Music and Civil Rights in Memphis

My trip to Memphis with my friends was a very full one, and we were enjoying it all.

On day three, we were up bright and early to pack up and check out of the Madison Hotel. We had enjoyed our stay, but we’d be checking into Big Cypress Lodge in the afternoon for a completely different atmosphere.

My breakfast stop with Brittany, Angela, and Kylie had a very familiar name, Frost Bake Shop. Ironically, it was not a relative and not anyone’s name (it’s owned by the Kloos family), it was a play on words for “frosting.”

Although the bakery was a bit out of the city, I had received a tip that it was well worth the trip and it certainly was.

Frost Bake Shop provides cheesecakes to William Sonoma and also makes cupcakes, pies, and other baked goods that are loved all over Memphis.

We were able to sample all types of goodies, including their top sellers – Gooey Butter Cookies and the Memphis Cream Cupcake.

I didn’t leave without also tasting the delicious cheesecake and taking a box full of goodies to go.

Our next stop was yet another memorable Memphis attraction, Stax Museum of American Soul Music . It’s located on the site of the original Stax Records, which was also the home of the Stax Recording Studio.

It has great memorabilia, more displays of musical history, from Chicago Blues to the birth of Soul. We saw instruments and costumes from famous soul performers, such as

Ike and Tina Turner.

We enjoyed walking through the hallways of albums. We even got to try on some costumes of our own for a little trip back into the 60s

After Stax, we were hungry and ready to finally try some Memphis barbecue. Central BBQ was recommended and we headed there.

We ate some great barbecue nachos and pulled pork, their specialty. I also loved the Southern sweet tea.

From lunch, we went to what is probably now my favorite museum in the country. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis underwent a huge renovation around the Lorraine Motel, the spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed.

The exploration of civil rights in this venue is as complete as I’ve ever seen anywhere, still preserving the rooms King was in just before he was killed, and the balcony he was on when he was shot.

Powerful exhibits are everywhere you look. They begin with slaves arriving to U.S. from Africa and end with the 2008 election of an African American President, and civil rights violations today around the world.

Among the things you can’t miss at the Civil Rights Museum are a wonderful exhibit on the Brown V. Board of Education decision and its effect on schools throughout the country; the bus from Montgomery Bus Boycott; the lunch counter from Jackson MS sit-in; and an actual partially burned freedom ride greyhound bus.

We left the museum and went to check in at Big Cypress Lodgeat the Bass Pro Shops in the Pyramid.

This is without a doubt the most unusual accommodation I’ve ever been to, with 103 rooms and suites spaced around the pyramid, with balconies overlooking the store.

Our rustic room and the great outdoors feel of Bass Pro Shops made it feel like we were really staying in the wilderness, but the service and attention to detail was more like a luxurious accommodation.

I had stayed at Bass Pro Shops' other resort, Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri two years ago, and it definitely has some of the same touches, such as the delicious warm cookies delivered to the room every night.

I also liked the living areas between rooms at Big Cypress that made it comfortable to relax in.

We had the night free and we decided it was time to head down to Beale Street in Memphis. 

It reminded me a lot of New Orleans, with music in the street, restaurants, and stores. 

We did some shopping and decided on the Blues City Café for dinner and blues.

When we got back to the Big Cypress Lodge , exhausted from the long day, all was quiet at Bass Pro Shop and we had a peaceful night sleep, before our final day in Memphis.

Enjoying Big Cedar Lodge

It was the last day of the Missouri road trip for my friend Jaimee and me. We were determined to make the most of it and Big Cedar Lodge provided us with plenty of opportunities.

I woke up to sunshine and started my day with a bit of yoga as I enjoyed the scenery. The first order of the day was breakfast at Truman Coffee and Café near the main lodge.

The café was filled with people trying to decide what to get among the scrumptious offerings. I made the right choice in the Cinnamon Muffin with scrambled eggs on the side for some protein.

Jaimee went for the breakfast bagel with egg, ham, and cheese, and we both got our caffeine jolts with lattes.We ate out on the deck while we admired the views. 

After breakfast we headed up to the Top of the Rock Welcome Center. We were both excited to pick up our golf carts there to take the Lost Canyon Cave Nature Trail.

