Saturday, April 13. Packed up. Loaded up the truck. We left Gulfport and headed north. We listen to our heading home playlist and before we knew it we were in Jackson, Mississippi. We went to the Manship for lunch. They had a big beer list but I stuck to water thinking about some beer later. Karla got hueveos rancheros and I got the Lucy brunch burger. Both were really good. I also had some tasty Gouda grits. After lunch we walked down the block to Fertile Grounds Beer Company. It looked like they were getting ready for a big day. It’s a big brewery with lots of indoor and outdoor spaces. We got a couple beers. I got a tasty hazy IPA and Karla got a gose. We sat outside for a bit and then walked around and looked at some of the pop up shops. Some interesting pottery and Karla looked at some clothes but we didn’t buy anything.

After the brewery we headed north again. We stopped at Duck Hill for gas and bathroom and then to Memphis. We checked into Arrive and left the truck with the valet. We brought our bags upstairs. Just a quick stop and we went to the National Civil Rights Museum . Really amazing place. We only had an hour and a half. Not enough time to see everything. What we saw was incredible. Including the last hotel rooms of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Just two blocks away was Wiseacre Brewing. Really big and funky. We got some beers and found a place to sit. We also ordered a pizza. The pizza was bigger than expected and delicious. I got another beer and Karla got a house made vodka soda. I bought some socks, a tin tacker and a sticker. We went back to the hotel and dropped off our stuff. We went out walking on Main Street towards Beale Street. It was a beautiful evening. We stopped in the Green Beetle. We sat at the bar and I had a Wiseacre Pilsner and Karla had a vodka soda. The UFL was on tv and there was a guy giving away t-shirts. Karla took one but I left mine at the bar. We kept walking and turned on to Beale Street. The street was blocked off from cars and there were a lot of people around. We went in a store and bought a postcard and some records. We kept walking and stopped in a bar but the only spots available were close to the stage and it was really loud so we didn’t stay. We walked some more and found the Withers gallery with a photo exhibit. We gave a donation and looked around. Really incredible photos. Probably some that were in the civil rights museum. Next to the gallery was Ghost River Brewing. We stopped in and sat at the bar. They had music going on the back patio so most people were out there. We tried a couple beers and talked to the beertender. I bought a baseball jersey that is pretty cool. We were at the end of Beale Street. They now had a checkpoint complete with a walk through metal detector to get on the street. That wasn’t there earlier. We started heading back. We stopped in Club Handy. It is a small bar that is open on two sides. The band was between songs and asked us where we were from. He said give it up for Hackensack Minnesota on the mic. I got a rum punch and Karla got a coconut drink. The band started a song but mostly it was him saying two drink minimum and tip the band. After the song he introduced the band and said the drummer was 92 years old. They started another song but we didn’t stick around. We took our drinks and kept walking. We took our time walking back and by the time we got to the end we were done with our drinks. There was now a checkpoint at this end too.

We walked back on Main Street to our hotel. We went to the lobby bar but it was really busy. I suggested going to the basement bar Longshots. It was also busy but a lot bigger. We got some drinks at the bar and took them to a booth in the back. It was quiet back there. But two minutes after we sat down, the music got a lot louder. And there was a speaker right above our booth. Karla went up and asked if it could be turned down. They said no, as it got later the music gets louder. I looked at the time and it was just after 10:30. Must be one of the times to turn it up. We moved to a booth closer to the bar. There wasn’t a speaker so the music was not as loud, but there were a lot of people (kids) around and they were loud. We finished our drinks and went back to the lobby. It was almost empty and time for last call. Karla got a cocktail from their menu and I got a buffalo trace on the rocks. The bartender poured my drink and started making Karla’s. But then he forgot what he was doing. He started talking to some other customers and we had to remind him about Karla’s drink. We talked for a bit and finished our drinks. That was it for a really fun day.