Benjamin visited the Memphis area as part of a solo trip during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. He flew to Memphis International Airport and spent a night in nearby Collierville. A few days later, he returned to Memphis and hiked the Big River Crossing, which is the longest pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River, and the second longest pedestrian bridge in the country. The trail utilizes the Harahan Railroad Bridge to cross the river and provides nice views of the Memphis skyline. It was a unique experience to have trains crossing just feet away from the trail, and to see so many different railroads at the same time (Union Pacific, CSX, BNSF, and Norfolk Southern all had trains pass by in the short time of his visit). Before returning to the airport, Benjamin also stopped at Martyrs Park (named for the individuals who lost their lives trying to help during a yellow fever epidemic in 1878).
We entered Tennessee at Newfound Gap in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and drove north through the park to Gatlinburg. We explored the shops in Gatlinburg, had a nice dinner at Calhoun’s Taste of Tennessee, and spent a night at the Bearskin Lodge.
The next day we drove to Knoxville where we saw the World’s Fair Park and Sunsphere. We then continued west to Nashville where we toured Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. The tour included the mansion, cabins, and tomb of Andrew Jackson. In downtown Nashville we toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, explored the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, and saw the Tennessee State Capitol.
After driving west to Memphis, we had a wonderful meal at Central BBQ, rode to the top of the Memphis Pyramid observation deck for nice views of the Mississippi River, and toured Graceland (home of Elvis Presley).