Day 161: Part 2 - Memphis, Tennessee

... continued from Day 161: Part 1 - Graceland

Crystal Shrine Grotto

After Graceland, we headed east towards the Crystal Shrine Grotto, the only man-made crystal cave in the world. Located in the Memorial Park Funeral Home & Cemetery, the grotto is concealed in a hillside, spanning about 18 meters (60 feet) deep. Entering the Grotto, it smells a bit musty, but it's a lot cooler inside and the sight is absolutely incredible: literally every surface is covered in sparkling quartz crystals! There are lights beaming onto the various scenes from Jesus' life inside, like the Nativity, and the Last Supper. The grotto was hand-carved by Mexican folk artist Dionicio Rodríguez in 1938, and completed after his death in 1955. It's free to enter the Grotto and look around.

Overton Park Shell

Heading back westwards, we stopped at the Overton Park Shell, a live music venue that was established in 1936. It's one of the only Depression-era bandshells (a bandstand in the form of a large concave shell) still in use. The Overton Park Shell was the venue for Elvis Presley's debut performance, and Johnny Cash, Booker T. & the MGs, Isaac Hayes, and Lisa Marie Presley, have been some of the many musicians who have performed here over the years. There were no performance when we were there, but it was cool to see where music history has been made.

Eating Memphis Barbecue

Michael had planned to try all the variations of barbecue across the country, so why not try the flavors of Memphis! We had read positive reviews about The Bar-B-Q Shop, which apparently has been voted as having the #1 ribs in America by the Food Network's "Top Five Restaurants," so that settled the decision for us! The restaurant is also known for its unique, signature barbecue spaghetti dish, where spaghetti is cooked in smoky, seasoned water and tossed with pork and a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce.

We opted for the ribs that were half prepared in a dry rub and half in glazed barbecue sauce. There's also a "wet" option, which means the met is basted or coated with barbecue sauce throughout the cooking process; "glazed" is a thicker, often sweeter, sauce brushed onto the meat during the last few minutes of cooking or after the cooking process is complete. Who knew there could be so much range in barbecue?! We also had two sides: baked beans and coleslaw, shared between us. The verdict? Jones' Bar-B-Q in Kansas City still tops the list for both the meat and sides! But The Bar-B-Q Shop in Memphis is a close second. The barbecue sauce is definitely one of the best we've had, so we saved the little container of extra sauce to use for other meals!

When Disney Meets the Outdoors: The Bass Pro Shops

Before we dug into our barbecue we drove to Mud Island, with the aim of seeing the "Memphis" sign and structure and taking a photo of it. It's a scenic area, with views of the Mississippi River and a bridge above us going back to Arkansas, but the heat deterred us from wanting to walk around too much!

So we missed the trek to the sign and headed over to the Memphis Pyramid, a huge building that was built originally as a 20,142-seat arena to watch sports or live entertainment. It's apparently the 10th-tallest pyramid in the world! Today, it now houses the Big Cypress Lodge hotel, as well as a Bass Pro Shops megastore, a sporting and outdoor goods chain.

We'd parked here with plans to stay the night, as there were hardly any options for overnight parking--we'd either have to drive out of our way and stay at the Graceland RV Park again, or go further out of town. The benefit of staying here was that the area not only was okay with us staying overnight, but there was 24/7 security patrolling and driving around the area. The biggest downside was not only the heat (although it would cool down a teeny bit overnight), but also the noise of cars zooming down the street as folks headed out to party (it was the weekend), as well as general traffic noise (we were under an overpass near trains as well). But we didn't have much choice.

When we checked out the Bass Pro Shops, we immediately felt like we were in the Disney World of sporting goods. To say it was big was even an understatement. It was the biggest sporting store we'd ever seen! There was a massive aquarium with huge fish, including the alligator gar, the largest freshwater fish in North America. There were literally hundreds of rods and every imaginable type of bait and gear you'd need in the gigantic fishing section. There were so many firearms lining the walls in the gun center for hunters. There was a Wahlburgers fast food chain where people were having dinner. There was even a long queue of people waiting to pay and ride the world's tallest freestanding elevator to go 28 stories up to the observation deck to see the view from the top. The amount of stuff was overwhelming!

So while we skipped the nightlife for the sporting goods life this evening, we felt like checking out the Pyramid was certainly its own tourist attraction. We didn't have the best sleep with the combination of heat and noise, but we were content to be in a secure spot for the evening ahead of exploring more of Memphis the following day.

Route Map