Like Nashville, we had no idea what to expect in Memphis but we ended up loving it! You’d think I’d hate the crowds, litter and spilled booze permeating Beale Street but even that was fun: we drank beer on a patio with actual goats and window-shopped for fancy toilet seats painted with rock-and-roll scenes. I took so many photos, I haveta break this up into two posts. First chunk of pictures:Breakfast at The Arcade Restaurant. “Memphis Oldest Cafe, Since 1919,” or as Dean and I know it, the diner in Mystery Train.

The Crystal Shrine Grotto. I cannot recommend Memphis’ Memorial Park Cemetery highly enough. The grotto is a rainbow quartz cave of wonder! The outside has fake trees and a dreamy, dyed pool. Bonus: Isaac Hayes’ grave is close by.

Blues records sidewalk, awesome.

The iconic Lorraine Motel, commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. as the Civil Rights Museum. Right in front is a woman camped out in protest of the museum.

Mum & Dean napped at the AirBNB while Cliff and I went on a tour of Sun Studio. It was as charming as it was informative and, not gonna lie, the studio did feel a bit magical.

Ok, this is a chain but it is still delightful. So many Billy Bass!

The Stax Museum!All the memorabilia was cool but nothing was cooler than Isaac Hayes’ custom, gold-trimmed Cadillac, spinning in a frankly glorious display.

These were the greatest sno cones of my life and I swear they possess restorative properties! They sure hit the spot on this particularly muggy afternoon.