My assistant Ashley Sackerman and her boyfriend, Chris Bell, a couple in their 20s, who sometimes write the blog Strangecation http://www.strangecation.wordpress.com recently took a trip to Memphis and Nashville. 
Here's Ashley's take on two of the South's favorite cities, a special report for Along for the Ride..
Memphis
The Peabody Hotel
We stayed at the renowned Peabody Hotel, which is perfectly located walking distance to almost everything. We arrived just in time to see the Peabody ducks exit the elevator onto a red carpet leading to the ornate lobby fountain where they spend their days. Our room was huge and comfortable... a perfect retreat from the city below. 
http://www.peabodymemphis.com/
We were surprised that the concierge would recommend TGI Fridays for lunch; we did not want to discover the glories of Memphis cooking at a chain restaurant. Thankfully, her more savvy colleague suggested Blues City Cafe on Beale St and thus began our five day BBQ binge.
http://www.bluescitycafe.com/
While in Memphis we also ate at Rendezvous, highly recommended by two Travel Channel shows, "Man V. Food" and "Rib Paradise," and we were not disappointed. Their tender and flavorful dry rub ribs were great, with or without the BBQ sauce.
http://www.rendezvousontv.com/videos/man-v-food.html
Graceland
There is something very emotional about cruising up that long, winding driveway and pulling up in front of the house where the King lived. It's a little pricey ($10 for parking plus $30.60 per admission ticket), but well worth it and it gave me an understanding of the lasting contribution Elvis had on all types of music.
http://www.elvis.com/graceland/
Beale Street
Nothing beats a pub crawl down Beale Street. Live music, neon lights, lots of atmosphere. The night we were there the strip of bars and souvenir shops were crowded with hundreds of southern motorcycle clubs. We loved checking out the bad-ass Harleys and tricked out Hondas and people dressed in their leathers and confederate flags.
http://www.bealestreetonline.com/
Crystal Shrine Grotto
Read all about this bizarre Bible Belt attraction on our Strangecation blog.
Welcome to Nashvegas!
The Hermitage Hotel
Three and a half hours down I-40 from Memphis, we handed the keys to our bottom-of-the-line rental car to the valet at Nashville's sophisticated Hermitage Hotel. The Hermitage has a lot going for it: friendly staff, elegance, and location, location, location! Whether you're in Nashville for vacation or business, The Hermitage is ideally located within walking distance of the Honky Tonks, the Ryman, the Convention Center and just about every other attraction. 
We arrived in Nashville just as our Waffle House breakfast was wearing off, but it was too early for dinner and too late for lunch. The concierge recommended Rippy's on Broadway for a snack and it was an inspired choice. We sat on their roof-top terrace overlooking the Honky Tonks, ordered some nachos and had a couple of Happy Hour two-for-one beers. Back at the hotel, we continued our eating frenzy with homemade cookies and lemonade, which were beautifully presented in the lobby.
http://www.thehermitagehotel.com
The Hutton Hotel
Nashville's only "green" hotel has a chic and modern vibe, stylish as a W or an Ian Schrager. It's located a few miles from downtown, and walking distance to Vanderbilt University and Centennial Park. A nice feature of the hotel is their chauffeured hybrid courtesy vehicle (it was a Lexus RX 400h while we were there), which guests can use on a first come, first serve basis, within a several mile radius.
http://www.huttonhotel.com
Nashville Attractions
There are a million things to do in Nashville and I feel like we did almost all of them. Here are our recommendations:
Check out the Honky Tonks for live music, an "anything goes" atmosphere and really cheap drinks. Our favorites were Tootsies http://www.tootsies.net and Crossroads. There are no cover charges, but don't forget to bring lots of dollar bills to tip the bands.
Be sure to stop at The Bluebird Cafe, an intimate venue for checking out some amazingly talented singer/songwriters. We saw an "In the Round" featuring four different artists. Check The Bluebird's calendar for details. 
http://www.bluebirdcafe.com
At the Grand Ole Opry, we caught the Opry Country Classics, a live radio broadcast. It was like stepping back in time to an era before television when people gathered around their radios for entertainment. I think we were definitely the youngest people in the crowd but completely enjoyed ourselves.
http://www.opry.com
Belle Meade Plantation, which was in the thoroughbred horse business, gave us a glimpse of a significant part of southern American history. Our guide dressed in period clothing and gave an excellent tour of the mansion as she explained the history of the place and the family who owned it.
http://www.nashville.com/attractions/bellemeade/
On the way to Belle Meade, you must stop at The Loveless Cafe for their famous melt-in-your-mouth, buttery biscuits, which were served with butter and homemade jams. They were absolutely amazing!
http://www.lovelesscafe.com
Hatch Show Print is one of the oldest letterpress print shops in America and have been printing advertisements and posters for local shows for 130 years. We picked up a few of their prints, which are very reasonably priced, starting at about $15. A really cool place run by incredibly nice people.
http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/our-work/
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was a bit of a letdown, a lot of information to take in and read. The floor dedicated to the Williams family was interesting and we hear the RCA Studio B tour, for which we arrived too late, is pretty good, too.
http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/visit/
The drive to the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg crosses some pretty lush countryside. Unfortunately, the distillery is located in a dry county, so it wasn't a tasting tour, but it was still incredibly fascinating. The fact that it was free, leaving us more money to spend on the great southern cooking, made it even better.
http://www.jackdaniels.com/TheDistillery/Default.aspx
Actually, one of the reasons we went to Nashville was because I had a dream that we had moved there. Am I going to be moving there anytime in the near future? Probably not. But do I want to go back? Absolutely!
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