Off the Beaten Path--Downtown Tours of Memphis

Memphis has some very unusual tours that are truly off the beaten path. Many of them incorporate an historical theme behind all of their visits and take visitors into the past "underbelly" of the city in times that were anything but golden for many of the population. On these tours visitors will learn valuable lessons from history and view places and see sights that most tourists will ignore. They can be fascinating, enlightening and some are just for sheer entertainment. But experts who know their stuff professionally guide them all, with the exception of the Trolley Tour.

The Heritage Tours take visitors to the National Civil Rights Museum, Slavehaven, the Beale St. Historic District and Cotton Row. Tour guides explain the role of people like Ida B. Wells at the Ida B. Wells Memorial, and the Burkle House. They'll see the old Slave Market District and Civil War homes and churches. There's an option to include a "Roots" tour of nearby Henning, Tennessee, where the author of this remarkable piece was born. The Beale St. Nightlife tour requires reservations in advance to get up a group. Call 901-527-3427.

Memphis was the real birth-place of Rock and Roll. It drew Elvis here in the 1950s because there were no recording studios in northern Mississippi where he was born. Black musicians played at live clubs in the 1920s and 1930s and added to the rich heritage of blues that has spread worldwide today. There are tours that specifically focus on the musical culture of those incredible times and faces. "In Search of Rock and Soul" is an option that exposes groups to the birth of this unique style of music, taking folks to Sun Studio and other places crucial in the development of the careers of rock and roll greats like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. Or another specialty tour will explore the origins of the "Music and the Deep South. They can make up customized tours for visitors as well. Reservations are required for these. Call 901-527-8876.

In the past two decades Memphis has been completely renovating downtown, saving historical buildings like the Peabody Hotel, the YMCA and the Kress Building. Many old cotton warehouses have been turned into lofts and business spaces that preserved and renovated them according to National Historic Register rules that require strict historical authenticity compliance. My favorite tour would have to be the Main Street Trolley. It takes folks along a 4-mile ride up and down the riverfront and Main Street, from the old Pinch District in the north end, past the Convention Center and down near the spectacular Peabody Place. Winding south, this restored vintage trolley runs slowly past the elegant restored Orpheum Theatre, past legendary Beale St. and on down to the magnificent restored Central Station, the old train station that served the city before the turn of the 19^th Century. This is a self-directed tour and I'd suggest visitors pick up some pamphlets at the Visitors and Conventions Bureau downtown for a description of all these sights and more. The conductors can be quite colorful as they call out the names of all the stops so that people will recognize all that they're passing. Get out at any of the stops to explore around. Fares are: $.60 regular, $.30 for seniors and people with disabilities. Try to get an all-day pass if you're expecting to make a lot of stops because it's a real bargain. But make sure that these prices have not risen since this writing. It was $2.50. Mon-Thu6a-midnight, Fri 6-1am, Sat 9:30-1am, and Sun 10am-6pm. The office is located at 547 N. Main Street, 901-274-6282.

There are two Riverboat Ventures for those who would love to take a trip on an authentic Mississippi treasure like that written about by Mark Twain. These are the real thing. There's a 1.5 hour cruise on the Memphis Queen that has options for sightseeing, Sunset Dinner, Saturday Party, a Blues Cruise, or a dinner cruise with prime rib, a full bar and wine list, and live Memphis music. Call them for pricing, details and information on any seasonal events that would be more fun to view from the cruise deck. There are discounts for seniors, students and children. Offices are at Monroe and Union Avenues and 45 Riverside Drive; 901-527-5694. The Delta Queen Cruises are elegance incarnate and offer luxury cruises for three to fourteen nights. All include four meals a day, entertainment at night, and a Captain's reception. The Mississippi Queen has 208 staterooms and the Delta Queen has 87 rooms. The largest boat, the American Queen, is enormous and has 222 staterooms. All have lounges and a gift shop; the larger boats include these plus exercise rooms, pool, beauty parlors, movie theatres and more. Call for reservations and information at 800-215-0805

The Ride The Ducks is just for fun on an amphibious curiosity called a Delta Duck, a takeoff on the famous live Peabody ducks that live in luxury in the hotel's fountain and in their private domiciles by night. The tour guides pick you up at the Peabody hotel and the tours take you on a lively narrated journey over land and water in the downtown area. Contact them for information at 26 South Second St. or call 901-521-3823; http://www.memphisducks.com