We've just returned from a round trip of approximately 9,300 miles on a whistle-stop tour to tick a couple of bucket-list experiences off our list!
✈️ Getting there
Unfortunately, Newcastle International Airport clearly isn't quite international enough for the flights we needed, so we headed to Edinburgh, flew to Atlanta and then on to Memphis. More about flights and hotels further down.
🎸 Memphis: One for the bucket list
The main reason for visiting Memphis was to see Graceland, Elvis Presley's home, and Sun Studio, where he was discovered, alongside other legends such as Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and BB King.
I'll be honest, Memphis was a bit of a disappointment outside those attractions. Parts of the city are run-down, and crime and drug use are visible issues. That said, don't necessarily let it put you off. Be sensible about where you stay, keep your wits about you, stick to busier tourist areas such as Beale Street, although even that was quiet and use Uber or Lyft rather than wandering around unfamiliar areas on foot.
Where to stay: The Guest House at Graceland is right next to the estate and was a great option for visiting the attraction. The Peabody is another well-known hotel, and don't miss its famous duck parade!
Where to eat: BB King's on Beale Street was recommended to us and it didn't disappoint. It has live music, gets packed to the rafters and serves some good Southern fried chicken.
We managed to fit everything we wanted to see into one day. For us, Memphis was a case of been there, ticked that box, so we moved on to Nashville.
🎤 Nashville: Hell yeah, I'd go back!
We had three options for getting there: fly (around an hour, plus arriving two hours early for check-in), drive for roughly three hours on the interstate, or take a coach.
We'd been advised against Greyhound, and neither of us fancied driving, so we booked Vonlane. What an amazing service! Comfortable, well organised and highly recommended.
Nashville was the real highlight for us. The main attraction is the bars and live music around SoBro and Broadway, but we'd also planned the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry and Hendersonville.
Then came the opportunity to pay our respects to the Queen of Country, Dolly Parton, following her passing just a few weeks before our visit. There was no way we were passing that up.
The bar scene has something for everyone, from proper dive bars, honky-tonks and blues bars to multi-level rooftop clubs backed by celebrities.
The live music is fabulous. We only came across one band that didn't impress us, and the sheer amount of talent playing in these places is incredible. Plenty of musicians who could hold their own alongside artists who've already made it big.
A few favourites:
🍺 Robert's Western World was one of our favourites, thanks to the resident band and beer at just $2.50. That's a big difference from the usual $10+ prices elsewhere!
🎸 Ole Red was another highlight.
💃 Category 10 offers free line-dancing lessons between 12 and 4 pm, if that's your thing, and draws in huge crowds.
I'd say three nights is probably enough to get around the bars without feeling you've missed anything.
My preference would be Monday to Thursday rather than a weekend. It's busy enough to enjoy the atmosphere without dealing with quite the same crowds.
Would I go back? Hell yeah, with bells on! Just not at a weekend.
🍗 Food: Come hungry!
If you're going for the live music you're going to be rooted to the spot in the bars around Broadway. Here the food is largely centred around hot chicken tenders, burgers and good ole Southern-style comfort food, although Assembly Food Hall in Nashville offers a bit more variety as do other restaurants a bit further out. I liked the look (and smell) of some in the Gulch but with only having limited time the draw of Broadway was too strong.
One tip: book hotels that include breakfast if you can. We didn't come across the same sort of coffee-shop culture that you'd find in New York, so having breakfast sorted makes life easier.
We also had canapés included in Nashville, PB&J sandwiches at Graceland, a complimentary meal in Edinburgh, plus food included in some of our transport and lounge experiences.
Restaurant portions are enormous, so sharing is definitely an option. I'd be surprised if we'd spent more than $100 on food between us until we reached New York!
🏨 Hotels: Don't be afraid to ask!
You can save a fair bit if you make the most of hotel loyalty schemes and cashback sites.
We've had a Hotels.com account for years, from when my husband travelled for work so get top discounted rates but also benefit from cashback after ever 10 nights
We also use TopCashback, which can offer additional cashback on eligible bookings. I've got a referral code if anyone is interested.
And here's another tip: don't be afraid to ask for a little extra!
Email the hotel beforehand if you're celebrating something special. We managed to get complimentary room upgrades, food, champagne and $65 in room credit.
It costs nothing to ask, and as we say up here, shy bairns get nowt!
✈️ Flights: Make the connections work for you
Air miles can make a huge difference to the cost, but you can also find good deals by looking at multi-city itineraries and airlines that work together through codeshare arrangements.
Five out of six of our flights were with airlines in the SkyTeam network, including Delta, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.
I was really impressed with Delta. The food was possibly the best I've had on a plane!
And yes, I'm going to repeat the advice about asking for upgrades and letting airlines know if you're celebrating something special. Obviously, there's no guarantee, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
The Virgin crew from JFK to LHR were fantastic. Their customer service was spot-on without being over the top or sickly sweet. They knew we were celebrating our 60th birthdays and made the journey extra special.
We had a lovely meal where we sat facing each other rather than side by side, received a card signed by the crew and were even given a bottle of champagne to take home.
A lovely touch that made the trip feel even more memorable.
Our only real flight issue came on the final leg from Heathrow to Newcastle with BA. We had to wait for the crew to arrive, delaying us by an hour. So, in a ridiculous twist, our shortest flight ended up taking the longest!
Overall, Nashville was the standout for me, Memphis ticked off a couple of long-standing bucket-list items, and we made some brilliant memories celebrating our 60th birthdays.
Hopefully, these tips will help anyone planning a similar trip. Happy travels!
EDITED following some defensive comments about my observations on food.
Just to be clear, this review is based on my experience, which was largely limited to what was available on Broadway because we wanted to enjoy the live music.
For my fellow Brits, who are the intended audience for this review, I suspect many of you will be doing exactly the same as us. When you have limited time and don’t want to spend a fortune getting around, your options are naturally going to be more restricted. So, this is an honest reflection of what you’re likely to encounter if you stick to the main tourist area.
Some people have interpreted my comments as slagging off Southern fried comfort food, which really wasn’t the point. Clearly, there’s a market for it, hence the abundance of places serving it! But if you’re looking for a bit more variety, you’ll probably need to venture further afield.
I also want to highlight that my daughter is coeliac, and based on what we found, she would have struggled to find suitable variety without looking beyond the immediate Broadway area.
I’m simply sharing our experience to help others planning a similar trip. 😊