Memphis has never really been on my list of cities to visit. In fact, I’ve never been south of the Mason-Dixon line outside of Florida so when I learned that the 2019 edition of Audacity Fest would take place in Memphis, I was curious and a bit apprehensive considering the state of… well… the States.
I ended up having a fun and educational weekend that was a nice departure from my usual travels.
How to Get Around in Memphis
Since all the events I attended were walking distance to my hotel, I didn’t spend a lot of money on transportation. I took one Uber ride to the National Civil Rights Museum since I was running late for an event. Then, one Lyft ride to the airport hotel the evening before my departure. Downtown Memphis has 3 trolley lines for those who don’t feel like walking. One ride is $1. Daily passes are also available.
Where to Stay in Memphis
Although there were two hotels offering discounted prices for the festival, I did my own thing and booked two hotels with Marriott Bonvoy points: the Residence Inn Memphis Downtown and the Courtyard by Mariott Memphis Airport. Total cost: $0.
Although my stay was short, I really enjoyed my time at the Residence Inn thanks to its friendly staff. The receptionist Irma was like the Southern auntie I never had, making sure everything was good with me and that I was safe. The kitchen/restaurant staff were also the first employees I met in a US hotel that didn’t look miserable and/or grumpy.
Communication
I topped up my trusty Always Online Wireless SIM card with 1GB of data for the weekend. It was just enough to last me until my Monday morning flight.
Itinerary
Day 0 – Montreal – New York City – Memphis
Audacity Fest VIP Ticket: $150 USD
Flight from Montreal to Memphis with Delta: 19.5k SkyMiles + $84.90 CAD
Lunch at the LGA Delta SkyClub: FREE with AMEX Platinum and Delta boarding pass
Shuttle from Memphis Airport to Sheraton Memphis Downtown: FREE (stroke of luck as I was on the same flight as one of the speakers and was able to hitch a ride with her)
Residence Inn Memphis Downtown: $0 | 50k points for two nights with breakfast included
Uber to National Civil Rights Museum: $10.75 CAD
Private Tour of the National Civil Rights Museum: FREE (included in VIP ticket)
Dinner at SAGE Restaurant: $40 USD
I had three things in my mind when searching for flights for this trip. One, it had to be cheap. Two, I had to be in Memphis by 5pm to be able to attend the Civil Rights Museum Tour at 6pm. Three, I wanted to be back in Montreal by noon the following day in case I would be needed at work. For someone who books flights by the deal (as opposed to booking by the dates), these were a lot of parameters to work with. Thankfully, I had a bunch of unused AMEX points which left me with two options: booking with Air Canada or booking with Delta. They both required close to the same amount of points but I already had a few points with Delta. Plus, if I flew with Delta, I would have access to their SkyClubs which are slightly better than most US Priority Pass lounges. So, in the end, I chose Delta and paid around 20k points and less than $100 in taxes (which is impressive coming from a Canadian airport).
I arrived in Memphis around 5pm. My initial plan was to catch a Lyft to my hotel since there was a promo that was half of Uber’s price and riding with Lyft also gives me SkyMiles. Unfortunately, the app was bugging so I had to fall back to Uber. Just as the driver was on its way, I noticed the Audacity Fest shuttle pulling up at the Arrivals area. I was confused since the shuttle was scheduled to end at 4pm. Well, it turns out one of the panel speakers was on my flight so I ended up getting a ride downtown for free!
The shuttle’s final stop was the Sheraton Downton. As mentioned above, I had booked the Residence Inn Downtown. So when we arrived, I hauled ass to my hotel on foot (it was only 15 minutes away). After a quick check-in, I dropped off my luggage in my room, went back down, and called an Uber to get the Civil Rights Museum. I made it shortly after 6pm. Success!
The National Civil Rights Museum is located at the Lorraine Motel. The Lorraine was a landmark in Memphis as it welcomed black travelers during the Jim Crow era. Several black celebrities stayed there and it appeared in the “Negro Motorists Green Book,” a guide that listed establishments that were safe for black travelers. The motel is now famous for being the site where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated outside of his room in 1968.
The museum visit was very moving and educational. We had the museum to ourselves for a few hours and it honestly wasn’t enough. I could easily have spent half a day in there. The whole space shows the history of African-Americans through time. It starts with the enslaved Africans off the coast of West Africa and ends with a viewing of MLK’s room as it was when he died. In-between, there were exhibits on the Reconstruction Era, Jim Crow, school integration, Montgomery bus boycott, the Freedom Riders, the sanitation workers’ strike, the Black Panthers and Black Power. I had to rush towards the end as it was getting late so everything after Black Power was a blur until I stood in front of MLK’s room viewing window. The only word to describe what it was like standing there is silence. Everyone stands in line and patiently walks to the window as if we’re all paying our respects even though there’s no one there. Some people cry, some people are angry, some are numb, some are all of the above. It was like being at a funeral. I was glad that I got to visit the museum with a community of fellow black travelers. I don’t think the vibe would have been the same during a regular visit with random tourists.
