Rollin' on the River: a Trip Report on Memphis, New Orleans and Natchez

We arrived about 9pm on a Friday night so, though the joint was jumping, our wait in the bar was brief. We enjoyed the memorabilia and people watching. Mom and daughter split a generous Greek salad, the table was divided on the ribs - 2 of us loved the dry rub though son added some crazy hot sauce...$87 for 4 with drinks and tip.

On Saturday morning we took a short walk from the hotel to the site of MLK's assassination, now transformed into a museum. We enjoyed the architectural aspects of this museum and recommend the audiotape to enhance your visit ($54.50 for 2 adults, 2 students with audio). Unfortunately, no photography allowed.
As we departed for lunch we walked through the warehouse district and encountered an AWESOME 3-story building full of antiques and assorted "junque" - could have been lost in there for hours but lunch called...

The neighborhood feels a bit sketchy & the dining area is small but we wanted to try this place. As you enter, a line forms to put in your name for one of the 20 or so tables at the same desk where the phone is being answered, take-out orders are placed and collected, - pretty chaotic. There is a bit of milling around near the door and at the other end you can observe the action in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the jukebox is cranking out retro tunes and the staff is bringing out the good stuff on styrofoam. Bottom line...forgettable fried green tomatoes, tasty fried pickles, very good spicy baked beans, pointless white bread and the Best Ever fried chicken- we shared a slice of coconut pie for dessert. We were stuffed, including drinks and tip, for $60 and had a fabulous time.

TripAdvisor voted this the favorite zoo in 2008. Founded in 1906 and situated in Overton Park, it is well worth a visit. We especially enjoyed the Yellowstone inspired Teton Trek, the taste of British Columbia in the Northwest Passage, and the exotic and bloom-filled China exhibit including Giant Pandas YaYa and LeLe. We stayed until the 6pm closing when some of the big cats got vocal as feeding time approached. It's a short drive from the hotel, $5 parking, $15/adult and they offer discounts for members of reciprocal zoos.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!! On a balmy Saturday night there was endless live music (both street and in the clubs), people watching, street-performers, restaurants, street-fair and store shopping and imbibing options. People were friendly and there to have a good time, and it was early enough that everyone seemed in control. You like BBQ? You like cold beer? You like live music? You like having fun? Head to Beale Street.

We chose our dinner spot upon recommendation from a local music store owner - thanks Smoky! Make sure to be nice to the greeter at the front door as he controls your table seating - telling him we were neighbors from Arkansas seemed to help some. Bustling, loud dining area - the food came out really fast. Ribs and catfish were great (2 of us preferred these wet ribs to the dry rub from last night) and fun was had by all. When we were leaving, we were introduced to the owner who personally took us to the live music area (Bandbox) when we expressed our interest in listening to the band despite having 2 minors in the party. He found us a table and said that was OK as long as we kept them near us. Works for me....and the band was excellent!

No trip to Memphis would be complete without a Graceland tour, about a 15 minute highway drive from downtown. Decision to buy tickets on-line in advance (10am Sunday and there were already lots of folks there...) allowed us to avoid the lines full of tour bus crowds. A bit of museum tour/home tour hybrid, take your time and listen to the bonus audio recordings that many seem to skip. Our kids marveled at the hundreds of Elvis-themed products on sale and we were surprised at how much we enjoyed the car museum. With a AAA discount we paid $125 for the platinum tour, parking is an additional $10.

We headed south for bayou country and a night at the Edgewater Inn, a new motel on the property that includes Pat's & the Atchafalya Club in the small town of Henderson in St. Martin's Parish. It feels like you are driving into the back 40 as you approach this location. We arrived on a Sunday night to find a packed parking lot and after checking into the hotel we walked over to eat and join in the fun. Our room was a standard 2 queen, spotlessly clean, but most importantly just steps from live music, dancing, and authentic Cajun cuisine. The Sunday night crowd seemed to be mostly locals and had a K of C feel to it. Folks were dancing up a storm to a very good band - it would take years to learn to dance that well but we gave it a go, meanwhile, it was fun to listen and people-watch ($10/person cover). Our waitress, Dee, was entertaining and welcoming and we enjoyed assorted gumbo, boiled shrimp dinners, and fisherman's platters ($120 with drinks and tip). As we walked back to our room we saw a boat of froggers in the moonlight.

