Memphis, Tennessee
July 30, 2024
We realized that we would pass through Tennessee again on our way to Mississippi and Alabama, so we made the best of it.we stayed in Memphis at the famous Peabody hotel. This was hands down the fanciest hotel we have stayed in. There were bellhops who brought our luggage to our room, valet parking and the hotel itself screamed fancy. We enjoyed all that it had to offer and of course visited the ducks who live on the roof.
July 31, 2024
Before knocking around town we had to watch the famous Peabody ducks march into the lobby on their red carpet. Something that began as a joke after a few too many drinks years ago has become a beloved tradition at the hotel. Every morning five ducks march down their red carpet to the fountain at 11:00 and at 5:00 in the evening they march back down the red carpet to go back to the roof. It was the cutest thing ever! The kids even got a white chocolate duck as a snack.
After saying goodbye to the ducks we drove around town and checked out Sun Studios, Beale street and several other fun spots.
Once we were done exploring in the car we headed to the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum is actually located at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. Everything about this museum was powerful. I found myself with tears in my eyes more often than not and it created some really important learning opportunities for our kids. I wanted to make sure that they understood what we were looking at and be there to answer any questions they had. The museum concluded inside the hotel at the room Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was staying in. The room had been closed off and set to look like it did the day he died. Powerful, inspiring, educational and moving are all an understatement to what we experienced. If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend it.
No visit to Memphis is complete without a trip to Graceland. We opted out of the tour and just drove by, which was still neat to see where Elvis lived.
Corinth, Mississippi
We continued our journey east and stopped in Corinth, Mississippi at the Corinth Contraband Camp. This park is dedicated to where slaves ran for safety as they were trying to become free. Here they learned to read, created a community and began to thrive. It was really interesting to read about after being at the Civil Rights Museum.
Onward to Alabama!
Wandering, Wondering and Wacky 
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