By the time we arrived into Memphis it was late afternoon, getting off at the Megabus stop we took the Memphis Trolly (tram) into Downtown and to our Hotel. We had struggled to find a Hostel in Memphis so had opted for a budget breaking hotel for three nights. Nothing fancy but it was right in Downtown and only a few blocks for the famous Beale Street.

By pure chance we arrived in Memphis on a Saturday so Beale Street was even better than expected. The whole street is closed off by police to allow people to roam freely and even drink in the street (pretty unusual for the states). First of all we went for some BBQ pork to line out stomachs before starting on the $2 beers! We spend the night bouncing between bars, listening to live blues music and drinking in the street under the glow of all the brightly coloured signs, Wrapping up the night in Coyote Ugly with a few shots.

Needless to say the next day was a bit of a write off, with Liann feeling the effects a little worse than I! Once we managed to stir (missing breakfast) we wondered back to Beale Street to explore by day time. Now back open to traffic the street had a different feel but was still thriving with tourists and music. Looking for something to do that didn't involve food or drink we decided to do the Gibson Guitar tour. The Memphis factory makes all Gibson hollow body and semi-hollow body electric guitars including the infamous Les Paul. Being a Sunday the factory was empty so it did lack some of the interest watching them be made but the guide still showed us all the processes. That night Liann insisted we went to a establishment famous for its chicken wings and cold beer! Hooters?

No trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to the home of 'The King' Gracelands so having wasted the previous day we planned a busy final day. There was a lot to see on the tour, and the information provided via a headset helps you try and take it all in. The Main house is still preserved exactly as it was with 60's decor and typical Elvis style. It is actually a fairly modest sized house considering this is Elvis were talking about. Towards the end of the house tour you walk past the family grave site with Elvis's grave as the focal point, with flowers, photos and even a Welsh flag next to it. The other two parts include Elvis's car collection and his (not so modest) private jets! One of then the Lisa Marie is huge!

In order to get a free shuttle to Graclands we agreed to pay for the Sun Studios tour. That was fine by me because I wanted to see the place that Elvis and Johnny Cash recorded. The tour guide was funny and clearly loved his job. Playing clips of little heard early recording as we walk around he would talk us through the history of the Memphis Recording Studio and the later Sun Records label. Still used today we stood in the main studio where legends like Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded. We even got to hold the very microphone that they used!