The Edgewater provides a continental breakfast which we enjoyed after a morning walk about the property to see alligators, turtles, birds and fisherman. It wasn't a far drive to this park, a national historic site, with a film, museum and historic buildings ($4/adult). Our interpretive guides were awesome - really exceptional. We had a near-private tour of the large home and then a private tour of the river-side farmsite and felt that we gained some real insight into the culture of the Louisiana pioneers.

We could have lunched in New Iberia on our way south but we had read about this casual seafood spot on Trip Advisor and decided to seek it out. We hoped for simply prepared, fresh seafood and noticing all the pick-up trucks in the lot figured this must be good. Sadly our experience was truly underwhelming. For $70 we had unsmiling service, weak tea, iceberg lettuce salads, large but overcooked shrimp and inedible gumbo. Son made up for it by eating a basket of crackers.

We were fascinated by the story of coastal salt mines on these "islands" and headed to Avery island to check it out. Brief (free) tours are offered throughout the day and there are product samples at the end for you to try- jalapeno ice cream anyone? Washed down with a tabasco cola? The factory grounds are pretty and well maintained and you will leave knowing more about Tabasco Sauce then you ever dreamed possible. Cool gift shop to browse through if you so choose - daughter bought some unique products that were priced much higher in specialty food shops in NOLA.

Just a short drive away is the gift shop and entry ($8/adult) to this garden tour. It was a balmy spring day and the azaleas were in full bloom so it would have been a good day to walk the 3 mile route. Since we were on a bit of a schedule, we chose to drive and park at various spots for a walk (note, we did experience mosquitoes in the holly arbor). Saw gators, turtles, herons, egrets, and other birds and the 16-year-old son had fun as the chauffeur.

After checking in we cleaned up and enjoyed a stroll east through the quarter to Frenchmen Street where we had planned to go for dinner. Be sure and spend some time on this lively street, full of musical options.

We read about this small spot on Chowhound and were attracted by the intriguing menu, live jazz, and casual atmosphere. It is a small place and they don't take reservations but they have tables reserved for patrons who are dining - 2 opened up soon after we arrived. The portions of the dishes we ordered were smaller than you might expect - more like tapas and perfect for sharing. We tried 8 dishes and loved them all ($120 for the four of us with drinks and tip).

This was a TripAdvisor recommendation - $70/person plus tip seemed pricey but since the son hates walking tours we thought this was a good way to sneak one in - and was it ever! We did the 8am tour (just a few blocks from our hotel) and were glad to be moving around before most of the tourists, though there were garbage trucks to contend with! Our guide, Dawn, was awesome and we had fun on the machines and fun hearing about the Quarter during our tour. It included a stop for coffee on Frenchmen street and a photo-op in Moon Park area. Wear comfortable shoes and just do it, you won't regret it!

This historic building on Jackson Square houses a museum of Louisiana history on 3 floors and also offers good view of the square below. We bought a combined ticket which also included The Presbytere (combined tickets $35 for 2 adults and 2 students). If you are just visiting just one of these sites there is a AAA discount. Both buildings did feel a bit crowded during our visit as there were school groups visiting.

This building houses an excellent Hurricane Katrina exhibit and a Mardi Gras exhibit which the kids preferred to the Cabildo.

This was the best, high-end dining experience we had during our visit - and we were there for lunch! There are so many legendary dining choices in the city - we chose this one as a good fit four the four of us. Chowhound members recommended the andouille-boudin appetizer and the porkchop entrees, both hits with us. A real surprise was the excellent calamari. We had exceptional service from a very professional wait staff both during throughout the meal - they produced a taxi for Mom & Daughter pretty much out of thin air as we were preparing to leave. The lunch crowd here was a combo of business people in suits and tourists dressed casually- A very comfortable environment. You have to try the Banana Cream Pie for dessert!!

