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This is a sponsored guest post written by Memphis Travel on behalf of Memphis CVB. Post powered by Sponzai.

More than just the home of the blues and barbeque, Memphis gives you plenty of ways to play around, with fun things to do no matter who you are or what you like. Of course, if you’re into Elvis, rock-and-roll and mouth-watering ribs, you’ve got to check out Graceland, Sun Studios, and the Rendezvous. But Memphis has much more to offer than this holy trinity of southern culture, with enough to see, do and eat to make it the perfect location for your next long weekend getaway. 
    The families out there (or the wild at heart) should be sure to check out the Memphis Zoo, one of only four U.S. zoos with giant pandas. Recently ranked the #1 zoo in the U.S. by TripAdvisor.com, the Memphis Zoo lets you get up close and personal with the animal kingdom. And with the recent addition the Northwest Passage, home to Polar bears in a see-through underwater exhibit, and the zoo’s newest section, Teton Trek, kids and adults alike are certain to have a blast.
    Don’t let your midtown experience stop at the zoo; the Cooper-Young and Overton Square neighborhoods are just down the street. Ask a local Memphian where to find a tasty bite to eat, great local music and ice cold beer, and they will probably direct you here. Speaking of beer … the environmentally conscious visitor can enjoy a locally brewed beer by Ghost River Brewing or walk through the natural landscape and educational facilities at the Lichterman Nature Center.
    Memphis has museums for just about everything. From the Civil Rights Museum, Cotton Museum and Fire Museum in downtown to the Brooks Museum, Children’s Museum of Memphis and the Pink Palace Museum further east, the number of places to have fun while you learn are as bountiful as the barbeque restaurants. Families, friends, sports fans, history buffs, self-proclaimed food critics – Memphis has everything you need to keep everyone happy.
     So when you visit Memphis, stay a few extra days. Even the locals don’t run out of things to do. And to make it easy, memphistravel.com is launching a new travel guide to help you plan your next vacation. Simply choose from a list of interests and you’ll be given a sample itinerary with lots of great ideas. You can also register for a chance to win one of twelve trip packages that include tours, gift certificates to Memphis’ favorite restaurants, hotel stays and more. Go to itinerary.memphistravel.com to get started.

had a fabulous 4th with the wife and kids out at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Yes, it was hot and crowded but that’s pretty much a given at any independence day celebration.

we arrived there at 3:30pm (30 minutes after the gates opened) and surprise, surprise, the entire lawn area was already full. we took a spot under the pine trees next to the lake in order to get some shade which ended up being an OK spot. Still had a good view of the stage and was in a good position to hear the symphony over the noise of the crowd. and man did it get crowded. our area didn’t really get that bad until around 7pm when the symphony took the stage. every inch of space got used. it’s amazing how many people could fit into one spot. there literally wasn’t any space left for people to walk through. folks needing to go to the concession stand or the bathroom had to simply walk over people to get there. at one point when I took the boys to the bathroom, I could not, for the life of me, find my way back to our spot through the sea of people. Luckily the boys had a better sense of direction and led us back to our chairs but I personally would have ended up searching in the wrong section of the venue.

the fireworks display wasn’t the best I’ve seen in my lifetime but it served its purpose. I’d rate it better than the ones at the NC State fairgrounds though. all in all, we had fun. I could have done without the huge crowd but what are ya gonna do? The NC symphony was nice to hear and we packed enough food and drink to keep the boys satisfied.

Next time though, I’m bringing a large umbrella to shade ourselves from the hot sun. They don’t allow any “staking” or tents and such but holding or propping up a big umbrella for shade seems to be OK with the venue. The other thing I’d do next time is to arrive even earlier – maybe 2:30pm to try to get a spot on the lawn. but then again, sitting around the entire day for some run of the mill fireworks doesn’t really sound all that enticing, does it?

anyway, the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves and that’s what it’s all about really – creating memories with your family, right?
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