New National Civil Rights Museum Opens on April 5

The National Civil Rights Museum reopens this Saturday, April 5, after a major renovation. To celebrate the reopening of the museum and to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King's life and work, Backbeat Tours is offering a special African-American Heroes Tour on Saturday at 3:00pm. Prices for the 2-hour bus and walking tour are $9 for adults, $5 for children 7-15, and free for children under 7. For reservations, call (901) 527-9415 or click here. Here's a preview of what's on tap at the renovated museum.  

It was a chilly, Tuesday afternoon in the Lorraine Motel plaza, but hearts were warm and spirits were high for the crowd gathered inside of the National Civil Rights Museum. Just beyond the double doors that have been closed to the public for almost two years, the museum treated an invite-only group of community leaders, businesses, and non-profits to a soft opening of its $28 million dollar renovation.

"Truly the new National Civil Rights Museum," said Faith Morris, Director of Marketing, Governmental, and Community Affairs, to the small group waiting for an official tour in the museum's new atrium lobby. Work began on the renovation in 2012 at the insistence of Museum President Beverly Robinson, who felt that the expansion was necessary to fulfill its mission statement.  "This is personal to me, she said of the museum's mission. "No matter what race or creed, you all should be able to find your voice."

The tour introduced several new additions to the museum, including a civil
rights history featurette and a "Culture of Resistance" exhibit that chronicles the trans-Atlantic and American slave trade. Interactive digital displays, new video monitors, and sound systems have been added to exhibits, like the Birmingham bus boycott, Dr. King's Birmingham jail cell, and the Memphis sanitation department garbage truck.

Through increased interaction with exhibits like the Woolworth's lunch counter "sit-in," visitors are invited to experience life as a civil rights activist.

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell spoke along with Ms. Robinson at a reception following the tour. "April 4 of '68 is a moment you never forget," he said. "Today we have children who don't know the history of the civil rights movement. For them, Martin Luther King, Jr. is just a name in a book; but here they can actually see it."

"There's no excuse for you to have a friend who's never been to the Civil Rights Museum," said Ms. Robinson. "Let them know it's the world's greatest museum to chronicle this history."

The opening weekend promises to be an exciting one, with many events planned.  Here's the schedule:

Friday, April 4

2pm:  Forum, "The 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act," Hooks-Hyde Hall at the National Civil Rights Museum.
6pm:  Candlelight vigil

Saturday, April 5

9am:  Parade from the Cook Convention Center to the museum
11am:  Grand reopening ceremony at the museum
Noon to 7pm:  $5 museum tours 

3pm:  African-American Heroes Tour, departing from B.B. King's

By Michael Flanagan.

Backbeat Dive Bar Crawl: Our Favorite Memphis Dives

As part of its Memphis Loves Memphis series, Backbeat Tours will be hosting its first ever Dive Bar Crawl on Friday, March 14, from 8-11pm. The crawl is a three-hour tramp on our vintage-look bus to four of our favorite dive bars, led by singer-songwriter Kathryn Brawley. The specific bars we’re visiting is a closely-guarded secret until tour night (that’s half the fun!), but here’s Kathryn’s take on her favorite Memphis dives. Think we’ll be taking our choices from the list? Yep, that would be a good guess. The price for the Dive Bar Crawl is $10 per person. For reservations visit http://www.zerve.com/Backbeat/BarCrawl or call (901) 527-9415.

Why dive bars? Why not? I’d much prefer a grungy, low-lit room where I can hang out with my friends to getting pricey cocktails and having to put on heels to go to a swanky bar and feel uncomfortable for three hours. And there are so many great dive bars in Memphis. I’ve been told to limit this list to my Top 10, and that wasn’t easy, so if I’ve left off your favorite, tell us about it. 

1. Earnestine & Hazels. After having a few drinks, there’s nothing better than chowing down on a $6 world famous Soul Burger. (Tip: ask Steve or Keenan to put extra onions and pickles on yours). It’s a beer bar, but you’re more than welcome to bring liquor into the building. It’s an ideal place for a group hang – you can go upstairs, which used to be a brothel, and grab a table. Be sure to hit up one of the best jukeboxes in the city while you’re there. Our ghost tour guides tell me the jukebox is haunted. My favorite night to go to E&H is Sunday, for their Sunday night Jazz Jam.

2. Buccaneer Lounge. This is what I think of as a “neighborhood bar.” I’m a woman in my 20’s, but I go in, have a drink, and make small talk there all the time. This is my whiskey and coke bar. They have food, but I don’t usually eat there. By the time I get hungry at the Bucc, someone usually suggests walking to Krystal, then walking back. They also have a nice music setting at The Buccaneer, including Devil Train on Monday nights.

3. Wild Bill’s. If you like blues, THIS is where you go. I don’t care what anyone says, Wild Bill’s is a juke joint that will show you what it’s all about. It’s kind of a late night place and cash only, so I say hop in a cab and swing by an ATM before you hit Bill’s. 

4. Alex’s Tavern. This is another late-night place, but I have to admit, I’ve spent many early nights here eating a burger and getting started. Alex’s has shuffleboard, a great jukebox, and if you’re into sports, there are multiple screens they put games on. Like Wild Bill’s, Alex’s is cash only, so be prepared before you head in. 

5. Printer’s Alley. This is a REALLY late night bar –the kind of place you go to when absolutely every other bar has closed its doors. And for that reason alone, it’s awesome. I love the seating at Printer’s Alley, and they have pool rooms so you can have a game. When you walk in, there’s an overwhelmingly delicious smell of burgers on a George Foreman grill. It’s hard to explain why, but it’s pretty comforting at 5am. 

