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City Guide - Memphis - Nightlife | ||
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Nightlife The bars and clubs of Memphis are so lively that some people come here for the nightlife alone. There is little differentiation between bars and clubs, as practically every venue has live music at least a couple of nights a week. Beale Street is the hub of activity and is lined with clubs that stay open until the early hours. While drinks in Beale Street clubs might be a bit more expensive than other outlets, they are not outrageously expensive. Clubs charge a small admission fee but on Friday and Saturday nights you can buy a US$10 wristband that will get you entry to all the clubs along the street. Dress can be as casual as you wish, but you might want to make a bit of an effort as the crowd in Memphis love to dress to impress - and flash their flesh. The minimum legal drinking age is 21 years and you might be asked for proof of your age. Bars can stay open until 0300. Nightlife is not restricted to Beale Street. The Pinch Historic District in downtown has several popular restaurants/bars and the area around Overton Square in Midtown is also worth investigating. Weekly updates of events in the city can be found in the Memphis Flyer, a free local paper. Bars: While it can hardly be termed just a bar, the lobby of the luxurious Peabody Hotel, 149 Union Avenue in downtown Memphis, is an essential stop for anyone visiting the city. It is the most elegant place in town and the very best place for people-watching. The busiest nights are Thursday evenings in the summer, when rooftop parties are held. Attracting a young, fashionable crowd is Sleep Out Louie's, 88 Union Avenue, a popular oyster bar and place to pose. More down-to-earth places are Silky O'Sullivan's, 183 Beale Street, an Irish theme bar where you can get a chilled Guinness, and Zinnie's, 1688 Madison, a well-established, no-nonsense bar in midtown. If you want a burger along with your beer, head for one of the branches of Huey's, said to serve the best burgers in town. You can find them at 1927 Madison Avenue in midtown and 77 South Second Street in downtown. Casinos: Although gambling is banned throughout Tennessee, you only have to drive south over the Mississippi state line (about half an hour by car) to reach all the casinos you could wish for. Tunica (web site: www.tunicamiss.org) is America's newest gambling resort and has a clutch of floating, Las Vegas-style casinos, open 24 hours. Information available from Tunica's. Clubs: Don your stetson and head for Denim and Diamonds, 5353 South Mendenhall Road in East Memphis for a night of line dancing. Or try Fantasia, 1819 Madison Avenue, which offers everything from disco to reggae or Amnesia, 2866 Poplar Avenue, the largest gay club in town. Live music: Practically everywhere in Memphis has live music at least a couple of nights a week, so your main problem will be deciding where to go. Beale Street is the starting place for anyone wanting to check out the Memphis scene. Perhaps the best known, but also most touristy, places are: B B King's Blues Club, owned by the legendary musician, and Elvis Presley's Memphis, which doubles as a restaurant and serves Elvis' favourite calorie laden snack - fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. More popular with the locals is Ernestine and Hazel's, 531 South Main Street. This one-time brothel is now a lively joint with late-night rhythm and blues and rock music. You can also try Rum Boogie, which attracts national big-name blues bands, or This is it, where a lively crowd boogie on the small dance floor until the early hours. For the ultimate in cool blues, take a taxi to Wild Bill's, 1580 Vollintine, a smoky, no-frills juke joint that's so good the locals like to keep it to themselves. |