Day 1: MEMPHIS - Memphis, along the Mississippi River in southwest Tennessee, is known for its music and food. Blues, jazz and rock 'n' roll spill out from the clubs along Beale Street, and restaurants dish up barbecue and soul food. Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Johnny Cash recorded albums at the legendary Sun Studio, and Presley’s Graceland mansion is a popular attraction. Even the Hernando Desoto Bridge is shaped like a "M" for Memphis. It was, sadly, in Memphis that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lost his life. Today, you can learn about that and more at The Civil Rights Museum. Perhaps Memphis's favorite attraction now, next to Graceland, is the Bass Pro in the Pyramid. We will be learning about these places this week, as we cross the bridge to Memphis!  By the way, did you know that Memphis took it's name from another Memphis?  Memphis was a grand, ancient city in Egypt along another famous river --the Nile.

Day 2:  Graceland

Graceland was once part of a 500-acre farm that was owned by the S.E. Toof family. The land had been part of the family for generations and was named after one of the female relatives, Grace.

In the spring of 1957, when Elvis Presley was 22, he purchased the home and grounds for just over $100,000.  At the time he bought Graceland, Elvis was working on his second motion picture, "Loving You," with "Jailhouse Rock" to follow, just the beginning of a long film career for Elvis Presley. 

House guests at Graceland included family members and friends at various times - some lived in the mansion with Elvis and some in houses elsewhere on the grounds. Although Elvis had various homes in the Los Angeles area and spent a great deal of time on the road with his concerts, Graceland was always home base - a constant in the life of Elvis Presley. 

Today, fans flock to Memphis from all over the world to visit Graceland. In addition to seeing the inside of the home, there is an excellent museum about Elvis, a building that houses all his gold and platinum records, and many other attractions. Fans also pay their respects to Elvis when walking past where he and his family members are buried. The crowds are amazing during Elvis Week --especially when the candlelight vigil is held on the anniversary of his death.

Graceland is the second most visited home in the United States --second, only to the White House.

Oh!...and according Miss Matthews, Elvis is still alive!

Day 3:  The Civil Rights Museum

The tour guide in this video is the one Weiner teachers had at their tour of the museum...

April 4, 1968, was a dark day for Tennessee. On that evening Martin Luther King Jr., the best-known Civil Rights leader of all-time, was shot and killed while standing on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. It was, in many ways, the culmination of a movement that, during the 1950s and 1960s, turned the United States from a completely segregated society into a mostly integrated one. Life in Tennessee is nothing like it was before the Civil Rights Movement.

The 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man is considered to be the spark that ignited the modern Civil Rights Movement. The National Civil Rights Museum contains a Montgomery bus from that era identical to the one on which this occurred. On that bus, which visitors are free to walk on, you will find a statue of Rosa Parks. 

​After King's murder, the Lorraine Motel declined because many people no longer wanted to stay there. Eventually the motel was closed, and for several years it looked as if it would be torn down. But in the early 1980s activists in Memphis began promoting the idea of converting the building into a civil rights museum. In 1991 the National Civil Rights Museum opened to the public; today it is one of the most fascinating places to visit in the state.

There are many exhibits that teach about the Civil Rights Movement in ways that are interactive and help you understand just how important the sacrifices of those like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were to who we became and are becoming as a nation.

Day 4:  The Arts in Memphis

The Orpheum Theatre, located on South Main Street at Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee was built in 1928. It is one of the few remaining "movie palaces" of the 1920s found in the United States. Today the Orpheum hosts traveling Broadway shows, celebrity performers, and yes... you can still go there and see a movie from time to time.

The Pink Palace Museum was originally designed to be the dream home of wealthy Memphis businessman. Today it is a museum named because of the ornate pink Georgian marble facade. It is home to a giant 3-D theater, planetarium, miniature model of an old time circus, dinosaur bones, and lots of other stuff!

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art was founded in 1916. It is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. All types of visual art from painting to sculpture from the Impressionists to Modern Art are found at the Brooks. There is even a section dedicated to art from many African countries. The museum also has special exhibitions throughout the year where they bring in art collections on loan from other museums in our nation and around the world.

Day 5:  The Pyramid Bass Pro Shops are more than just a store; it's an adventure. The massive destination experience offers something for everyone, from the serious outdoor enthusiast to families looking to have fun. There's nothing else like it anywhere in the world.