The 2019 Staycation Guide

Years ago, TV commercials urged viewers to “See the USA in your Chevrolet.” And that’s good advice, whether you’re a Chevy owner or not. But sometimes, it’s nice to stay close to home, and these days, there are plenty of good reasons to do that.

The Travel Channel has named Memphis “the hottest Southern destination of 2019.” Frommer’s has listed the Bluff City “one of the best places to go in 2019.” TripSavvy considers our city the “best overall destination.” And Lonely Planet called Memphis “one of America’s best emerging destinations.”

Here, we offer just a few reminders why sometimes the best vacations can be staycations. What’s more, we chose attractions that cost only a few dollars — and some of them are even free. What’s not to like?

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Get high at the Pyramid.

It may not tower over all other buildings in Memphis (it’s actually eighth, in terms of vertical height, at 322 feet), but there’s just no better view in town than the one you can enjoy if you hop on the elevator and glide up to The Lookout restaurant that perches atop what is now known as Big Cypress Lodge and the Bass Pro Shops Center. And while our Memphis Pyramid may be only half as tall as St. Louis’ Arch, our remarkable vista is unmatched by any other place in North America.

Hard to believe, but Bass Pro is now in its fifth year of operation here. Just as hard to understand is the fact that a ridiculous number of locals have never gone “up top.” If you’re one of those people, shame; there’s no better view to be had of our city. Particularly since you can go almost to the Pyramid’s peak and actually go outside (weather permitting), greeting Mother Nature in person, taking in three very different views of the place we call home: south toward Downtown,

north toward Harbor Town, and across to the west into the vast Arkansas Delta.

The custom-built elevator that takes visitors all the way from the bottom to the top is the tallest free-standing elevator in America, well worth the $10 round-trip ticket. Looking down below, you find yourself becoming a speck in the sky as you hurtle up the equivalent of 25 stories in less than a minute or two. Once you’re at The Lookout restaurant, the world below truly becomes your oyster. The restaurant serves oysters, by the way, and has a full bar.

As far as I’m concerned, The Lookout is the perfect lunch spot in town, a place where you can leave all your day-to-day problems behind, or at least below. And getting that little bit closer to heaven will brighten your day, I promise. The restaurant is open to the public 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and until 7 p.m. on Sundays. Next time you have out-of-town visitors, trust me: You’ll be doing them a great disservice if you don’t take them straight to the top. 

— Kenneth Neill

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Dip a paddle into Old Man River.

The Mississippi River can be as imposing as it is beautiful. That is a lot of water rolling south, and at an uncomfortably strong pace. But the Wolf River Harbor is a different story, the smaller body of water that rests — literally — between Mud Island and the edge of Downtown Memphis. It happens to be an urban kayaker’s delight.

Enter at the cobblestones (near Mud Island’s south end) and paddle your way north, under the massive ramps to the Hernando DeSoto Bridge and past the Pyramid. (On that subject, Bass Pro will sell you a kayak, should you prefer to own your ride. If not, independent businesses rent them on an affordable, hourly basis.)

There’s a tranquility to paddling in gentle water that can’t be found on the hiking paths or expansive fields of Memphis parks. Silence tends to surround you, even on a tourist-heavy, mid-summer Saturday. The last time I tried to match the shape of a cloud with an animal, I was kayaking in Wolf River Harbor. (It was a camel, though with a tiny head.)

There happens to be a small shop at the Harbor Town marina (west side of the water) where you can find snacks and cold beverages, depending on how much of the day you’d like to surrender to that distinctive silence. Gaze up at the Bluff City’s version of skyscrapers and count the cars driving overhead, many of them leaving Memphis (feel for them). The bustle of life will return; it’s never far away. But for now, it’s just you, a kayak, and, shall we say, the Gentle Miss. 

— Frank Murtaugh

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Step back in time at A. Schwab.

A Memphis staycation wouldn’t be complete without a stroll down historic Beale Street. There’s a sort of magic that emanates from the brick road and dances between the buildings, striking your senses like the twang of a steel guitar or a crash of drums. The resonant energy seems to float on the wind, carrying history with it.

