhibit was open during our visit, and it was hopping: aardvarks, porcupines, bats, sloths, lemurs and the cutest wombat ever were highlights. $21; memphiszoo.org
— Stax Museum: This museum is dedicated to soul music on the site of the original Stax Records. Inside, find interactive musical exhibits, a dance floor and more than 2,500 artifacts that tell the story of American soul music, from Isaac Hayes to Otis Redding to Aretha Franklin. Explore more music in Memphis with a visit to Sun Studio (where Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded), the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock ’n’ Soul Museum and more. Stax is $13; staxmuseum.com
— Beale Street: One of the most iconic entertainment districts in the U.S., Beale Street can be a bit overwhelming, particularly at night when the crowds surge and the neon lights gleam. If you are looking for great music, B.B. King’s Blues Club is the place to go. But most bars seem to have live music on the weekends. Alfred’s has a fantastic rooftop bar where if you are lucky enough to snag a seat, you can watch all the action on Beale from on high.
And don’t miss the W.C. Handy Performing Arts Park, right on Beale. In warmer months a stage holds concerts, but you can also find talented buskers, too. bealestreet.com
— Graceland: How do you go to Memphis and not go to Graceland, famed home of the king himself, Elvis Presley? OK, I did not on this trip. But I’ve been before, and it’s worth your time. All of Presley’s original touches remain in the mansion he bought in the 1950s, from the jungle room with shag carpeting on the ceiling to the meditation garden. Other buildings on campus include the 200,000-foot Elvis Presley’s Memphis with about a dozen exhibits.
Restaurants on site include a Memphis barbecue joint and Gladys’ Diner, which serves peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Don’t miss the Jungle Room Bar in the new Graceland Exhibition Center. You can even now stay at the Guest House, a four-star boutique hotel on the property. Tickets start at $48; graceland.com
Where to eat
Barbecue is the big thing in Memphis, and Central BBQ with four locations is definitely the most known (and for a good reason).
But you may also want to try some of the smaller places such as the Bar-B-Q Shop or, my favorite (not that I’ve tried all!), Charlie Vergos Rendezvous.
If you are looking for a throw-back diner, try Blues City Cafe, located close to Beale and the Peabody. Do not miss the gumbo cheese fries ($14.99).
Southern-inspired cuisine is my favorite reason to visit Memphis.
Felicia Suzanne’s, which closed its downtown location in December and will reopen in a new location in March, will hopefully keep its menu of salmon deviled eggs, oysters, crawfish dumplings and a most unusual sandwich, the pimento cheese BLFGT with bacon and fried green tomatoes ($14).
We had a decadent meal at Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick. Starting with the as-good-as-they-sound lobster corn dogs, to its famous award-winning chicken pot pie ($24) made with andouille sausage and a perfect crust, and onto its blueberry bread pudding with white chocolate and a bourbon glaze ($9), it was a nearly perfect meal.
And don’t miss the Lookout back at the pyramid. A bar in the center of the restaurant features a giant fish tank, and the menu reminds you of its Big Cedar roots, with elk sliders, and deer and duck sausage on the charcuterie board ($24).
Ginny Morris’ fried chicken is a favorite ($25), but in the end the best part is the view from 32 stories above Memphis. Take your wine to the lookout balcony, and toast to a great trip.
For more information visit memphistravel.com
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