By Jeanni Ritchie
Some hotel traditions are charming.
Others become international attractions.
At The Peabody Memphis, five ducks in a fountain have managed to do both.
Twice each day, crowds gather in the Grand Lobby to watch the famous Peabody Ducks march along a red carpet between the lobby fountain and their rooftop Royal Duck Palace. The tradition began in the 1930s after Peabody General Manager Frank Schutt and a friend returned from a hunting trip and placed several live duck decoys in the hotel fountain as a joke. Guests loved them.
In 1940, bellman and former circus animal trainer Edward Pembroke taught the ducks to march and became the hotel’s first Duckmaster, a role he held for 50 years.
Nearly nine decades later, the ducks still march daily at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
On my visit, I got to do more than watch. I was invited to serve as an Honorary Duckmaster for the afternoon march.
I met Duckmaster and hotel historian Doug Weatherford in the lobby before helping escort the ducks from the fountain, into the elevator, and up to their rooftop home.
There is definite pomp and circumstance involved.
The red carpet comes out. Guests gather around the lobby. Cameras rise. And then five mallards manage to command the attention of an entire historic hotel.
After the march, the ducks ride the elevator to their Royal Duck Palace, a $220,000 marble-and-glass structure on the rooftop complete with its own fountain, bronze duck, replica Peabody house, and grassy yard.
I’d bought a new dress for the occasion. I’d researched the history of The Peabody and its ducks. But I missed one important piece of Duckmaster protocol. As Doug stepped into the elevator behind me, he realized he had forgotten to tell me to stand near the front so the ducks would not become spooked.
By then, it was too late.
I was crouched down talking to them as if we had known one another for years.
They seemed to understand every word and accepted me immediately to the surprise and delight of Doug.
I adore animals.
The Peabody Ducks are five North American mallards—one drake and four hens—and they do not have individual names. When their Peabody tenure ends, the ducks are returned to the wild.
The march has become one of Memphis’ best-known traditions, with the ducks making appearances over the years on programs including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Sesame Street, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. They have even appeared as questions on Jeopardy! and in Trivial Pursuit.
My Honorary Duckmaster experience came with another surprise.
After the ducks were settled in for the evening, my friend Mari called. She had happened to be in Memphis with her son and stopped by to watch the famous Duck March.
Then she heard my name announced as the Honorary Duckmaster. Neither of us had known the other would be there. She snapped photos of me that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I had a friend to share the experience with afterwards. It was one more memorable moment in a day already full of them.
The ducks may be the stars, but The Peabody itself is part of the attraction.
Known as “The South’s Grand Hotel,” the historic property sits at 149 Union Avenue in downtown Memphis, where its elaborate Grand Lobby has long served as a gathering place for hotel guests and visitors alike. The Duck March is free to watch, and the hotel recommends arriving about 30 minutes early for the full experience.
And while the ducks march year-round, the hotel is already looking ahead to one of its most elaborate seasons.
The Peabody’s holiday celebrations traditionally include its Duck Days of Christmas, Victorian caroling, seasonal events, a gingerbread village, and its annual tree-lighting tradition. The hotel’s towering lobby Christmas tree has been decorated with approximately 15,000 lights and 2,000 ornaments, transforming the Grand Lobby into one of Memphis’ signature holiday settings.
So whether you arrive for the ducks, the history, the holidays, the most comfortable beds in the South, or simply to see what all the fuss is about, give yourself time to linger.
The Peabody Ducks may only need a few minutes to cross the red carpet.
The memory lasts much longer.
For more information, visit peabodymemphis.com.