6. Lamplighter Lounge. My favorite 2-to-4-person bar. You can get a cold PBR, Shirley Burger, and shoot some pool with your friends or partner. It’s a nice bar for winding down. But no cursing! It’s a rule.

7. Poplar Lounge. One of my favorite music venues in Memphis. When the Poplar Hi-Tone closed, a lot of bands migrated to Poplar Lounge to play and I was pretty excited about that. It’s a cool little place with some of the nicest staff around. It’s definitely a family at “The World Famous Poplar Lounge”. It’s a beer bar, but you can take liquor (there’s a liquor store right across the street, in fact) inside and there are some mixers. Some old-timers around town associate some pretty heavy fightin’ with Pop Lounge, but it’s a tame place these days. 

8. Bobcat Bar & Grill. This place makes me chuckle every time I think about it. I stumbled upon Bobcat on accident one night. My boyfriend and I were grabbing Schlotzky’s for dinner and, as we were getting in the car, the sign for Bobcat Bar & Grill caught my eye. I mentioned that it was weird that there was a bar right there –it’s a very, very awkward place to have a bar. He suggested we go in for a drink and I was pretty excited about it. We go in, grab a beer, sit down, and take in the scene. At the time, it was around Christmas and there were some Christmas decorations up that made my heart pitter-patter. In the back, there was a group of stained-white collar men playing pool. One of the men walked up to us and said, “Y’all like Lobster Bisque?” I responded, “Yeah, of course”, and he told me, “Well you won’t find that here, but you can get a d____ good slice of pizza”. I decided I liked this place. 

9. The Cove. Great bartenders and food over at The Cove. I feel like the bar is easy to navigate and great for groups as there is plenty of seating and even a deck out back! They have a $2 Sunday beer bust, trivia night and a hand full of shows at The Cove, which are well-worth looking into. 

10. P&H. For me, there are days I really love going to P&H and days when it’s too crowded to enjoy. There’s a reason so many people are there though! P&H is a classic Memphis staple, the feature of director Craig Brewer’s Poor & Hungry, and everyone loves going. It’s a beer bar, but you can bring liquor. The food is EXCELLENT –some of the best bar food in town (I get the fried pickles every time), and the kitchen is open until midnight. They have Karaoke on Friday Nights, but it can get pretty crowded, so I suggest hitting up their Tuesday night trivia instead, which is some of the best in town.

A New Tour Series: "Memphis Loves Memphis"

It’s amazing how much our city impacts the world. For the last eight years, we’ve been entertaining tourists from all over the US, of course, but also from far and wide: the UK, Australia, New Zealand, those cold (but friendly!) Scandinavian countries, as well as Russia, China, Japan, the Philippines, India, Brazil, Greece, South Africa…I think the only continent we haven’t had visitors from yet is Antarctica. If you travel overseas, you can see it; mention that you’re from Memphis, and you can always find an enthusiastic foreigner eager to hear more about our city.

You don’t have to be a tourist to want to experience everything that Memphis has to offer, though. Maybe you’re tired of Elvis, but there’s so much else to discover, both past and present, in and around our city. From Davy Crockett to Tim McCarver, from Gus Cannon to Justin Timberlake, from Tennessee Williams to John Grisham, Memphis has always been and continues to be a hotspot of American culture.

That got us thinking: we love Memphis, and you love Memphis, so let’s kick the tourists off the bus once in a while, have some fun amongst ourselves and celebrate Memphis the local way. This year, we’re doing just that with a series of monthly tours just for you, Mid-South: the “Memphis Loves Memphis” series.

We wanted to start off with a bang, so for our first two events -- Family Day (January 25, 11:30am and 2:30pm) and Dog Day Afternoon (February 16 at 2:30pm) -- we’re offering locals a chance take our popular Memphis Mojo Tour at an obscenely low price. Up to five tickets (a $150 value) for just $9!

If you haven’t taken the Mojo Tour, don’t miss this opportunity. So much more than a city tour; it’s a combination of live music, comedy, tambourines and, yeah, some history that will give you a whole new appreciation for Memphis. Here’s what other locals had to say about the experience:

“I thought I knew a lot about Memphis until this tour! I learned so much about our rich music history and had such a great time singing along to some of my favorites.”

“My grandchildren had a great time and I (born and raised in Memphis) learned things that even I didn’t know about our Great city. “

“The guide sang like an angel. … My boyfriend and I have both lived in Memphis for over 10 years, but we learned new things about our city.” 

You need a dog to join our Dog Day Afternoon Tour, but all you need is a family to come to Family Day. (I think most of us have those, right?) We’ll have balloons, cookies, and lemonades for the children (young and old). Kids are a bonus, but you don’t need them to take advantage of Family Day prices. For more information on both tours, go to https://www.facebook.com/backbeat.tours/events or call us at (901) 527-9415. Be sure to book in advance as space is limited.

Later tours in the series will be special, one-off events, things we’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have a large enough tourist audience for. We’re working on the schedule for the rest of the year now – follow us on Facebook or Twitter for updates – but some things we’re thinking about are: a dive bar crawl, a Civil War tour, a brewery tour, a musical journey through Starry Nights, even a trip to Little Rock’s Wild River Country waterpark for relief from the summer heat, … the ideas just keep coming. We’ll also be partnering with local non-profits to do special tours and events to raise money for their activities. Ultimately, though, these tours are meant for you, Mid-South, so let us know what you think. What tours would you like to see us do?