Oklahoma Trail Days 2-3: Memphis

Our trip from Pigeon Forge to Memphis took a lot longer than expected due to some really bad weather and I-40 being shut down for multiple car pile-ups. It took us about 11 hours to make a 7.5 hour trip, but thanks to Navy Knowledge Online, I had the Hunger Games audiobook to keep me occupied while trying to distract myself from my heavy bladder waiting for the interstate to reopen.

Our big plan for Memphis was to sample lots of BBQ and use our expert palates to rate the best. We learned a valuable lesson here: don't trust Yelp. We wasted an hour going to 3 different BBQ places that no longer exist between Nashville and Memphis. We accepted defeat and made our plans for Memphis BBQ. We found a list of highly rated places and decided to test them out for ourselves. First, we went to Tops BBQ, which was rated highest on 2 different lists. We have no idea why. It was good, but nothing impressive. The sauce was vinegar-based, and we were not fans. But this did not stop Luke from eating both a pulled pork and a beef brisket sandwich, shown here:

Our next sample was far superior. Word of mouth definitely proved to be better than any list we found online. Central BBQ was awesome. It opened at 11:00 am, we got there at 11:15, and the line was out the door. The BBQ was more smokey and they had a lot of sauce options - all good. Thanks to Meg and Haley for the suggestion!

Other fun in Memphis included breakfast with friends at Brother Junipers, which was awesome. My Irish appetite loves a good breakfast potato, and they've got it. Afterward, we took a private tour of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (thanks, Lauren!). I felt like I made my Tri Delta trip to Mecca. The hospital was amazing, so fun, and full of smiling faces. We even got to see the Tri Delt wing, but unfortunately did not find the Gamma Xi broom closet. I knew their cure rates were high, but we also learned about the ridiculously high caliber of physicians there. They're cranking out so much research, including new drugs that are killing leukemia, and winning awards all over the place. I was so glad we got to see it on our way! If you get a chance to go, definitely do it. And maybe give them $5. They're completely non-profit and CURING KIDS OF CANCER. And not charging them a dime for it.