Earlier this month, Commercial Appeal journalist Frederic Koeppel put Life books, Dream Destinations:  100 of the Worlds Best Vacations, to the test, visiting Graceland, the Stax Museum of Soul Music, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Rock N Soul Museum with a gaggle of enthusiastic teenagers serving as his co-critics.

For the rest of the summer, I’m going to delve into the specifics of self-piloted “theme” tours – think history, cuisine, sports, and shopping, i.e. everything that, when gas was under $3 a gallon, would pull you to New Orleans, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Dallas.

I’ll start you off with a few hints for a rock’n’roll getaway.

If you’re willing to splurge, book a room at the Peabody Hotel, where rock legends like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith like to stay when they’re in town. Take a vacation from road rage by signing up for a music-themed tour with Backbeat Tours, Shangri-la Projects Ultimate Rock ‘N Roll Tours, or American Dream Safari.

If you’re on a tight budget, you don’t have to dream that big.

Load up your CD player with plenty of Memphis-centric tunes (for ideas, check out online radio station AllMemphisMusic.com), then start off on a driving tour of Memphis’ Top 5 recording studios at Sun Studio.

Acknowledged around the world as the birthplace of rock’n’roll, Sun is located just east of downtown at 706 Union Avenue. This humble building is where recording guru Sam Phillips helped upstarts like Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner, and, yes, Elvis attain everlasting fame.

Sam Phillips’ Recording Studio, which opened after Phillips sold Sun to Shelby Singleton, stands a few blocks north of Sun at 639 Madison Avenue. It’s the funky green building with classic ‘50s architecture. Don’t stop in without an appointment, though – Roland Janes, the engineer at Phillips, stays busy working on projects with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis.

American Studios might not be a name you recognize today, but from the mid-1960s through the mid-‘70s, American was pumping out hits, including the Gentrys’ “Keep On Dancing,” the Box-Tops’ “The Letter,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds,” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” Today, however, the studio site at Thomas and Chelsea in North Memphis is nothing more than a vacant lot.

At 2000 Madison, Ardent Recording Studios bustles like a hive full of bees as artists ranging from Jack White and the Raconteurs to contemporary Christian star Todd Agnew work on future masterpieces. With a client list that boasts such names as Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Cat Power, R.E.M., the Replacements, Three 6 Mafia, Soundgarden, and ZZ Top, Ardent is the city’s topnotch recording facility. If you’re planning a celebrity stake-out, I recommend the Kwik Chek convenience store/deli across the street, Molly’s La Casita, next door, or the venerable indie store Shangri-la Records, just down the block.

South of Ardent, Young Avenue Sound, which is located at 2258 Young Avenue in the Cooper-Young neighborhood, serves as a haven for rappers and indie rockers alike. The sleek studio spaces at Young Avenue Sound were designed by Alan Stewart, the genius behind Abbey Road’s Penthouse Studio and Jimi Hendrix’ New York haven Electric Ladyland. Don’t miss garage rock hangout Goner Records store, a few doors west at 2152 Young.

If guitars are your thing, take a tour at the Gibson Guitar Factory, where you’ll be able to watch replicas of B.B. King’s Lucille model – the Gibson SG – roll down the assembly line. Or visit Xanadu Music & Books in Midtown, where store owner/inventor John Lowe sells cigar box “Lowebows” as fast as he can make them.

Spend a day absorbing the details of Memphis’ music history, then spend your evening club hopping. Whether you’re local or a tourist, Beale Street proves hard to resist – but if blues is your bag, you may want to check out the scene at the tiny Wild Bill’s Social Club, located at 1580 Vollentine Avenue. And no matter who’s on the bill, adventuresome rock types will dig the vibe at the Hi-Tone Café, which will host the Memphis Pops Fest July 25-26th and Rock For Love 2, an annual benefit for the Church Health Center, in late August.

Don’t get me started on politics!

Hot topics like the impending presidential election, the war in Iraq, and the current gas crisis are better left untouched when we have so many other fun Memphis things going on around here.

