Memphis, the Mid-South is a city in the southwestern corner of Tennessee. It’s the youngest of Tennessee’s major cities, founded in 1819 as a planned city by a group of wealthy Americans including judge John Overton and future president Jackson. Residences of Memphis are referred to as a Memphians and refer to their home as M-Town.
The Memphis Riverfront, home to the American Queen (known as one of the largest river steamboats ever built with 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guest, a crew of 160, and is 418 feet long and 89 feet wide) stretches along the Mississippi River from the north line of the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, to the south line of T. O. Fuller State Park.
Memphis is the home of three Fortune 500 companies: FedEx, AutoZone, and International Paper. The entertainment and film industry, assisted by the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, has also discovered Memphis in recent years. Several major motion pictures including: Cast Away (2000) Hustle & Flow (2005) and Walk the Line (2005) were filmed in Memphis. Along with The Blind Side (2009) which was based on a true story set in Memphis but filmed in Atlanta.
The culture and tradition that is seeded in Memphis is displayed yearlong. Memphis in May, promotes Memphis’ heritage through its four main attractions: the Beale Street Music Festival, International Week, The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (the largest pork barbecue-cooking contest in the world) and the Sunset Symphony. In April, downtown Memphis celebrates Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival, also known as Africa in April, a three-day festival with vendors’ markets, fashion showcases, blues showcases, and an international diversity parade created to celebrate the arts, history, culture, and diversity of the African traditions. In June, for the past 20 years, Memphis is home to the Memphis Italian Festival at Marquette Park; the festival has hosted musical acts, local artisans, Italian cooking competitions, and pizza tossing demonstrations.
Ok, lets talk M-Town food. Memphis BBQ-YES SIR! A&R Bar-B-Que off Bellevue Blvd. has been providing ribs, burgers and meat (by the pound) since 1983. With several locations including East Memphis and downtown, A&R is accessible to all. But, did you know that M-Town is also known for its creole cuisines; Iris (located at 2146 Monroe Street) invites all to dine at its elegantly remodeled bungalows, for a satisfying dining experience that includes a homemade Boudin or a Veal Schnitzel. Voted the “Best Chef”, “Best Restaurant”, and “Best Service” by Memphis Magazine Iris, definitely pampers its customers.
NOW- you can’t have Memphis food without the blues! B.B. King’s Blues Club is one of M-Towns most famous juke joints. B.B’s doesn’t cater to the “tourist trap” motif, but rather the simplicity of a downhome feel! For a stand-alone joint -Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall is your destination. Handy, referring to W.C Handy (blues legend) is small on space but huge on “Da Blues”!
So in the words of Pat McLaughlin, you “Gotta get down to Memphis”. WELCOME to M-Town!