From Pigeon Forge to Memphis to Nashville, I fell in love with Tennessee and all it had to offer. Like with many road trips, we made several stops that just didn’t make the cut as a blog post on their own, but they were just too good not to share, so please enjoy this post filled with more unique places, including the neon filled streets of Beale and Broadway!

Kern’s Food Hall. 2201 Kern’s Rising Way, Knoxville.

You know I love a good adaptive reuse, and Knoxville has hit it out of the park with Kern’s Food Hall, which is very much akin to Anaheim’s Packing House. This massive bakery was originally built in 1931, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. In 2019 it began the journey to transform into an eclectic food hall. You can learn more about the property on their website.

John Alexander Austin House. 290 S. Front Street, Memphis.

This stunning home caught my eye when we were out to dinner our first night in Memphis. It is the last remaining residential building in Memphis’ South Bluffs area, and a rare Italianate style home. Built in 1876 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

After dinner we took a walk along Beale Street. Not a major fan of bars, we mainly went to see the plethora of neon signs. There were a handful of businesses we would love to return to someday.

The Daisy Theatres. 329 and 330 Beale Street, Memphis.

The Daisy was built in 1913, and served as an early movie house until the New Daisy was built across the street in 1937. Both are now live performance venues on historic Beale Street.

A. Schwab. 163 Beale Street, Memphis.

A. Schwab started as a dry goods store and soda fountain, and today operates more as a tourist destination, with historic items on display and gift shop. We didn’t stop in, as they were closed during our stroll, but I would love to pop in during another visit.

Club Handy. 200 Beale Street, Memphis.

This spot opened as the Domino Lounge, and became a haunt of Elvis Presley. In 1958 it was renamed Club Handy after the death of W.C. Handy.

Lanskey Brothers. Sign only. 126 Beale Street, Memphis. Sign faces 2nd Avenue.

Lanskey Brothers started as a second hand clothing store, but quickly shifted to an army surplus store. However by 1950 they wanted to jazz things up, and decided to become an upscale menswear shop, specializing in colorful attire. Elvis Presley loved Beale Street and found his way to Lansky, where he would develop his signature style. From the iconic pink suit he wore on the Louisiana Hayride to the suit he was buried in all came from Lansky. B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and many more frequented Lansky over the years, but it was Elvis who really put the shop on the map.

While the shop on Beale Street is closed, walk a few blocks away and you’ll find Lansky is alive and well at the Peabody Hotel. Beginning in 1981, after the Peabody underwent a massive restoration, Lansky opened up a small shop, eventually expanding to multiple storefronts within the hotel. Today fans of Elvis can shop like the king, and even gaze at some of his clothing as well as guitars from other musicians at the Peabody Hotel shops. Not in Memphis? You can shop online!

Peabody Hotel and Ducks. 149 Union Avenue, Memphis.

Perhaps one of my favorite stops of our trip was at the Peabody Hotel. Originally built in 1869 at Main and Monroe, the Peabody moved to a larger and grander location in 1925. In the middle of the lobby stands an ornate fountain and one day in 1933, General Manager Frank Schutt and friend Chip Barwick came up with a drunken prank that would become a beloved tradition – they put live ducks in the fountain. Enter Edward Pembroke, one of the bellmen, who also happened to be a former circus animal trainer. He taught the ducks to march from the roof to the fountain and back, soon people flocked (no pun intended) to the Peabody to witness the “Duck March.” Pembroke was dubbed the “Duckmaster” and retired in 1991, but his legacy has lived on with more Duckmasters. These feathered celebrities really get the royal treatment with a rooftop penthouse that supposedly cost $200,000, and a red carpet to walk down. The ducks hail from a nearby farm, and only stay at the Peabody for three months, and then go back to the farm, and new ducks brought in.

We were not able to swing staying at the Peabody or witnessing the Duck March (they enter the fountain at 11, and return to their penthouse at 5) during our visit, but we hope to in the future (and you can bet I want to be an Honorary Duckmaster!) We just popped in for drinks at the lobby bar to watch the ducks splash in the fountain.

Crosstown Concourse. 1350 Concourse Avenue, Memphis.

Another amazing example of adaptive reuse is Memphis’ Crosstown Concourse, which started out as an old Sears, and is virtually identical to LA’s old Sears. So LA, take note! The massive Sears was built in 1927 and closed in 1993, remaining vacant until 2017 when it went through an extensive transformation. Today it is home to restaurants, exhibition and performance spaces, radio station WYXR, St. Jude, a YMCA, salons, short term rentals, and artist residencies.

Skateland. Now Country Glass and Glazing. 5137 Old Summer Road, Memphis.

Budget Liquor Store. 4910 Summer Avenue, Memphis.

Overton Park Shell. 1928 Poplar Avenue, Memphis.

Built in 1936 as part of the WPA, it was named after John Overton, one of the founders of Memphis. While it has hosted a wide variety of musical performances over the years, it has become stop for Elvis fans, as he made his first “professional” appearance on this stage on July 30, 1954.

Advance Rubber Stamps. Now Hand of Mercy Tattoo Parlor. 339 Madison Avenue, Memphis.

Wonder Bread. Now Orion Federal Credit Union. 400 Monroe Avenue, Memphis.

We spent some of our Nashville evenings wandering the Broadway, in awe of their eclectic range of neon. It’s so nice to know that the art of neon is alive and well in Tennessee! Nearly every place had live music, even the Taco Bell!

Luke’s 32 Bridge. 301 Broadway, Nashville.

Show Pony. 121 3rd Avenue South, Nashville.

Tootsies. 422 Broadway, Nashville.

Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up. 120 3rd Avenue South, Nashville.

Nudie’s Honky Tonk, 409 Broadway, Nashville.

While Nudie’s Rodeo Tailor of North Hollywood is a thing of the past, his spirit lives on at Nudie’s Honky Tonk. Inside you will find one of his iconic Nudiemobiles, Nudie suits (although at least some are reproductions, for example Elvis’ real gold suit is at Graceland) and sit at Nashville’s longest bar, which is inlayed with silver dollars.

Music City Photomatica. Inside Assembly Food Hall. 5055 Broadway, Nashville.

Bootleggers Inn. 207 Broadway, Nashville.

Almost Friday. 415 4th Avenue South, Nashville.

Little Rey. 2019 West End Avenue, Nashville.

Belle Meade Theatre. 4301 Harding Pike, Nashville. Partially abandoned/in development hell.

The Belle Meade opened in 1940 and closed in 1991. While it had a brief life as a bookstore, it is now in the midst of redevelopment, which might incorporate the unique facade. As it is one of Tennessee’s last examples of Streamline Moderne architecture, I hope it gets preserved in some form.

And that wraps up our Tennessee trip! I can’t believe how much I fell in love with the state. It’s gorgeous, and has so much to offer. I honestly can’t wait to go back.