Thanks for all the replies. I'm hip to not staying at a hotel where you said, but where then is a safe place to bed down for the night? Do we want to stay 20 miles away in some suburb? We aren't looking for luxury accomadations, but a nice place like a Quality or Comfort Inn.
Thanks again. Your help has been most illuminating.
"Do we want to stay 20 miles away in some suburb?"
Might not be a bad idea. Bartlett, Cordova, Germantown or even Collierville would be good places to pick.
Other options would be staying at a motel in Horn Lake, MS (not far down the interstate from downtown Memphis) or staying just across the river in West Memphis, Arkansas (which is just a 10 minute drive to downtown Memphis).
There are other places to stay in downtown Memphis besides the Peabody Hotel, but I don't know enough about them to recommend which one. Maybe someone else can give a recommendation. You don't want to be having to fight the traffic out to the suburbs if all of your plans are for activities downtown.
But if you just really want a mall to visit, the Wolfchase Galleria out in Bartlett/Cordova area is the place to be (as mentioned in a previous post).
For a downtown shopping experience, try the Peabody Place (next to the Peabody Hotel) or the local art galleries on South Main St. And the Gibson Guitar Museum is a popular downtown attraction too.
Midtown Memphis has lots of unique shops and coffeehouses, but at night it's probably not the best place to be if you don't know the area.
The earlier advice given was very good -- Memphis is just like any other city with a crime problem. If you want to really relax, go to the Ozark Mountains. :)