This small stop near the French Market is in the midst of relocating; we stopped in for an afternoon concert/lecture on Creole music and the musical rangers did a fine job - I felt like I left knowing a lot more about the roots of jazz.

Mom and Daughter stopped here to shop - it was probably more of a market at one time - now more of a tourist stop. We did get a good deal on a few masks & NFL beads but the shops have more interesting, and more expensive, things to offer. We walked back to the hotel on Royal street and visited some great shops along the way.

After our lunch feast we planned a light dinner with a happy hour stop here in the beautiful Roosevelt hotel for half-price gourmet pizzas and drinks at this John Besh restaurant. We had very warm, professional service and enjoyed drinks, 3 pizzas, tip and espresso cookies for $40 - a deal! Be sure and walk through the lovely hotel while you are there.

As it was mid-week we booked this over some other recommended tours ($20/adult but there are coupons on the website so we all booked at the student rate of $17). They did a great job living up to their promise to share the ghostly history of the French Quarter. Get into the "spirit" of things and enjoy this mildly campy, fun walk through dark, narrow streets led by your well prepared guide - ours did a fabulous job so we tipped accordingly. There seemed to be some luck involved - an extremely large party left just before we assembled so ours was a much more intimate group. Be prepared for a graphic depictions at a couple of stops - not appropriate for young children.

A good place for a refreshing treat. Just a quick walk through Pirate's Alley from Jackson Square, make sure to look for William Faulkner's Bookstore sign. We stopped here for a gelato treat after the Ghost Walk and I think they closed as we left about 10pm.

Mom took an hour and a half walk at 7am and got to see the Quarter waking up, walking dogs, hosing down sidewalks, hustling to work with earbuds in - awesome for early risers. Would have stopped at some historic spots if they had been open. Great for photographs and I still smile remembering the fellow who called me sweetie that early in the morning.

Stop in and sit awhile in this 18th c church (weekday mass at 7:30). $1 buys a color brochure with a bit of history of the church and some of its special pieces.

We had Restaurant.com coupons ($3 for $25) for this diner-style spot just south of our hotel...opinion is divided, the males loved their steak, eggs, and potatoes. My omelet was okay, service was prompt, and bill was a bargain.

A bit confusing for a beginner and don't assume a local can help:) We got on at Canal Street and enjoyed the ride to the end of the line viewing beautiful homes ( fun to see all of the beads still dangling from parades) where we were summarily told to vacate and reboard - with the seats "magically" facing another way. $1.25/rider so $10 round trip for the four of us - we enjoyed it and got off at Lee Circle to see...

Very well done and worth the visit ($62/ for 2 adults & 2 students). Interesting displays and films about both the European and Pacific Theaters of WWII as well as a special exhibit "Ours to Fight For". An emotional experience for all - we watched both films and then crossed the street for the last showing of the 4D film. Many eager volunteers are available for questions and to provide whatever assistance may be needed.

After our museum visit, and no lunch, we planned on an early dinner here (John Besh #2). It was happy hour so drinks were half-price and 75 cent sloppy-joe sliders were available. And the pickles to start - loved them! Hot, spicy, sweet, and sour. We had some excellent dishes; greens, a delicious po' boy, short ribs, meatloaf (seriously, great meatloaf). Check out the menu - the plating is a hoot. Bottom line - our service here was below average but our food was very good. I guess we hit that spot before the real dinner crowd gathers . We left with a very rich chocolate milkshake to go. Good value at $105 with tip and drinks for four.

More interesting to us as a riverside walk than a shopping venue. There are a number of plaques describing river culture and natural history. At Spanish Plaza we stumbled upon the University of Wisconsin band, cheerleaders and fans performing in anticipation of the upcoming basketball game - fun.

Thursday breakfast found us a short walk from the hotel at another site offering a restaurant.com certificate ($3 for $25 but free to us from a generous fellow TripAdvisor member!) - this one was much more to my liking. Servings are huge - easy to split. And who wouldn't like their Eggs Benedict served on a tender biscuit with Tasso Ham...yum! Even Son couldn't finish his stack of pancakes with strawberries and cheesy hash browns. We over-ordered in light of our next stop...