A day trip to Beale (arguably the best time to enjoy the strip) should include a stop at A. Schwab, which opened in 1876 and is the only remaining original business on the street. Peruse the “dry goods” emporium’s selection of novelty items: tin toys and coin banks, vintage games (jacks, peg boards), oversized pencils, gag gifts, and more. Adult-humor-themed kitchen accessories (like decorative hand towels printed with funny phrases), flasks, and drinkware, and of course Memphis and Elvis memorabilia, are also well-stocked.

For the kids — or the kid-at-heart — choose from classic treats and candies, including salt-water taffy, Moon Pies, lemon drops, and jelly beans. A wall lined with jarred goods features Southern favorites: preserves, fruit butters, pickled okra, and chow chow.

Pull a stool up at the bar to enjoy a quick lunch; the menu is simple with a small selection of sandwiches. And do not skip out on an old-fashioned fountain soda, with your choice of house-made flavored syrup, and a hand-spun malt for dessert. While it’s not quite an obligation, you may want to cool down your burnin’ love with The Elvis shake, made with vanilla ice cream, banana, and peanut butter. 

— Shara Clark

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Take a public art tour.

In recent years, there has been a welcome eruption of public art around town, fueled by the UrbanArt Commission, that brings together neighborhoods and artists to raise the cultural level of the city. Murals, bicycle racks, mosaics, gates, and a sundial are among other treasures. The commission has an interactive map of locations all around so you can do a self tour. Here are a handful to get you started. 

A WHITEHAVEN STORY

Artist Lester Merriweather often creates his images with tape applied to walls. In this case, he used a more permanent method with a similar effect to craft metal relief sculptures in the interior of the Whitehaven Branch Library to depict the neighborhood’s essence. Merriweather collected photographs from Whitehaven residents and combined images in drawings that were blown up and laser-cut out of quarter-inch stainless steel, which was then painted black (created December 2010).

MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY

A 4,000-square-foot mural is on Central High School’s exterior wall facing Crump Stadium. Joshua Sarantitis has done these monumental works nationwide and here he worked with a hundred students from the school to make it happen. It’s a mixed-media piece, including glass mosaic tile, cut glass mosaic, and acrylic paint. The mural acknowledges the need for a greater understanding of truth and reconciliation for the human spirit to survive (created September 2011).

THE WAVE

Sculptor and ex-skateboarder Mark Nowell created an imposing stainless-steel piece in Tobey Skate Park with both form and function — yes, you can skate on it (created September 2012).

RESPECT

Memphian and Memphis College of Art graduate Tootsie Bell created an ambitious sculpture in Legends Park that honors the stories that came out of the old Dixie Homes public-housing project. Baseball, music, and the social “queen bee” gatherings are represented with love and respect (created September 2013).

— Jon W. Sparks

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Catch the time-warp.

The drive-in theater is a place where two American loves meet — the movies and car culture. Although it was an idea that had been toyed with since World War I, the first proper drive-in opened in New Jersey in 1933. During the postwar boom of the 1950s, the concept spread across the country, and by 1960, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in the United States.

As the newly mobile baby boom teenagers discovered, the drive-in was a good place to find some relative privacy for you and your date. Even as screens flickered and car radios blared across the country, drive-ins were seen by some as disreputable, and by the 1970s, the movie fare at the drive-in gained a reputation as low-budget, and full of sex and violence. The most recent estimates indicate that less than 400 drive-ins remain in operation in America.

Memphis has one of the best drive-ins in the country — one that not only never closed, but is thriving. Malco’s Summer Drive-In has been open in its current, four-screen iteration since 1966. The Lightman family, who has owned the Malco theater chain for more than a hundred years, loves the drive-in, and invested heavily in converting it for modern digital projection. It remains a popular place to see first-run movies on the cheap, in the comfort of your own car.

For the ultimate drive-in experience, you should catch the Time Warp Drive-In. Presented by Black Lodge Video and Memphis indie film pioneer Mike McCarthy, the monthly event brings together curated classic (and not-so-classic) films. Big hits in the past have included tributes to filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Quintin Tarantino, and John Carpenter. Already in 2019, the entire Back To The Future trilogy played to a packed parking lot. This summer’s lineup includes fantasy films of the 1990s in May, experimental animation in June, ”Worst Movies Ever” in July, and space opera of the 1980s in August. So pack a lawn chair, load up on snacks from the concession stand, and prepare for a classic Memphis experience. 

— Chris McCoy

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Try a cone at Jerry’s.

