The Grass’ Low Down on Memphis
So, you’re all pumped up about the Liberty Bowl. But what are you going to do once you get to Memphis? The Grass is here to help!
I have spent my entire life, with the exception of the years that I spent at Mississippi State, living in a suburb of Memphis in North Mississippi. So here are some things I would check out while you are in town.
Around the Liberty Bowl
Central BBQ Central isn’t the best barbecue restaurant in Memphis, but it is the best that is closest to the stadium. It would probably make my top 5 list of barbecue joints in Memphis, possibly top 3. The one caveat: most of the seating is outside so if it is cold, you may have to eat in your car.
Molly’s La Casita This is, without question, my favorite Mexican restaurant in Memphis. The atmosphere is great, the food is better, and the margaritas are the best. It’s located in Midtown which isn’t too far from the stadium, so that makes it even better.
Children’s Museum of Memphis If you are going to the game with young kids, the Children’s Museum of Memphis is good way to keep the kids entertained before the game. There is a lot to do, and every time I have taken my kids, they have loved it. It is a little on the steep side, but you may need to throw the kids a bone if they are whining incessantly about having to go to a football game.
The Memphis Zoo The Memphis Zoo used to be pathetic, but now it is one of the better zoos I have been to. They have done a lot of work on it, and they will have zoo lights going on at the time which is pretty cool. It also costs less to get into this time of the year because a lot of the animals don’t come out because of the weather. That is a nice bonus.
Tailgating If you made the trek to Memphis back in 2007 and went all out for tailgating, you probably noticed there weren’t a lot of good spots to tailgate. That has changed. The city and University of Memphis cleared out a lot of the old Fairgrounds and replaced it with lush, green grass. It’s called Tiger Lane and was done to improve the tailgating atmosphere for University of Memphis football games. Probably not so green this time of year, but still lots of good places to tailgate.
Other Places to Eat
If you are in town for more than just the game, you will want to check out these places to eat if you can.
The Germantown Commissary This is hands down my favorite barbecue restaurant in the Memphis area. It’s located in a suburb of Memphis but has some of the best barbecue. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
The Rendezvous This is the mecca of Memphis barbecue restaurants. They are known for their ribs, but if you go, do not miss out on the Cheese and Sausage appetizer. That’s all it is, but it is the best cheese and sausage you will ever put in your mouth!
Maria’s Cantina The food is good, but nothing to write home about. Why should you go here? Because the margaritas are ALWAYS 2 for 1! Seriously, $6 for two margaritas. You really can’t beat that. It’s located in Southaven, MS, which is just south of the state line. Go there. You won’t regret it.
Frank Grisanti The best Italian restaurant in Memphis, but it isn’t cheap. Is it worth it? Absolutely. It’s in the Embassy Suites Hotel off of Ridgeway and Poplar. Good food, but be prepared to open up your wallet.
Huey’s If you are just looking for a good burger, it’s hard to do better than Huey’s. They have a number of locations in the Memphis area, and it is a great place to simply fill your need for burger. Plus, you get to shoot toothpicks into the ceiling. You won’t find much more entertaining than that.
Kooky Canuck Speaking of burgers, if you REALLY want to get your fill of burger, head to the Kooky Canuck and take the Kookamonga Challenge. If you can eat the 4 lb. Kookamonga burger by yourself in 60 minutes, it’s free. Hey, who doesn’t need 12,000 calories in under an hour? According to their website, 16 people have scaled this Everest 20 times! Yowzer!
Shopping
If you are coming with a loved one who isn’t that into the game, then you may have to do some shopping. Stick to two places if this ends up happening. The first is The Avenue Carriage Crossing in Collierville. The other is Saddle Creek in Germantown. They have a lot of the same stores, so there isn’t a huge need to go to both. The Carriage Crossing is a little bigger so you may want to start there. If you want to go with more Mom and Pop stuff, most of the suburbs have town squares that are really unique. Hernando, MS is one of my wife’s favorites and Collierville, TN and Olive Branch, MS have some good places as well.
Beale Street
A lot of you may be reading this because you want to know about Beale Street. If you go there, make sure it is just you and some buddies or you and your significant other. It’s fine for kids during the day, but it isn’t exactly the sort of place you take kids to at night. If you go after the game, remember that it will be New Year’s Eve and that Beale Street is the top attraction for people in the Memphis area on New Year’s Eve. It’s going to be packed long before you get there if you go after the game.
Places you might want to consider visiting are Rum Boogie, Alfred’s, and The Blue’s City Cafe. If you don’t mind sitting in the nose bleed section, the Grizzlies have games on December 28 and 30. Tickets aren’t too much if you don’t mind sitting way up.
Other Tips
-Don’t stay at any hotels that are right next to the stadium. The Liberty Bowl is located in the old Fairgrounds which is in one of the worst parts of the city called Orange Mound. If you want to stay close to the stadium, look for hotels that say they are in midtown. It’s not walking distance close, but it will probably be your best bet.
-Unless you are just a huge Elvis fan avoid Graceland. It’s really not that big of a deal, and it is also in one of the worst parts of town.
-If you don’t want to be in the actual city, the suburbs, whether East Shelby County or in neighboring Desoto County to the south, you have a lot of good options. All good places to stay and good places to eat.
If you want any information about a specific place, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. My handle is @GrassOfDWS. I can’t promise that I will be able to answer your question, but it can’t hurt to at least try. I will do my best though. Hope you have fun while you are up my way.