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West Tennessee
The land between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers is fertile territory for exploration, especially as the homes of heroes and icons – Alex Haley, Buford Pusser, Davy Crockett and Casey Jones – are open to the public. Nature lovers will enjoy the bald eagles at Reelfoot Lake, the recreational opportunities of Kentucky Lake or the quiet, sombre atmosphere of the battlefields at Shiloh National Military Park.
A visit to the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, showcasing the region’s heritage, provides a good introduction to the area. Its four major exhibitions include the Tennessee Room, which highlights West Tennessee towns and attractions, the West Tennessee Music Museum, the Scenic Hatchie River Museum and the Cotton Museum.
MEMPHIS: Memphis enjoys a well-deserved reputation among music-lovers all over the world. Critics claim that the Blues were born here on Beale Street and a legendary piece published by the ‘Father of the Blues’, W C Handy, in 1912, successfully proclaimed its power and authenticity. Beale Street includes restaurants, gift shops, boutiques, parks and nightclubs, as well as the Beale Street Police Museum and A Schwab’s Dry Goods Store, a small department store which has been in the same family since 1876 and still offers old-fashioned bargains.
For many, though, the only reason to come to Memphis is to pay respect to the King – Elvis Presley. His beloved home, Graceland, is a mecca to the pilgrims of Rock ’n’ Roll. The impressive Trophy Room effectively documents his impact on the music industry as a singer and entertainer.
Aside from its musical heritage, Memphis’ legendary past as a Delta city and a civil rights centre should not be forgotten. It was at the Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street, that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated and the National Civil Rights Museum housed at the site is an effective reminder of the courage of thousands of African-Americans. In the downtown business district of Memphis, cotton, the ‘white gold’ of the Delta region, is still hand-graded in a century-old warehouse and decorative paddle wheelers still churn their way up the Mississippi.
SPECIAL EVENTS: May West Tennessee Strawberry Festival, Humboldt. May 1-31 Memphis in May Festival (includes World Championship Barbecue Contest), Memphis. Aug Elvis Week, Graceland Mansion, Memphis. Sep Brownsville Blues Festival. Nov-Jan 2004 Christmas at Graceland, Graceland Mansion, Memphis.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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