Not knowing where to go afterwards, I tagged along with a group of ladies who were at the museum to SAGE restaurant where we had a great dinner and discussed travel and dating.
Day 1 – Audacity Fest
Audacity Festival Main Event at Beale Street Landing: Included in VIP ticket
Late Lunch from a food truck at the festival: $10 USD
Reading of AfroRoma play by Dr. Goddess: FREE
The following day was all about Audacity Fest, a festival for travelers of color by travelers of color. I attended several panels including Remote Working Lifestyle, Our Outdoors, 6 Figure Blog, and Content Creation. There were a few other panels that I wanted to attend but the scorching heat made sitting outside unbearable. It wasn’t a huge loss though as it forced me to attend panels that weren’t necessarily on my list like Learning A Language, and I was able to meet other like-minded travelers during the downtime.
The festival pretty much took up the entire day. There was an afterparty in the evening but I opted to skip it as I had some work to do. In the late evening, I attended a reading of part of a play about international black love. The story was hilarious and would have capped off a great day if the fire alarm hadn’t interrupted our post-reading discussion.
Day 2 – Nomadness Travel Tribe Brunch
Nomadness Travel Tribe Brunch at 409 South Main: Included in VIP ticket
Dinner at 99c Soul Food Express: $8 USD
Ice Cream at Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream and Treatery: ~$7USD
Lyft to Courtyard by Marriott Memphis Airport: $5 USD
Courtyard by Marriott Memphis Airport: $0 | 17.5k points for one night with complimentary airport shuttle
My last full day in Memphis began with a brunch for Audacity Fest’s VIP attendees and Nomadness Travel Tribe members. The food was great but there was noticeable lack of mimosas and the kitchen staff didn’t seem to be ready for the high demand of chicken and waffles. The highlights of the brunch were the two very interesting talks with special guests. One of the talks was sort of a mutual interview between Deesha Dyer, former White House Social Secretary during Obama’s second term, and Evita Robinson, founder of Nomadness and Audacity Fest. The second talk was an intergenerational panel about the differences in travel between baby boomers and millenials. Both talks were super educational and opened my eyes to life in the States, a bit like the museum did. Starting the weekend with the Civil Rights museum and ending it with intergenerational black travel really brought everything full circle.
After the brunch, a few of us had an early dinner at a soul food restaurant across the street from the brunch venue. The food was good, but not the mind-blowing soul food that people rave about. We then went for a walk on Main Street, hunting for murals and doing the required photoshoots in front of them. A delicious ice cream at Maggie Moo’s topped off the afternoon – ask for the “Staycation,” you won’t regret it – and then we went our separate ways.
I finally got my Lyft account working and took a cheap ride to the Marriott by the airport as I had a 6am flight the following morning. The hotel was your basic convention center / airport hotel. Nothing to write home about. I went to bed satisfied with my short trip and a whole new set of Instagram friends.
Final Thoughts
I didn’t know what to expect going to Memphis. I ended up having a lot of fun and meeting a lot of interesting people who live the same life as I do and/or live the kind of live I aspire to live. As for the city itself, there’s a lot of history still to uncover and I wouldn’t say no to a return visit. I only barely scratched the surface of the things to see and do.
Trip Breakdown
International Flight: 19.5k SkyMiles + $84.90 CAD
Accomodations: $0 | 67.5k Marriott Bonvoy points
- Residence Inn Memphis Downtown: 50k points (2 nights)
- Courtyard by Marriott Memphis Airport: 17.5k points (1 night)
Transportation: $14 USD
- Shuttle from Memphis Airport to Downtown Memphis: FREE
- Uber to National Civil Rights Museum: ~$8 USD | $10.75 CAD
- Trolley Ride up Main Street: $1 USD
- Lyft to Courtyard Memphis Airport: $5 USD
Activities: $250 USD
- Audacity Fest VIP Ticket: $250 USD
- National Civil Rights Museum Tour: Included in VIP ticket
- Audacity Festival: Included in VIP ticket
- AfroRoma Reading: FREE
- Nomadess Travel Tribe Brunch: Included in VIP ticket
Food: ~$65 USD
- Dinner at SAGE restaurant: $40 USD
- Lunch/Dinner at Audacity Fest: $10 USD
- Dinner at 99c Soul Food Express: $8 USD
- Ice Cream at Maggie Moo’s: ~$7 USD
Other Expenses: $7.99 USD
- 1GB Data plan: $7.99 USD
Total: ~$536 CAD
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