258 The Pink Palace Museum

I grew up in Atlanta, so when I posted on Facebook that I was going to the "Pink Palace" I was not surprised to have Atlanta buddies questioning me. In Atlanta they have the Pink Pony, which is a "shake" joint ... so many people wondered why I would take my kids to the Pink Palace. I am a large child, and I giggle everytime I say Pink Palace because they are so very similar. Okay, so it is mainly in my head, but I do see the connection. Of course, that is all beside the point ...

Last week I took Katie, Connor and Mia to the Pink Palace Museum. We have a free pass, and it would be a shame not to use it. At least this time they actually had power! I hate to even think of the meltdown that would have occurred if Katie was thwarted again. She had wanted to go on Tuesday, but then she went to play and did not mention it again until 2pm, and I refused to take her when the museum closes at 5pm.

So, last Wednesday we headed out at about 10 o'clock to check out the Pink Palace. Fittingly, both girls chose to wear pink (and I actually JUST made that connection). Oh, and the same shoes. These are their "special" sandals because they have DIAMONDS! Kids can be so cute ... sometimes!

The Pink Palace is a mansion ... ohh, duh. It is faced with pink Georgia marble ... oh, you probably guessed that, too. Do you know how it became a museum? Sad story really. Clarence Saunders, the founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain, began building the house in 1922 .. then lost his fortune in 1923 in an "epic battle with the New York Stock Exchange", before the house was even completed. It was then donated to the City of Memphis to be used as a museum, and eventually construction was finished and it opened as a museum in 1930. That is the short version of course, if you want to know the rest of the story then click on this link.

On the first level there is a large exhibit of skulls, skeletons, birds, bugs, and dinosaurs... among a few other things.

Right now there is an exhibit called "Dinosaurs and Sea Monsters" which involves animatronic dinosaurs and some actual fossils. Very cool, and just a tiny bit scary for the girls. You can probably tell, my favorite thing is the Clyde W. Parke Miniature Circus And then, and INCREDIBLY freaky section on medical history!! This one depicts a trip to the dentist. Which is thankfully less gory than the Civil War Field Doctor's Tent where they are cutting off a man's gangrened leg. Oh yeah ... you don't want to look too close at that. Some spooky set-ups to show us how Memphis houses might have looked back in the day. Had to take a picture in front of Andrew Jackson. Chip has been told that there is a possibility we are related to him.

(We are also kin to those Tupelo Presley's ... just not close enough to count) This is one of Elvis's Army uniforms.

AND ... the best part of any visit to a museum ... THE GIFT SHOP! I think we spent almost as long in there trying to pick out the perfect things.

I am sure we will be going back, but I may have to figure out a way to make it back on my own sometime. The things that I found interesting were the exact exhibits that Katie and Mia wanted to run right past.