...and if you could just have seen the sixteen-year-old son's long-suffering face waiting to be seated...:) We gathered in the store and browsed until the chef , who informed us he was in a rather "Gordan Ramsey kind of mood" started calling our names to be seated. The dining/cooking area holds about 70 and was full on our visit. We had reserved in advance and paid on that morning ($26 each w/coupon) using coupons available in the free New Orleans Visitor's Guide. Long story short, we all had fun, learned some things about New Orleans, gots some good cooking tips, and had plenty to eat - including the sixteen-year-old who loved the Joe's Stuff Creole seasoning. And if you are ready for them, Abita beers are served!

The theater is showing its age, the first set of seats we tried were broken. But we all enjoyed the showing of "Hurricane on the Bayou" and the music was so great that we bought a CD in the gift shop.

This large working warehouse is located just upriver of the Convention Center ($18/adult, $3 coupons in the free New Orleans Visitor's Guide, free shuttle bus available). Before a short introductory film, a bit dated but they are refilming, you have the chance to try on various Mardi Gras costumes for that perfect family photo and afterwards try some King cake. This was a pick of the Daughter who was fascinated by the design and construction of the amazing floats. It was just after Mardi Gras but the artisans employed year-round were already starting on next year's floats. If you've got an interest in art or photography don't miss this stop - there were less than a dozen people in our tour and we enjoyed raoming around on our own as well.

We had to have oysters on this trip and since Drago's char-broiled oysters are legendary this was our chance - just a quick shuttle trip from Mardi Gras World. Located in the Hilton there is no award for ambiance but our server, Kaylua, was awesome. A dozen oysters with crusty bread were soon devoured and a dozen more requested. Do try them if you have the chance!

Located in the lobby of the Hotel Monteleon this unique pscale watering hole with nice views of Royal Street has a slowly rotating bar in the center of the room. We had to stop and enjoy a drink (excellent French 75!) and people-watching. We had planned to head back out for Zydeco night at Rock and Bowl but were content to relax after our busy day(s). Enjoyed a scenic swim and the kids had a late room service dinner - fun for them.

Up early for a walk and some last-minute shopping including a stop at the grocery on Decatur (before the lines form) for olive salad, creole mustard and seasoning. There is so much gustatory fun in this city that we haven't had a chance to experience - have to come back! Took Daughter for a morning walk down Bourbon on the way back to the hotel.

Situated between Bourbon and Royal streets this mainstay of tourist spots provides a vast buffet of food and a charming courtyard with jazz music. This is not your fine-dining experience, or even your best deal, but we enjoyed ourselves none-the-less. Our server was charming and we loved watching the tour bus of Germans try crawfish! Sadly it was time to leave the Crescent city. As we picked up our luggage from the checked baggage room Daughter rushed up with a smile and said "John Waters just walked by! He's staying at our hotel!" Nothing like the Tennessee Williams Festival to bring in the interesting folk.

It had been hard to find a rrom for 4 for one night; this place on on a bluff downriver from the bridge had one double queen left so we grabbed it. Turned out to be the handicap-accessible room which was well laid out, very clean. Had a Holiday Inn Express feel for comparison. The pool with outdoor bar , and the restaurant as well, have a great view over the river.

We drove to town - a few blocks and parked and walked a bit. It was very quiet! Not sure where all those Pilgrimage people were. This was our restaurant choice for good food and live music. A low key relaxed environment with a friendly staff who made us feel welcome. The crowd was a mix of adults, families with kids, locals and those just passing through. While we were there on a Friday night, we were immediately seated although a short line formed outside around 8pm.

After breakfast at the Grand Soleil (included with room - perhaps the worst service of the trip) we embarked on the Parkway. What a beautiful road! Slow and winding with numerous views. We would like to take in the full drive but just saw a bit before heading north.

We had a fabulous trip and would visit any of our overnight stops again. With limited time there is much we missed (Mud Island, Swamp tour, Cemetary Tour, lunch at Galatoire's and/or Commander's Palace, that zydeco at Rock and Bowl, a house tour or 2 in Natchez or St. Francisville.
We hope that you can use this trip report as a jumping off spot for your own adventure!