By the time you see the pink façade of Jerry’s Sno Cones floating before you like some trippy, aging apparition, you’ll have grown suspicious of your GPS as it twirls you through the back roads of Memphis’ Berclair neighborhood to Jerry’s Wells Station address. Owner David Acklin — he’ll let you call him Jerry; many folks do — says the location can be tough, though by the looks of the line on the evening we’re standing in it, this city has a pretty serious sno-cone habit.

There’s a second location now, in Cordova, shinier and newer, but I want that crazy back-lit sign with its twinkly cone swooping up into the sky, pink-and-green argyle trash cans dotting the parking lot, the assembled mix of Memphians on a mission for ice-cream-laced sno-cone supremes, Jerry’s specialty.

The Pepto-pink building Jerry’s occupies started as a Sinclair gas station in the 1920s or so, and rumor has it even the gas station served frozen confections. By the 1970s the place converted to a dual car wash / sno-cone stand, under then-owners L.B. and Cordia Clifton, who named it after their son. Now it’s all about treats, no car washes, though since Jerry’s is open 52 weeks a year (closed only on Sundays), in all weather, you could theoretically sit in your car enjoying a “Tigers Blood” or "Rainbow" snow cone (as our cover subject did) while a rainstorm rinses pollen from your windshield. But when the weather’s nice, or even when it’s not, better to perch outside somewhere and watch the world go by a while.

Jerry’s is about the snow cones, naturally (or, well, unnaturally — these are not colors one encounters in combination, outside of a Styrofoam cup), but it’s about community, too. When we leave, we see a little family set up on one side of the parking lot: a couple of folding chairs, a picnic blanket, like they’re waiting for the main event to begin. The main event, in this case, is nothing more complicated than a parade of people, and spoons, and an icy-sweet rainbow. 

— Anna Traverse

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Take a hike on the Memphis Greenline.

I was stuck on my assignment for Memphis magazine’s “Staycation” issue. With my deadline fast approaching, my computer cursor blinked rhythmically on a blank page. I feared panic might begin to set in. So I asked Vance for his advice, but he just told me to take a hike. Though I have a hunch the esteemed Mr. Lauderdale was speaking figuratively, I thanked him for his suggestion and set out for the Shelby Farms Greenline.

The conventional wisdom states that Memphis is a driver’s town, but the recent growth of walking paths and bike lanes has done much to make the city more pedestrian-friendly. It’s a trend I love, because I do my best thinking when walking, and the Greenline is my footpath of choice. The Greenline is a ribbon of paved urban pathways, and though the sounds of the city are never far away, the relative quiet and the occasional bird or chipmunk sighting seems to help slow down the clock. A leisurely amble among the trees and the public art installations certainly does much to soothe the stress of an encroaching deadline.

Built on a former CSX railroad line, the connected system of tree-lined, shaded paths running from Shelby Farms to Midtown ties Memphis’ different neighborhoods together. I particularly enjoy the stretch of the Greenline that skirts the northern border of Rhodes College. I already love the way the neighborhoods in that section of town butt up against each other like a checkerboard, but the diverse sampling of Memphians utilizing the walking trail always makes me smile. There are often families checking on the community gardens that dot the Greenline, and dog walkers being led by a pack of tethered pups. I always wonder if the stroller-pushing mothers and the spandex- and lycra-clad joggers and bikers wonder what brings me to the Greenline, or why my pace is so leisurely. If they ever ask, I’ll just tell them I’m strolling slowly, enjoying the scenery, and trying to think up something to write about.

— Jesse Davis

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Visit the Belz Museum.

You may not have heard of one of Downtown’s most singular attractions, and if you have, there’s a fair chance you’ve put off going to experience it. Take our advice: See the Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art sooner rather than later, even though you’ll kick yourself for waiting.

In its 24,000-square-foot space is a stunning treasure of art and expression from two cultures, displaying the region’s largest collection of Asian art as well as an array of Judaic art, plus a special gallery dedicated to the Holocaust. There are more than 1,400 objects, 900 of them Asian works from 202 BC to the twentieth century. It’s often called the jade museum since about a third of the collection are pieces mostly from China’s Qing (or Ch’ing) dynasty (1644 to 1911). These are astounding to behold, many of them large artworks carved from a single boulder and requiring the devotion of several artisans working for years. The detail work is simply exquisite. And there are pieces of ivory, coral, rose quartz, tiger's eye, cloisonne, cinnabar, and Mongolian silver.

