Logo graphic by Mike Hortens Design

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri


Arkansas:  Did you know that the post office in Texarkana straddles the Texas/Arkansas State Line and is the only federal building in the United States that is in two states!  


And another great thing about Texarkana is the Old Tyme Burger Shoppe, because they have chocolate meringue pie!  Do you know how hard it is to find good chocolate meringue pie? 

Our trip to Little Rock was also a treat, as we were able to visit with some very dear family and friends!  We saw a comedy show at The Joint: Theater and Coffeehouse.  For those of you from Houston, you may remember Steve and Vicki Farrell from Radio Music Theater.  The two of them, plus another comedian, perform the most hilarious shows featuring several characters from “Dumpster, Arkansas”.
 

Tennessee:  Music is definitely a common thread for all the people we met in Tennessee!  From the group from Memphis that we met at the Peabody when watching the Duck March, to those we met from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain during our tours, it was exciting to connect through our love of music. 

Memphis Peabody Duck March


I was impressed with how many people from other countries come to the U.S. to tour specific music destinations across America, whether they come to honor those who are gone (Elvis) or to see artists live in concert! 

Graceland: Elvis' grave

Graceland: Jungle Room

Elvis' Pink Cadillac

We really enjoyed touring Graceland; however, the highlight of Memphis was our tour of Sun Studio.  One tip we learned about that was a help was to park at Sun Studio, take the tour there and then take their shuttle to Graceland.

Memphis: Sun Studio


Missouri:  We only spent a couple of days in St. Louis.  Since we really enjoy sculpture, we went to the Laumeier Sculpture Park.  Here are a couple of our favorite pieces.

"Eye" by Tony Tasset (2007)
 
"Crete" by Charles Ginnever (1978-78)

The grounds and fountains of Forest Park where the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair was held are absolutely spectacular and the impressive St. Louis Art Museum sits amidst the beauty of the park.  We got a tip from a local tour guide to have lunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park.  This was a great idea!  Speaking of the local tour guides, we met several of them touring the Gateway Arch and it’s newly opened exhibits.  They were fun to chat with and very generous in giving suggestions and tips for our trip.  

St. Louis Art Museum

Our view from the Gateway Arch wasn’t the best since it was a cloudy day, but it’s still a must-do when visiting St. Louis.  The park around the arch is beautiful and the views of the Mississippi River are worth the trip.

St. Louis: Gateway Arch