Lexington is a small town in west Tennessee, between Nashville and Memphis. The town is near Natchez Trace State Park and claims to be the barbecue capital of the nation. The town is 10 miles south of Interstate 40. There are a few small hotels in the Lexington and more on the Interstate. Southern cooking, barbecue and natural scenery are the main draws here.
The Lexington Inn is part of the Magnuson Hotel Group and has 23 rooms in its relatively small establishment on Church Street, which is the main business street in town. All rooms are on ground level, and parking is outside the individual rooms. The hotel has a small restaurant that serves breakfast only. Small pets are allowed. There are several barbecue restaurants in the immediate area. Po Boys Barbeque is a popular local place, just a mile south.
The Days Inn of Lexington is on Church Street, two blocks from the courthouse and the town square. Of the approximately 100 rooms, 70 of are nonsmoking. Suites are available with sleeper sofas, refrigerators and microwaves. A free continental breakfast is served. The Days Inn has a pool and business center. The hotel was new in 1997 and remodeled in 2006. The Lunch Box is a local favorite for plate lunches, and there are pizza places and fast food establishments in the area. Mama Sue's, less than a mile south, offers up Southern home cooking.
The Econolodge of Lexington is also on Church Street, but closer to the edge of town. This hotel is near Beech Lake, a small man-made lake for fishing, boating and skiing. Natchez Trace State Park is just three miles away. The Econo Lodge has 50 inexpensive rooms and offers a free breakfast. Sitting on the edge of town, it is near many national chain restaurants. Scott Parker's Barbeque, one of the most famous in the state, is less than a mile to the west.
It is said there are more barbecue establishments per capita in and around Lexington than anywhere else. Lexington is on the the Southern BBQ Trail, which is put together by the Southern Foodways Alliance. Natchez State Park, part of the Natchez Trace (or trail), is nearby. The park has a river, hills, woodlands and a lake. The Natchez Trace today is a 444-mile scenic highway from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee; but it is also an ancient trail used by Native Americans for hundreds of years before white settlers arrived.
