On day three, we were up bright and early to pack up and
check out of the Madison Hotel. We had enjoyed our stay, but we’d be
checking into Big Cypress Lodge in the afternoon for a completely different
atmosphere.
My breakfast stop with Brittany, Angela, and Kylie had a
very familiar name, Frost Bake Shop. Ironically, it was not a relative and not
anyone’s name (it’s owned by the Kloos family), it was a play on words for “frosting.”
Although the bakery was a bit out of the city, I had
received a tip that it was well worth the trip and it certainly was.
Frost Bake Shop provides cheesecakes to William Sonoma and
also makes cupcakes, pies, and other baked goods that are loved all over Memphis.
We were able to sample all types of goodies, including their
top sellers – Gooey Butter Cookies and the Memphis Cream Cupcake.
I didn’t leave without also tasting the delicious cheesecake
and taking a box full of goodies to go.
Our next stop was yet another memorable Memphis attraction,
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
. It’s located on the site of the original
Stax Records, which was also the home of the Stax Recording Studio.
It has great memorabilia, more displays of musical history, from
Chicago Blues to the birth of Soul. We saw instruments and costumes from famous
soul performers, such as
Ike and Tina Turner.
We enjoyed walking through the hallways of albums. We even
got to try on some costumes of our own for a little trip back into the 60s
After Stax, we were hungry and ready to finally try some Memphis
barbecue. Central BBQ was recommended and we headed there.
We ate some great barbecue nachos and pulled pork, their
specialty. I also loved the Southern sweet tea.
From lunch, we went to what is probably now my favorite
museum in the country. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis underwent a
huge renovation around the Lorraine Motel, the spot where Martin Luther King,
Jr. was killed.
The exploration of civil rights in this venue is as complete
as I’ve ever seen anywhere, still preserving the rooms King was in just before
he was killed, and the balcony he was on when he was shot.
Powerful exhibits are everywhere you look. They begin with
slaves arriving to U.S. from Africa and end with the 2008 election of an
African American President, and civil rights violations today around the world.
Among the things you can’t miss at the Civil Rights Museum
are a wonderful exhibit on the Brown V. Board of Education decision and its effect
on schools throughout the country; the bus from Montgomery Bus Boycott; the lunch
counter from Jackson MS sit-in; and an actual partially burned freedom ride greyhound
bus.
This is without a doubt the most unusual accommodation I’ve
ever been to, with 103 rooms and suites spaced around the pyramid, with
balconies overlooking the store.
Our rustic room and the great outdoors feel of Bass Pro
Shops made it feel like we were really staying in the wilderness, but the
service and attention to detail was more like a luxurious accommodation.
I had stayed at Bass Pro Shops' other resort, Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri two years ago, and it definitely has some of the same touches, such as the
delicious warm cookies delivered to the room every night.
I also liked the living areas between rooms at Big Cypress that made it comfortable to relax in.
We had the night free and we decided it was time to head down to Beale Street in Memphis.
It reminded me a lot of New Orleans, with music in the street, restaurants, and stores.
We did some shopping and decided on the Blues City Café for dinner and blues.
When we got back to the
Big Cypress Lodge
, exhausted from the long day,
all was quiet at Bass Pro Shop and we had a peaceful night sleep, before our
final day in Memphis.
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