A little over a month ago Patrick and I headed up to Memphis with our favorite Houstonians in tow (Jenna & Alex), for a long weekend filled with music, BBQ, the blues & a very special gender reveal of one very special little girl!
When we visit Memphis (which is typically 3+ times a year), we usually stay with my family. But this particular weekend we wanted to do something extra special and show off my hometown to our Houston pals in the most festive way possible.
By staying downtown at the Madison Hotel, of course!
This boutique hotel has been home to many a rock & roll star on tour throughout the years. The decor even pays homage to some of Memphis’ most recognizable musicians!
(There’s a Justin Timberlake record in the elevator!)
Our guestroom was complete with fun red accents, a killer view of the Mississippi River and a sound system ready to play the blues.
Upon checking in, we kicked the weekend off with an elevator ride up to the rooftop! Drinks and a sunset view of one of my favorite cities set us right in the mood to kick off the fun-filled weekend.
On Saturday, our first full day in Memphis started off with a bit more rock & roll – of the air guitar variety. (We were staying in the birthplace of it, after all!)
My air guitar session was followed by coffee & breakfast with my parents at an adorable coffee shop, Cafe Keough, just a block away from the Madison.
Mmm … french toast (& anything sweet in general) has been at the top of my list this summer!
After breakfast, Patrick and I pretended to be tour guides and showed off some of the sights in Downtown Memphis to Alex & Jenna.
A trip to Bluff City isn’t complete without a meal at Rendezvous. If you’re in Memphis, you’ve gotta stop here for some of the BEST ribs you shall ever have!
The big highlight of our weekend in Memphis was our little one’s gender reveal! Friends and family traveled all across The South to celebrate our baby-to-be.
We threw together a “country affair” & held the gender reveal at my uncle’s farm south of Memphis, where Patrick and I got married. It was so much fun throwing a completely different party from our wedding day, at a place so special to us.
Now, we all know I’m having a baby girl (surprise!), but on that particular day .. only Patrick, Jenna & I were privy to that knowledge!
My uncle surprised us with a “gender reveal cake” and didn’t tell us anything about what it was going to look like beforehand. And let me tell you, we were SO surprised by it! Have you ever seen a cake like that before!? Hysterical!!!
My cousins thought so too. 😉 One of my favorite photos from the day, seeing little Addison trying to eat one of the babies!! (Don’t worry, he didn’t.)
Seeing everyone’s reactions to the pink balloons fly out of our (somewhat carefully sealed) cardboard box was one of the most exciting experiences!
I’m so glad so many of my friends filmed the reveal, because later I was able to re-watch everyone’s reactions that I had missed in the hubbub! Lots of screaming and cheering! It was so fun! And surprisingly most of the party-goers guessed girl beforehand, while only a handful guessed boy. It’s funny how we all had a feeling she would be a she before we even knew!
Our last day in Memphis kicked off with pancakes delivered at a touch of a button. (Turns out when you’re pregnant, you want to eat just as soon as you wake up!) Breakfast in bed was followed by brunch at Automatic Slims (our group required all the food that day) and another walking tour of downtown.
Some of my favorite places to take out of town guests when they visit Memphis are below. While we couldn’t get to even a fraction of these during this visit, there’s always next time!
What to do:
Graceland
Civil Rights Museum
Sun Studio
Stax Museum
The Pyramid
Where to eat:
Automatic Slims (brunch)
Huey’s (my favorite burgers!)
Memphis Pizza Cafe (I physically can’t go to Memphis and not eat here)
While this list could easily go on & on & on, I had to stop somewhere. If you’re planning a trip to the birthplace of Rock n’ Roll anytime soon, feel free to send me a message! I’d love to share more of my favorites with ya!
In other news, we’re one step closer to a 3-day weekend! Hope you all have exciting plans! And as always, thanks for stopping by the blog. 🙂
—
alice
