Staff Picks: Getaway Weekend - Memphis

By: Paul Farnsworth/News 12 Digital
MEMPHIS, Tennessee - If you looking for an fun getaway weekend with cold beer and hot music, then Memphis, Tennessee might be for you.
Named after the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis is one of the country's most historic and cultural cities.
Once a slave trading center in the 1800s, the city played a prominent role in the American civil rights movement during the 1960s. The Lorraine Hotel, the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, has been preserved and is now the National Civil Rights Museum.
The city is also home to the birthplace of rock n' roll. Sun Studios produced records for pioneers like Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. While a museum today, it is still operational and still recording hits.
The city is also known as the home of the blues. Legendary Beale Street, once the home of Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, now rocks with major headliners like hometown favorite Justin Timberlake. At virtually any time of day, you can stroll down the street, hearing music spilling out of clubs and restaurants. 
And speaking of food, Memphis-style barbecue is world famous, and the ribs don't get any better than Charlie Vergos Rendezvous Restaurant.
After a late Saturday night on Beale Street, spend your Sunday morning with legendary soul singer Al Green. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with hits like  “Take Me to the River", "Tired of Being Alone", "I'm Still in Love with You", "Love and Happiness" and his signature song, "Let's Stay Together," can be found almost every Sunday welcoming people to his south Memphis church. I can promise you, no nightclub or bar rocks as hard as the Reverend Al Green's church on Sunday morning.
A few miles away from Green's church is perhaps Memphis’s best known attraction – Elvis Presley’s Graceland- The King’s home from 1957 until his death in 1977.  It is now an amazing complex that houses Elvis's airplanes, cars, memorabilia, recording studios, and is the second most-visited house in the U.S. after the White House.  The jungle room is worth the price of admission by itself.
Only a two-hour flight from NYC, Memphis’s amazing blend of history, music and great food make it a perfect site for a three-day weekend.