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South of downtown, the 901 Complex is one of the largest gay clubs catering primarily to African-American patrons in the country – the club also hosts Memphis Black Pride in June. In downtown Memphis, Local Gastropub and – for fantastic soul food – Lunch Box Eats both serve excellent edibles, and the swanky and historic Peabody Hotel is home to a pair of celebrated restaurants, Chez Philippe and Capriccio Grill. For great coffee and plenty of room to socialize or curl up with a book, Otherlands is one of the best indie coffeehouses in town. Other neighborhood hot spots, all with a fairly strong gay following, include Tsunami for Asian-fusion cooking Alchemy, with its tasty tapas and well-crafted cocktails Sweet Grass, known for inventive regional American cuisine and the campy Beauty Shop and neighboring Do Sushi Bar and Noodle Shop. A short drive south, the hip and funky Cooper-Young neighborhood abounds with distinctive restaurants and quirky shops, including Inz & Outz, which carries Pride gifts, underwear, erotica, and the like.Ĭooper-Young is home to one of the best barbecue joints in town, Central BBQ, which turns out fiendishly delicious ribs and pulled pork. In the Overton Park section, you can tour the excellent Memphis Zoo and the acclaimed Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Memphis extends well east from downtown, toward Midtown, which has many of the area businesses most popular with gay visitors. Other attractions that music buffs should check out include Sun Studio, where Elvis cut the early demo tape that launched his career, and Stax Museum of American Soul Music. You can tour the outstanding Memphis Rock & Soul Museum, which traces the region’s vibrant music heritage, as well as the Gibson Guitar Factory. Beale Street’s vibe is fairly touristy, and you won’t find any gay hangouts here, but the city’s Mid-South Gay Pride festival does take place here in October. Handy helped to turn Beale Street into the nation’s blue capital, abounds with live-music clubs, lively restaurants, and a number of excellent hotels. A short drive south, you’ll find one of the city’s lesser-known cultural gems, the National Museum of Ornamental Metal, whose galleries and outdoor sculpture garden sit on a hilltop overlooking a scenic bend in the Mississippi River.Īlong with King, the name most associated with Memphis these days is Elvis Presley, whose palatial – and decidedly kitschy – mansion, Graceland, is a must-see – allow at least two hours to tour the home, his custom jets, the car museum, and the several other exhibits that make up this impressive compound a 15-minute drive south of downtown Memphis.ĭowntown Memphis, where W.C. The surrounding South Main Street neighborhood is a good spot for a stroll, with several cool shops and cafes. Today the Lorraine Motel, where King was shot, is the home of the National Civil Rights Museum, whose collections are the story of America’s Civil Rights history. There’s much to keep visitors busy in this city famous for blues, Elvis, and the tragic assassination in 1968 of Dr. Here are some key exploring, dining, nightlife, and hotel highlights in these two cities just 215 miles apart via Interstate 40. In both cities, fans of dancing and clubbing will also find a nice range of gay nightlife options. Both cities have sizable GLBT communities, are steeped in American music lore, and have noteworthy restaurant scenes – not just barbecue and Southern fare, which is legitimately outstanding in these parts, but sophisticated contemporary cuisine. Although they’re the two largest cities of a decidedly conservative state, Memphis and especially Nashville have developed into popular destinations among gay and lesbian travelers in recent years.