Maybe it was Memphis

The day after Valentine’s Day we made a day trip to Memphis to visit some new to us places. We went with our friends Becca and Will, and had a great time!

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Typically, we don’t go all out or do anything super fancy for Valentine’s Day. Normally, we go eat a steak dinner and call it good. This year, I suggested we do some exploring in Memphis and scope out some new places.

Our first stop was the newly opened Voodoo Cafe in Bartlett. What started out as a food truck business, has now turned into a cute little cafe (while still running their truck). They serve all different kinds of flavors of beignets, along with a good variety of coffees from around the world.

Typically, their beignets are shaped like little Voodoo Dolls (how fitting!), but with it being Valentine’s weekend they were shaped like hearts. I had the black magic, which was just nutella on a beignet. John had the voodoo jack, which had maple cream and bacon, along with their Valentine’s special which included a red hot sauce and candies. They were delicious!! 

After breakfast, we headed over to the Autobahn Indoor Speedway to race some go-karts. We only did one race, which was 12 laps, and it went by fast. The go-karts are said to go up to 50MPH, but with the small space the track was too twisty for that. We had a good time, but likely won’t go again just because it was costly for the small amount of time that it lasted.

Following our race, we made our way to Overton Square. It was my first time being in this area, and I loved it. They had a parking garage that offered free parking before 6pm, and several shops and restaurants within walking distance. They also had several cute murals in the area.

Our reason for being in the area, was to check out Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co. Since opening on December 26, 1992, Boscos has won numerous local food awards, dozens of national beer awards, and is considered a craft-brewing innovator and pioneer. They brew almost 60 styles of beer each year, including the Great American Beer Festival Silver Medal Winner, Boscos Famous Flaming Stone. The only downfall to their beer, is that you can ONLY drink it from the tap. It’s not sold anywhere in stores.

After leaving Boscos, we walked around Overton Square some and headed towards Railgarten. We saw some more Murals on our way.

Railgarten was somewhere I had been wanting to visit for awhile. Located in the Midtown area, they have 15 acres filled with food, entertainment, and fun. I thought this would be a good hangout place to grab a drink and snack, and I was right.

We got a sausage and cheese platter, which was phenomenal, and Will ordered the deep fried poptarts (oh my gosh, so good). The only downfall to this place, is they are a bit pricey. While we had a good time here, it’s not somewhere I could see myself really “hanging out” for a long period of time. But, for many it would be a good hang-out spot.

Next up we headed to Old Dominick Distillery for a tour and tasting. In 1866, Domenico Canale originated Old Dominick Whiskey in Memphis, Tennessee. A few steps away and five generations later, Old Dominick Distillery carries on a family passion for making fine spirits and sharing stories. Today, they offer whiskey, vodka, and a revival of Domenico’s pre-prohibition southern infused whiskey that they call a toddy.

The key ingredient in their whiskey is Memphis water, yes you read that right, water. Memphis water is said to be so good and pure because the sand acts as a natural filter, slowly removing many of the water’s impurities. Most Memphians prefer their tap water over bottle, and after trying it myself I can’t say I blame them.

The tour lasted about 30 minutes and the tasting afterwards about 15. It was only $12/pp which I felt was very reasonable. If you don’t have time for a tour, and still want to try some of their drinks, you can stop in at their bar and order one of their cocktails anytime they’re open.

Following our tour, we headed to Ghost River Brewing Co. I loved the ambiance of this place, they had even decorated for Valentine’s Day. It was a chill place with board games you could play and a food truck in the parking lot. We actually decided to go ahead and eat dinner from the truck, and while I don’t remember the name of it he had some killer bbq nachos!

Craving something sweet, I looked up desserts near us and we made our way to the Cheesecake Corner. When we got there, there was a line of about 8 people; that’s when I knew this was going to be a good place. All they served was cheesecake and wine, and it was a perfect ending to our Valentine’s day date. I got the turtle cheesecake and oh my word it was mouthwatering! I’d go as far as to say even comparable to (maybe better than) the Cheesecake Factory. I highly recommend this gem and will definitely be back!

Right across from the Cheesecake Corner is the National Civil Right Museum at the Lorraine Motel. I had driven by before when I was younger, but it was neat to see the motel renovated and the sign lit brightly. In case you don’t know, the Lorraine Motel is famously known for the assassination place of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. More info on the motel’s history can be found here.

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We had a wonderful day in Memphis and will definitely be going back to some of these places in the future! I look forward to exploring Memphis further, and finding more good spots to visit.

“Maybe it was Memphis, maybe it was Southern summer nights. Maybe it was you, maybe it was me, but it sure felt right.”

– Pam Tillis