The Blue Heron-elegant urban studio in city center
Comfy & thoughtfully furnished apartment in the heart of Memphis hosted by real people who live next door. Private & meticulously clean with a restful bed, bath & kitchenette. Stretch out in the living room & enjoy Netflix on the fire tv & WiFi with a bag of popcorn or cup of coffee (provided) or in the shady backyard’s relaxing seating area. 5 min from the zoo & 10 to Downtown, 2 to Broad Ave––a fun place to shop, eat & drink.
This apartment is connected to a 2nd studio and there’s an Airstream in the backyard, also rented out separately or all together. There may be other guests on site during your stay but your apartment is only accessible to you.
Your stay provides a living wage for a refugee family who lives in the neighborhood and provides the housecleaning. Also, we donate a percentage of the profit from your stay to nonprofits that connect people in need with temporary housing. Thank you for staying with us!
We can usually provide an earlier check-in or later checkout with a $25 fee for the extra coordination with housekeeping that is required. Just message us and we’ll let you know if possible.
You may hear sounds like passing vehicles, overhead planes, etc. but this hasn’t bothered the large majority of our guests. We do provide a white noise machine as well as your plugs for light sleepers. NOTE: the neighborhood rooster mentioned in past reviews has moved away :-)
The following does For all other booking platforms, guests are required to complete our pre-arrival process including a photo of a valid ID, signing our rental conditions, and submitting a valid credit or debit card to be pre-approved for a security deposit (card will not be charged just authorized in case of damage or rule violation). This process needs to be completed before check-in. Enjoy exclusive use to your apartment (except for one locked cleaning closet & utility closet) and shared outdoor living with other guests in the front & back yards. The other apartment and airstream are inaccessible.
The house is located right off Poplar ave, the main thoroughfare through Memphis, and Sam Cooper (connects with I-40). Bus stops are close by on Poplar and Hollywood (check Go@gle Maps for transit directions). Uber & Lyft are great options for travel in Memphis.
If you need anything, you’re right across the backyard from the host’s home (check out 5000+ 5-star reviews). We are more than happy to answer questions or offer help if you need it. Just text or call and we'll either come by or if our family is out of town when you are there, a neighbor will be available as well.
We hope you thoroughly enjoy our wonderfully diverse & transitional neighborhood of Binghampton. We've lived & raised our family here for 18 years and it’s our favorite part of Memphis, a beautiful example of poverty and affluence living side by side. You might meet some of our International Community, see urban gardens, colorful artwork, and eccentric neighbors. We're a short drive (or a long walk) from one of the best zoos in the nation, Overton Park (with walking/running trails, dog park, playgrounds & more).
Broad Ave arts district is a 2 minute drive and worth checking out. City & State is great for coffee and gifts, Wiseacre for craft beers, Sugar Ghost for ice cream & boba tea, Broadway Pizza, & Liquor Store for a meal out and lots more.
Amazing queen bed (medium memory foam), WiFi & Smart TV, mini-fridge and freezer, toaster oven, electric flat top griddle, microwave, coffee maker (with local organic coffee) and snacks. Living area with futon ( firm full size with optional memory foam topper). Full bath with shower, tub and plenty of comfy towels. Also, pet-friendly ($15 fee).
Entry is around the back (see check-in instructions) with a parking spot near the door. Feel free to spend time in our relaxing backyard. Additional parking (even for moving trucks) is available on the side street upon request.
If having trouble locking the door from the outside, be sure to press the keypad to wake it up, then hold the lock symbol / # in the bottom right. Also, you may need to pull the handle toward you a bit to engage the lock
For a restful sleep, make sure to pull down all the shades (including the kitchen) and turn on the sound machine on to block out the city sounds and neighborhood rooster.
The heating & A/C is through the ductless mini split located on the wall. To adjust the temperature, press up or down on the remote and press mode to switch from A/C to heat (it takes a minute to switch over). You may also want to press turbo to heat or cool quicker. If you have trouble, press power to turn off (you should hear a beep) then back on. Wait two minutes while the unit restarts, then you should feel air blowing out of the wall unit.
To convert the sofa into a bed, pull up on the bottom. There you'll find the extra bedding & pillows. Remove them and then pull down on the back to make a flat, full-size bed.
For the TV, press input and choose TV for local channels, and HDMI one for the Apple TV (use small silver remote)
Please do not park on the grass. Your parking spot is #1 on the left in back of the house. If you have a 2nd vehicle or moving truck/trailer, we recommend parking it in front of our family’s home. The address is 2475 Hollins ave. Memphis, TN 38112 (or the neighbors at 2483). If parking on the South side of the street, please park close to the driveway so that we can park as well. Once you park you are welcome to walk down our driveway and you’ll see a gravel path on the right leading to your apartment. Please reach out with questions or if you need help!
A fire pit is available for your use in the backyard. We provide firewood but not fire starter or lighter fluid (pick some up if needed). Please mind quiet hours of 10 on weekdays and 11 on weekends when guests are staying in the Airstream.
When your garbage is full you're welcome to dispose in our outside cans by the porch (green is trash, gray with green lid is recycling)