The Judaic Gallery, which opened in 2004, has more than 200 artworks by contemporary Jewish artists working and living in Israel. Among the items on display are 32 bronze relief sculptures by Daniel Kafri that illustrate the Bible. And the Holocaust Memorial Gallery shares photos, items, and biographies that tell and preserve the stories of those dark years.

The museum had its beginnings in the 1960s when Jack Belz — chairman and CEO of Belz Enterprises, owners of The Peabody — and his wife, Marilyn, made their first acquisition. They’ve continued to add to their collection. The museum opened with three small rooms in 1998 but has now expanded to its home at 119 South Main Street, a block from The Peabody, near Beale Street, and on the trolley line. It awaits your gasps and wows. 

— Jon W. Sparks

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Celebrate a day of the dead.

In 1927, Evelyn Estes rode a horse from Memphis all the way to California. She was just 21 years old, and her only companion along the 3,800-mile journey was her dog, Kip. Estes died in 1999 at the age of 93, but you can visit her grave and learn about her many other adventures, since she’s just one of many Memphians featured on tours of Elmwood Cemetery.

Founded in 1852, this 80-acre graveyard was designed, as a tour booklet explains, to be a “park for the living, where family outings and social events could occur.” One of this area’s oldest graveyards, Elmwood is the final resting place for “those famous and infamous, loved and feared. There are veterans of every American war, from the Revolutionary War forward. There are people from every walk of life and every culture. Generals, senators, governors, mayors, madams, murderers, and, of course, perfectly ordinary citizens are all here.”

More than 75,000 people are interred here, so as you cross the old Morgan Bridge and catch a first glimpse of Elmwood, the thousands of monuments and markers can be intimidating. Where to begin?

Elmwood offers several options. Stop by the historic caretaker’s cottage at the entrance and (for $5) pick up a detailed map that provides an overview of the grounds and the locations of 63 of the most prominent and interesting graves here. Don’t feel like walking? Buy (or rent) a CD that will provide a more detailed driving tour of the cemetery.

For a more personal visit, Elmwood offers guided tours, led by docents, who often dress in period costumes and act out the characters buried here. These need to be booked in advance, but they certainly bring the experience to life (so to speak). Scheduled in May are special tours and events celebrating this city’s 200th anniversary: “The 200 Years Strong Tour: Two Centuries in the Making” (May 18th) and “The 200 Talk: Elmwood and the Memphis Bicentennial” (May 19th). Music buffs shouldn’t miss “The Memphis Music Walking Tour” (May 31st) for visits to the graves of Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns, 1930s big-band leader Jimmie Lunceford, and other famous musicians.

The grounds are lovely, the monuments are stunning, and every stone tells a story. People often associate graveyards with death and dying, but a tour of Elmwood, especially the ones led by the docents, can be quite a lively adventure.

For a different experience, head east to Memorial Park Cemetery. This graveyard, with its modest bronze tablets instead of soaring obelisks and imposing statues, definitely has a more open feeling than the city’s older cemeteries.

It also has the Crystal Shrine Grotto, an attraction not often found in cemeteries, or anywhere else for that matter.

In the 1920s, E. Clovis Hinds, owner of Memorial Park, recruited Mexican folk artist Dionicio Rodriguez to construct an unusual addition to his new cemetery. Using little but cast concrete, Rodriquez re-created his vision of scenes from the Bible. The Cave of Machpelah overlooks the Pool of Hebron, and nearby is Abraham’s Oak, seemingly carved from wood, complete with cracks and peeling bark, but everything is tinted concrete.

The grotto itself is a 60-foot-long winding cavern, carved into a hillside, with walls and ceiling sparkling from thousands of quartz crystals. Visitors stroll past religious scenes and (added in the 1970s by Memphis artist David Day) wooden statues of saints and other figures from the Bible.

Outside again, blinking in the sunlight, you can walk or drive around the shady grounds, noticing markers for well-known Memphians like Isaac Hayes, Sam Phillips, and Bobby “Blue” Bland. Poplar Avenue and I-240 border Memorial Park on two sides, but the traffic noise fades away inside the cemetery’s stone walls, and the Crystal Shrine Grotto definitely takes you to another world. Best of all, admission is free. 

— Michael Finger