I have to say, I had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be an incredible journey that I’ll definitely repeat the next time I’m at Big Cedar.

We began with a ride through the tall trees and along the lake as we climbed the hills. We saw babbling brooks and a gentle waterfall on the way.

We drove into the entry of the cave and our first encounter was certainly an unexpected surprise. There’s a bar in the cave! Some of the people in front of us did stop to imbibe, but we decided to keep going.

I am a bit claustrophobic, but I didn’t feel that way at all in the cave. The air circulation was excellent and the scene beautiful.

We came out of the cave to even better scenery as we headed under a covered bridge and saw another waterfall.  It was an amazing trip.

After we drove the cart back to the Top of the Rock Welcome Center we headed down the road to Arnie’s Barn for lunch. The restaurant is named for golf great Arnold Palmer.

This restaurant offered the same great views Osage had thenight before, but with a more casual atmosphere.

The menu is TexMex, a favorite of both of us. We started with tortilla chips and a bowl of Arnie’s Guacamole, freshly made and delicious.

For our main courses, I had the chicken enchiladas while Jamie went for the Carnitas Tacos. Both came with something I had never had before – Mexico City Street Corn.  It was covered in a mixture of cheese, butter, and mayonnaise and was quite good.

After lunch we headed back down to lake at Big Cedar Lodge to go kayaking. It’s one of the complimentary activities at this resort and it was fun and restful on the calm lake.

We finished our day with a dip in the pool and Devil’s Pool before heading back to our private cabin at Big Cedar Lodge. It was the perfect relaxation to finish up an amazing road trip to Missouri.

Arriving at the Top of the Rock

My friend Jaimee and I were back in the car to continue our Missouri road trip. Our next stop was at Big Cedar Lodge, just past Branson in Ridgedale.

The drive was just over two hours and quite scenic, but not quite as amazing as the property Big Cedar Lodge was on. 

We were amazed by the scenes of hills and lakes, wildlife and forestry.

Our cabin wasn’t ready yet so we first went to the Devil’s Pool Restaurant for lunch. It too had a view to remember.

The meal was also memorable as I had soup and a pizza with Italian sausage and roasted grape tomatoes and Jamie head a turkey club sandwich.

We had our leftovers with us as we crossed the covered bridge and headed to our cabin.

We were put up in the Tony Stewart log cabin at Big Cedar Lodge. It was quite spacious, with two bedrooms, a large living room with a big stone fireplace, and a fully stocked kitchen.

The lodge provided us with a nice basket of snacks and some wine.

The only thing about the cabin that took me by surprise were the stuffed animals on the wall, but Jaimee reminded me that we were at a lodge after all.

My bedroom was quite comfortable with a king size bed and a full bathroom. We also had a deck with a view of the lake.

After we were settled in, Public Relations Manager Michelle Wait met with us to give us a tour of the property.  She took us up to Top of the Rock, where one of the attractions is an Ozarks Heritage Preserve.

The preserve explains previous inhabitants to this area, including the woolly mammoth and the saber tooth cat. We toured the restaurants up there. All had spectacular views of the Table Rock Lake, the golf course, and the chapel below.

We were also able to see the Wine Cellar bar and some of the private dining rooms.

Before we headed back down to the lodge we also stopped in the store to check out some local and natural food and cosmetic products.

After the tour, Jaimee stayed back at the room while I went down to the Swimmin’ Hole pool and hot tubs to relax for a bit before dressing for dinner.

We drove back up to the Top of the Rock for our dinner at Osage. We were lucky enough to get a table with an amazing view of the sunset and the bagpipe ceremony. It was all breathtaking to watch.

As for the meal, it was also fantastic. We started with cocktails (I loved the Poison Arrow with Southern Comfort, Amaretto, and pineapple juice) and a fresh and tasty Burrata tomato salad.

For a main course, I thoroughly enjoyed the Braised Short Ribs while Jaimee raved over the locally caught trout, served amandine with spinach and basmati rice.

We finished with two luscious desserts: a Hazelnut German Chocolate Bomb with coconut ice cream; and a Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Sandwich served with chocolate sauce.

Before we left the Top of the Rock we marveled at the sight of the golf course at night.  We then went back to our cabin for a glass of wine on our deck to talk about the things we wanted to do the next day at Big Cedar Lodge.