Even so, when it comes to the Independence Day holiday, I love to show off the red-white-and-blue via an all-American celebration. A cook out is de rigueur – I don’t have a grill (yet), so I’ll probably join Midtown friends at their place, and chow down on perfectly charred hamburgers with all the fixings. Fun cocktails are a necessity – after all, in 1778, General George Washington’s soldiers celebrated the second-ever Independence Day with a double-ration of rum and an artillery salute (hopefully not in that order!).

If I’m up in time, I’ll head over to the historic Central Gardens neighborhood for their homey Fourth of July Parade, which starts in the early a.m. on the tree-lined corner of Carr and Rozelle. And whether you’re a Memphis resident or a tourist just visiting for the weekend, you’ll want to head downtown to Tom Lee Park for the Star Spangled Celebration, a family-friendly affair that actually kicks off at 3, with fireworks scheduled for 9 p.m.

This year, however, I’m gonna start my Fourth of July celebration a day early, by having what my friend Jason Potter calls “a nine-inning vacation” at AutoZone Park, where, Potter estimates, the national anthem has been sung more than 800 times since the stadium opened in 2000. After all, what’s more American than baseball? On July 3rd, the Memphis Redbirds take on the Nashville Sounds. I’m gonna grab a foot-long hot dog, and maybe a bowl of those Rendezvous barbecue nachos. When the time comes, I’ll stand up, place my hand over my heart, and proudly sing, “Oh say can you see,” the opening lines of Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner.” Then I’m gonna sit back and watch Rico Washington sink a homer over the fence. I’ll laugh at the kids dancing the Rocky Shuffle, and I’ll ooh and ahh over the pyrotechnics display that will light up the night. Of course, I define myself as a Memphian first and foremost. I’m equally proud of my Southern roots. But I know that the rights and privileges that being an American entails matter most. If you want to see the Redbirds wallop the Sounds on July 3rd, get your tickets now – Potter, the team’s marketing director, says the game is a guaranteed sell-out. Buy tickets here, or at the AutoZone box office. Looking for other ways to celebrate Independence Day?

Bellevue Baptist Church gets the party started a week early, with their Starlight Spectacular (patriotic and contemporary Christian music, games, food, and fireworks) on Sunday, June 29th, beginning at 7 p.m.

On July 3rd, you can catch the Bartlett Fireworks Extravaganza at Bobby K. Flaherty Municipal Center, which is located at Highway 79 and Appling Road. Expect a car show, food, music, and more, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Also on July 3rd: Collierville’s 23rd annual Independence Day Celebration, held at H.W. Cox Park, which is located at 350 W. Powell Road; and Hernando, Mississippi’s kid-oriented Picnic and Parade around the town square, which is less than 20 miles south of Memphis.

On July 4th, Germantown hosts its Annual Family Fourth of July Celebration at the Municipal Park on Exeter Road. The party starts at 5 p.m.; fireworks are scheduled for 9:10.

The same day, Olive Branch, Mississippi hosts a “Celebrate Your Independence” event at the Olive Branch City Park. In Southaven, Snowden Grove Park will be the site of a fabulous fireworks display slated to begin at dusk.

Memphis is one hot city and is absolutely full of ways to cool down.  Whether you want to dive in a pool, splash around in a fountain, or cool off with a great big decadent ice cream Sunday you can get your cool on here:

Check out the rooftop pool at downtown’s Comfort Inn (100 N. Front Street, 901-526-0583,  ). From the street, you’d never know it, but this hotel is home to the most panoramic swimming pool in the city. First, you’ll need to check into a room, of course, so slap down your credit card (rooms are typically $139.99-149.99), then make your way to the ninth floor. There, a watery oasis awaits you – 30,000 gallons of the blue stuff, in a palatial pool that measures approximately 20 by 40 feet. Plop down in one of the dozen chaise lounges set up on the gleaming deck, or dive right in and practice your backstroke. Just be sure to keep your eyes open and appreciate the view.

