Hey folks, it’s hot out there – increasingly so. But that doesn’t mean you should shelve plans to head to Memphis this late spring and early summer. Not if you know where to go, and how to go about getting there.
Here’s a trio of ideas:
Get to know the town up and close and personal without getting all hot and sweaty about it. Take a Segway Tour of Memphis for a pittance: $59. Start with a half-hour video and training session. Glide the city’s storied thoroughfares, including Beale Street. The tour takes you to the National Civil Rights Museum, the South Main Arts District, and offers a majestic view of the Father of Waters, the Mississippi. These Segway tours start out from the city’s iconic Peabody Hotel.
Something more challenging? Kayaking qualifies. The Outdoors, Inc. Canoe & Kayak Race has been voted “Best Race in America” by Paddler Magazine, no paltry achievement. This is a 3.1-mile June 16th affair and attracts some of the best competitors in the business. Everyone from amateurs to Olympic champions begin the journey at the mouth of the Wolf River, navigate their way to the Mississippi and finish at the Memphis Harbor at Mud Island. $15,000 in prizes is up for grabs, as – of course – are bragging rights.
Don’t want to deal with the Mid South heat in any instance? There’s a thoroughly-entertaining indoor option: Memphis’ granddame Orpheum Theater. Among the coming attractions are Mamma Mia June 5 – 10, and Billy Elliott the Musical Sept. 18 – 23. Over the years the biggest names in the business have graced the Orpheus’ stage, people such as Cary Grant, Robert Goulet, Harry Connick, Jr.; Tom Jones and the like. People used to gather in the Orpheus because theaters were among the first places in town to sport air conditioning. They still do. Come in off Memphis’ sometimes muggy macadam and cool off.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Sean Davis)
