Memphis vs Nashville!

This past weekend after my graduation, I took a mini vacation to Memphis and I thought I'd dedicate a post comparing it to Nashville. I've been to Nashville three times and Gatlinburg once, but never had the chance to visit Memphis. It's about 5 hours away from Eastern so we figured why not make a trip down there. Although I am a huge fan of Nashville, (the city and the show!) Memphis was pretty damn cool. I enjoy both country music and blues so either city is wonderful if you're a fan of those music genres. Even if you're not, both places have a plethora of amazing things to see and do.

Nashville is called Music City and it surely lives up to that name! Everywhere and anywhere you go, day or night, you can hear some incredible live music from one of the many honky-tonks that grace Broadway Street. It's so cool to be able to walk in off the street and hear people on the edge of fame singing in a small bar. Sometimes famous singers actually come in randomly and play a gig! The first time I went I got to see past American Idol contestant Bucky Covington perform, which was pretty awesome. Nashville doesn't just cater to the country music lovers though, many other bands have come to call Nashville their home in recent years. The Black Keys, Kings of Leon and Jack White reside and record in the city. I am a massive fan of all of those artists, especially Jack White. One of the coolest things that has ever happened to me was when Jack White and his little daughter came into Third Man when I was there. He just walked right in and said "How ya'll doing?" I couldn't even believe what was happening and I'm pretty sure no one else did either. Let me tell you, he is a GIANT in person! Literally one of the tallest people I have seen in my life. Nashville is the place to go if you want to possibly run into any celebrities, the entire cast of the hit show Nashville has been seen out and about as well as many famous country stars. I personally would love to live in Nashville in a few years, mainly because of how wonderful the town itself is! It is a city but also has a town-like feel to it. I would feel completely safe walking around at night and it is so easy to get around the town. I also love how friendly everyone is and of course, the Southern food! Seriously, the best barbecue ever is in Tennessee and my favorite place to go in Nashville is Rippy's. Also, if you want to eat the best burger in the coolest restaurant on the planet, check out Pharmacy. The waitstaff are covered in tattoos and piercings but don't let that stop you from eating there! I had heard many good things about the place and was not disappointed. They make homemade sodas and you can create any flavor you want! Another place to go to for amazing coffee is Fido. It used to be a pet store but they closed it and turned it into this rad coffee shop that makes fantastic coffee.

Memphis is the home of the blues and it also lives up to it's name. Similar to Nashville, there are restaurants and honky-tonks on the infamous Beale Street. The Memphis in May festival is a huge event that features Beale Street Music Fest, World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, and a sunset symphony in AutoZone Park. I had just missed both the music fest and the barbecue contest which was a bummer, but next year I'm planning to go. Beale Street Music Fest had a TON of great bands including Alabama Shakes, Pretty Lights, Fitz and the Tantrums, Foster the People, Snoop Dog, Blues Traveler and many more. During my trip, I got to tour Sun Studios and Graceland. Sun Studio is where Elvis Presley first recorded and has been a milestone in music history. The tour showed the guitars used during the eras of blues as well as where the legends recorded. The studio still records musicians today, including Maroon 5, Jack White, Johnny Marr and others. The next tour I embarked on was of the one and only, Graceland mansion. The mansion itself is gorgeous from the inside and out. It wouldn't be considered a mansion by today's standards, but it's a pretty decent sized house with a lot of property! Just seeing where Elvis spent most of his time during his life was so cool and I would definitely make a trip back. Even if you're not a big Elvis fan, it would be worth your while to check it out. The tour started in the mansion itself, which was awesome.Throughout the tour, I got to see all of the awards and gold records Elvis earned; it was incredible to see just how many awards he received. There was also a room dedicated to showcasing his lavish outfits and more of his records. Elvis is also buried on the property, with his Mom, Dad, Grandma and twin brother. After touring the house, the next part of the tour was of his 2 planes. He had a huge private plane named Lisa Marie, after his daughter, and another small leer jet. Both were extremely over the top in terms of decor and very 60's/70's. The Lisa Marie had multiple areas of the plane including a large bed and a small bar. The plane even had 24 karat gold seat belts and even the bathrooms had gold sinks. It was crazy to think that he paid just 250,000 for a plane that would cost at least a couple million today. The smaller plane had less features and had cool 60's colored leather seats. The most interesting piece of information that I found out through the tour was that Elvis wrote none of his own songs. It blew my mind that someone who won that amount of awards and gold records didn't write a single song that he sang! Overall, I thought the tour was very well done and I would encourage any music lover to make Graceland a must on their travel list.

Both Memphis and Nashville are amazing cities with their own historical/music backgrounds. I truly enjoyed my trip to Memphis and honestly don't think I can choose which place I like better. I definitely would rather live in Nashville than Memphis, but there is something for everyone in both cities. I would say that Memphis has more to do because there are less honky-tonks and more museums/tours to go on. Nashville is mainly honky-tonks and there are a few museums but not as many as Memphis. Nashville does have some cool neighborhoods like the West End (close to Vanderbilt) and the East End if you get tired of the touristy scene on Broadway. I plan on going back to both cities and eventually hope to move to Nashville in a few years. I also am making it a goal to hit up Bonnaroo so hopefully the lineup is good next year!

Here is more info on the Memphis in May festival as well as Beale Street Music Fest:
http://www.memphisinmay.org/musicfestival
http://www.memphisinmay.org/

If anyone has any questions or has been to either of these cities, don't hesitate to comment! I love talking to people about places I've gone/want to go. P.S. Pictures from both trips will be posted in a separate post, hope you enjoyed this one!