The Peabody hotel is found at 149 Union Ave, Memphis, Tennessee (TN 38103) in the USA which is right in the heart of Memphis just a short walk from the Gibson factory, Beale street and the famous , “ Rendezvous” rib restaurant where Elvis had ribs sent from to where ever he was in the USA.

Those of you who have read my previous reviews will know that we went to the USA in May 2009 with my daughter and her partner and we visited Memphis mainly to see Graceland but I was also very keen to see the famous Peabody ducks if we had time. If you have missed hearing about this quirky attraction then I urge you to visit YouTube and search for the Peabody ducks and you will see what I mean.
My review is specifically about this attraction at the hotel as we did not stay at the hotel. We did however sample quite a few drinks whilst waiting for the ducks to perform.

A BIT OF HOTEL HISTORY:

“The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of The Peabody Hotel and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg. The Peabody is the Paris Ritz, the Cairo Shepherd's, the London Savoy of this section. If you stand near its fountain in the middle of the lobby... ultimately you will see everybody who is anybody in the Delta...” -- Author/Historian David Cohn, 1935.

The Peabody Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and the 14-story hotel has been an landmark in Memphis for many years. It was originally built in 1869 and just prior to it being completed George Peabody, a man who had contributed a lot to the America South, died and so the hotel was named in his honour. The present hotel was built in 1925 in the same style as the original Peabody hotel in an Italian Renaissance style.

Prior to the mid 1960s liquor was only sold in sealed bottles in liquor stores and so the Peabody bar would not sell liquor. People brought their own bottles which were handed to the barman and labelled and then drinks were mixed from people’s bottles when asked.

In the 1970s the hotel closed as Memphis was struggling financially but luckily it was bought in 1975 and after a major refurbishment was reopened in 1981 and since this time Memphis downtown area has been undergoing a bit of a revival, helped by the interest in blues music and Elvis and possibly the increase in wealth generally which has enabled more people to travel and explore more interesting places.

THE DUCKS:

The tradition of the ducks, so the story goes, started when the manager of the hotel at the time in the 1930s ( said to be 1933 by the Peabody hotel ) thought it would be funny to put his live decoy ducks in the fountain of the hotel after he returned from one of his hunting trips. It seemed to amuse the guests in the hotel and so since then there have been ducks in the fountain in the bar area of the hotel every day.
In 1940 one of the bellmen, an Edward Pembroke volunteered to look after the ducks and became the first “Duck master”, a position he kept until 1991. He taught the ducks to march into the hotel lobby and so began the famous Peabody Duck March.

THE DUCK MARCH TODAY:

Today the Duck master is called Jason. He wears a smart red jacket and carries a long cane when escorting the famous five. Every day at 11am the ducks come down in the lift from the Duck Palace on the roof escorted by Jason and they then march across the red carpet from the lift to the fountain. There are red carpeted steps to help them in to their watery day home which is an amazing ornate Italian style marble fountain made of a solid block of Italian travertine marble.. Jason then rolls up the red carpet and removes the steps until they are needed again at 5pm when the performance is repeated in reverse.

We were there for the 5pm return to Penthouse march. We actually arrived at about 4pm and sat enjoying watching the ducks in the fountain and sitting after our day on our feet at Graceland and then Beale Street. My daughter and husband had gone to the Gibson factory and museum so we were just having a peaceful drink or two. It was lovely to watch the ducks splashing around in the fountain. Every now and then they would take it upon themselves to swim round and round at great speed before stopping and resting on a ledge or just drifting gently in the current created by the swimming just before.

The drinks were not expensive considering that this is THE hotel in Memphis and they were providing a wonderful attraction as well. There is no charge to watch, no collection plate and in fact you did not even have to buy a drink in order to stay and watch the Duck March.

About 15 minutes before the Ducks were due to perform Jason brought out the red carpet and laid it ceremoniously across the floor. The steps were there but not against the fountain as yet. At about 5pm Jason gave a short talk about the history of the ducks and also explained that the ducks are not all the same, they stay for about 6 weeks I think before new ducks are brought to take their place. He also invited anyone up to see the Duck Palace on the roof. He then also asked that children be allowed to sit along the carpet edge rather than adults and warned everyone that after a few steps what the ducks did was to give themselves a jolly good shake and so anyone nearby would also have a free shower.

At the appropriate time Jason placed the red carpeted steps against the fountain and tapped then with his cane. The ducks, accompanied by the King Cotton March by John Phillip Sousa, then proceed across a red carpet towards the hotel lift. They did indeed take about four steps then give a really good shake which sprayed water everywhere before proceeding. Once in the lift they then all turned and faced us before the doors shut and they went on their way upwards.

THE DUCK PALACE OR PENTHOUSE:

Having been invited to see the Duck Penthouse we felt it would be rude not to go so we waited about ten minutes for the lift to be free before heading up. This new “Duck Palace" located on the rooftop, was opened in 2008 to celebrate the 75th year of the duck tradition. The Palace has granite flooring, ceiling fans, a scale replica of the hotel, a fountain decorated with a pair of bronze ducks, and a large viewing window for people to see them in their new home. This Duck Palace cost approximately $200,000 to construct we were told by Jason so these ducks obviously do bring in quite an income for the hotel despite the fact there is no charge to see them.

I am not sure if the ducks appreciate it but there was a fantastic view of the Mississippi river from the roof. In fact you could see quite a bit of Memphis but the river was the best view as the rooftops were not that exciting and Memphis does not really have an iconic skyline. The places of interest in Memphis are really all on ground level.

FAMOUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE MET THE DUCKS:

From time to time celebrities who have visited have been privileged enough to be invited to be honorary “Duck master” (or Mistress) for the day and these include Stephen Fry when he did his trip round America recently. Other celebrities who have had this honour include Joan Collins, Molly Ringwald, Kevin Bacon, Patrick Swayze, Queen Noor of Jordan, and Oprah Winfrey. I was not asked to follow in these famous footsteps which was a bit of a disappointment but I suppose I am not quite as well known as these people and I did not bring my television cameras etc with me on the visit.

SUMMARY:

As I said when I started this review has been specifically about the Peabody Ducks who are probably the main reason the hotel is known today. We were made to feel very comfortable and there was no pressure to buy a drink. Everyone was welcomed and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. There were plenty of chairs and tables in the lobby/bar area. There was also a balcony area from which you could also see the ducks perform. The hotel was traditional and luxurious with an Italian style of decoration. There was not really any hint of a Southern American feel to the place except that they were very friendly and welcoming.

I would urge anyone who is near Memphis to make the effort to enjoy this quirky free and entertaining attraction. If you cannot make it to Memphis then take a look on You tube – it is well worth a look as they are so funny and a very different hotel attraction.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peabody+ducks+memphis&search_type=&aq=0&oq=peabody+ducks

Thank you for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name.

©Catsholiday