Get wet in the fountains and water sprays at Peabody Park (2135 Higbee Ave, at Cooper Street). Midtown moms in the know bring their kids to Peabody Park for ice-cold playtime. Just look for the whimsical space-themed sculptures (created by local metalsmith Yvonne Bobo under the aegis of the UrbanArt Commission), which guide visitors to the perfect spot for cooling off. Peabody Park access is free, and running through the water spray is fun for all ages.

Take in Mud Island River Park (125 N. Front Street, 901-576-7241, ). Learn a little bit of geography as you cool off in Mud Island’s River Walk, a 5-block long replica of the lower Mississippi. Older visitors will appreciate the natural history lesson, while youngsters will love wading from Cairo, Illinois all the way to New Orleans. Admission to the park is free – or, for $2, you can rent a pedal boat and spend 30 minutes cruising around the park’s 1-acre, 1.3 million gallon replica of the Gulf of Mexico. For more adventurous sorts, harbor canoe or kayak rentals are $20 an hour.

Treat yourself to an old-fashioned frozen dessert at Wiles-Smith Drug Store (1635 Union Avenue, 901-278-6416) or Sweden Kream (1472 National, 901-454-5882). Both of these places are considered local institutions, for good reason: Made-to-order icy concoctions that have delighted generations of Memphians for nearly 50 years. At Midtown’s Wiles-Smith, you can’t go wrong with the Joe’s Special ($4.25), the thickest, richest, most gooey shake you can suck through a straw. Over at Sweden Kream, which is located in an older neighborhood on the north side of town, go for the Hot Fudge Cake ($3), a scoop of soft-serve vanilla that’s been sandwiched between two slices of chocolate cake, then coated in fudge sauce and whipped cream.

Cool down with a cocktail. I recommend the Pimm’s Cup ($6), which is served with a slice of cucumber, at Cooper Young’s Beauty Shop Restaurant (966 S. Cooper Street, 901-272-7111); the highly addictive CosmoPama ($13), which bartenders at Binghampton hang-out the Cove (2559 Broad, 901-730-0719) makes with Stoli vodka and pomegranate liqueur;  or anything mixologist David Parks of downtown’s Inn at Hunt Phelan (533 Beale Street, 901-525-8225) can shake and stir on the hotel’s shade-drenched veranda, which was originally built in 1824.

For the coldest drink of them all, just stroll right down Beale Street and straight into Wet Willies for a variety of frozen concoctions (209 Beale Street, 901-578-5650).  Try the mojito or strawberry daiquiri for starters or if you are really feeling up for a night of Memphis nightlife, go for Call-A-Cab…and you might need to after drinking this.

If you think you know a thing or two about Memphis, just wait!  We've got the goods on all the best kept secrets of this super cool city that will keep you wanting to come back for more.  Starting Thursday, June 19th we will be posting something new, different, out of the ordinary and just plain funky about M-town.  Be sure to check us out each week before you make your weekend plans because we are sure to sway your decision and turn you on to something you never knew about Memphis before...

Andria Lisle is the author of Waking Up in Memphis. Over the past decade, her stories and essays about the Memphis music scene have been chronicled in  MOJO, the Oxford American, NWA World Traveler, Stop Smiling, Wax Poetics, and Living Blues magazines, and in the books Jeff Buckley: A Wished For Song, Bill Wyman's Rolling with the Stones, and the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Her studies of southern food and culture have been published in Garden and Gun, Paste Magazine, Edible Memphis, and Where the Locals Eat. A former music columnist for the Memphis Flyer alt-news weekly, Lisle currently writes for Memphis' daily newspaper, the Commercial Appeal. She has also worked in the production department on Memphis-centric film projects including 21 Grams, Black Snake Moan, and Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story. Read her music blog, Memphis Music Confidential, at MemphisMC.com. 

The cool artwork you see on this blog is all original work by local artist, David Lynch.  Like what you see and want it for yourself?  Be sure to check out his work at www.davidlynchart.com.