On our recent trip through Tennessee earlier this year, we stayed at the ever so modern boutique Madison Hotel on Madison Avenue in Memphis, which is centrally located and only a 5 or so minute walk to the The Peabody Hotel, which exudes all things luxury and historic from the rooftop to the lobby.
The hotel has been around since 1869 and is most known for its “Peabody Ducks” that live on the hotel rooftop and make daily treks to the lobby. I had heard about this tradition from my grandparents as a child, so the duck walk so to speak, has been going on for quite awhile. While we didn’t stay there this time around, we did experience the longstanding Duck March that has been going on for so many years.
The original Peabody Hotel opened on the corner of Main & Monroe and immediately became the social and business hub of Memphis. In 1925 a newer, grander Peabody was built at its present location at Union and Second Street continuing the legacy of the “South’s Grand Hotel.”
You feel as if you’re in a historical legendary hotel in the Northeast more than the south, at least from it’s exterior. The rooms are beautifully done in old world style but with modern amenities and conveniences.
It was 1933 when ducks were originally placed in the hotel’s lobby fountain, setting in motion an 80-year tradition that continues today with the March of the Peabody Ducks. The Peabody name has become synonymous with the 5 North American mallard ducks that are now the living symbol of the Peabody brand.
It began in the early 1930’s after a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas that Frank Schutt, General Manager of The Peabody and his friend, Chip Barwick took. The story has it that after drinking a tad too much of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey, they thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys) in the Peabody fountain at the hotel.
Three small English call ducks were selected as “guinea pigs,” and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Soon, five North American Mallard ducks replaced the original ducks.
In 1940, Bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, offered to help with delivering the ducks to the fountain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March. The original ducks have long since gone, but after nearly 80 years, the marble fountain in the hotel lobby is still graced with ducks. The Peabody ducks march at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.
- The Peabody Ducks are five North American mallards – one drake (male) with white collar and green head, and four hens (females) with less colorful plumage. A funny factoid and not surprising is that duck is not served anywhere at The Peabody, and has not been seen on the hotel’s menus since its 1981 reopening, quite possibly making Chez Philippe the only French restaurant in the world that does not serve duck.
- The Peabody Ducks do not have individual names. However, the very first team of ducks were Peabody, Gayoso, and Chisca – named for the three hotels owned by the Memphis Hotel Company in 1933.
- The Peabody’s lobby fountain is cut from one enormous piece of travertine marble made and shipped from Italy for the hotel’s 1925 opening. When off-duty from the Lobby, the ducks live in their Royal Duck Palace on the hotel’s rooftop.
- They’re so well known because of their appearances over the years on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Sesame Street when Bert and Ernie in celebration of Rubber Ducky Day, The Oprah Winfrey Show, in People magazine and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Current Duckmaster Anthony Petrina, a Memphis native, is only the 5th Duckmaster in the hotel’s history. Original Duckmaster Edward Pembroke held the position for 50 years.
- Now for the duck march, as seen on the afternoon we were there in mid-January of this year.
Details:
The Peabody Hotel
149 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 529-4000
PHOTO CREDITS: Inside room and exterior of hotel credits courtesy of Peabody Hotel website. Others, taken by Renee Blodgett.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
