Downtown Museum Day!

It has been a while since I have posted and, therefore, this post is going to be a bit lazy. 🙂

**SIDE NOTE: (shameless plug) What’s my excuse for the lack of posting this time? Employment! I started a new job at a local creative company called Bigfish. We handle website design, branding, communications & social media strategies and much more. Our focus is on the health care industry and also Greek organizations. Check out our website!

Now, back to the fun & the free…

Saturday, September 10th 2011 is Downtown Museum Day in Memphis, TN! I am so excited about this, people!

Memphis has a plethora of hidden treasures in our local museums. Most of us Memphians take our museums for granted, so Saturday is the day to turn it all around.

I have posted about Stax Museum before and, once again, I highly recommend visiting this museum. It’s full of Memphis history and some awesomely jammin’ music. On Saturday, admission to Stax is buy 1, get 1 free. Be sure to check out the Otis Redding exhibit (“Try a little tenderness-ssss….”)

Other museums offering free or discounted admission include The National Ornamental Metal Museum, Sun Studios, The Cotton Museum and National Civil Rights Museum.

Check out I Love Memphis’ complete, detailed list here.

I apologize for the lacking post. Have no fear, there are more fun & free posts, pictures and videos to come!

Brooks Museum of Art – Wacky Wednesdays!

The Brooks -- Photo courtesy of Destination360.com

Le Bonheur is sponsoring an awesome event at The Brooks Museum of Art! Every Wednesday in the months of June and July, children (& fun-loving adults!) can receive free museum admission and also participate in creating their own work(s) of art in The Brook’s Open Artworks Studio!

There will also be a variety of movies for the kiddies to watch… and it’s all FREE!

This is a great fun & free activity for children who are out of school for the summer. They can get out of the house & out of the heat and channel their inner Van Gogh… or perhaps their inner Dali!

This event, dubbed “Wacky Wednesdays,” lasts from 10:00 a.m. until noon.

The Brooks is conveniently located near The Memphis Zoo (one of my favorite places in the world) and inside of beautiful Overton Park — so you can make it a multi-purpose trip!

Bittersweet – Goodbye Grad School

For those of you who don’t know, I created this blog for a social media theory course this semester. My intentions were to stop writing once the semester was over and I graduated.

HOWEVER — Change of heart. I have had so much fun with this blog that I am going to definitely keep it up. I now have more time on my hands than ever since I am JWMD (Jobless With a Master’s Degree) so I hope my updates will be more frequent.

So get excited… all three of you who read this 😉

There’s plenty more fun & free things to do in Tennessee! I’m just getting started.

The video below symbolizes not only this blog full of FREE activities, but also my freedom from school… for now at least. Cheesy, I know.

The best things in life are FREE!

A Short Compilation of Free Events in TN!

* Every Tuesday, both The Pink Palace and Lichterman Nature Center offer free admission after 1 p.m.

• Click here to see this fun & free event on eventful
  

The Pink Palace is located at:

Lichterman Nature Center is located at:

* Friday evenings (until October 28th, 2011), The Avenue (in Collierville, TN) offers free events ranging from live music to outdoor movies.

• Click here to see this fun & free event on eventful

The Avenue is located at:

* On September 24th, 2011, The National Ornamental Metal Museum will participate in Smithsonian’s Museum Free Day by offering free admission to individuals who print an admission pass from Smithsonian’s Museum Day website.

• Click here to see this fun & free event on eventful
  

The Metal Museum is located at:

Royal Wedding Watch Party

The Royal Couple: "We're on TV!"

As we all know, the Royal Wedding is taking over the planet. Prince William and Kate Middleton are everywhere.

A Lifetime movie has already been filmed and released and Katie Middleton dolls are being sold like hotcakes. The Royal Wedding is all the rage!

Not fortunate enough to receive one of the 1,900 invitations sent out? Have no fear. The Royal Wedding will be televised! An estimated 2 billion people are expected to watch Prince William and Kate tie the royal knot.

So why not join in the craze and throw or attend a Royal Wedding watch party? Invite your friends, cuddle up with your pet, or force your husband to watch along (you know he’s secretly dying to see what Kate’s dress will look like!)

That’s right – people are organizing Royal Wedding watch parties all over the nation!

Don’t believe me? See this video.

The wedding, which will take place on Friday, April 29th, will be broadcast by NBCUniversal. A schedule of the coverage can be found here.

The disadvantage? The live coverage begins at 3 a.m. ET. The advantage? Who else can say they attended the Royal Wedding in their pajamas?

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The Levitt Shell at Overton Park

Photo: Courtesy of The Levitt Shell's official website

The Levitt Shell in Overton Park is beginning its FREE concert season on May 19! The season will offer 25 shows total.

There will be two concerts for children held each Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. The free concert series shows will be held at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday – Sunday.

“This is the sixth free concert season at the Shell, which was re-launched in 2008 as part of an initiative by the Los Angeles and New York-based Levitt Foundation.” ((from The Commercial Appeal))

So bring your blanket or folding chairs and get to The Levitt Shell to enjoy some free music and fun!

See the article published by The Commercial Appeal for a detailed schedule of the concerts!

See The Levitt Shell’s official website!

For directions to The Levitt Shell, see below!

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Herb Parsons Lake

Herb Parsons Lake is located eight miles north of Collierville, Tennessee off of Collierville-Arlington Road. Herb Parsons is home to plenty of opportunity for some free fun!

The 177 acre lake offers not only fishing & boating fun, but also a picnic area, playground, and plenty of room to run around or sit and enjoy a beautiful spring day.

Herb Parsons Lake is also home to a small archery range!

The fish typically found at Herb Parsons Lake are bass, crappie, bream, bluegill, and catfish.

If you don’t own a boat and want to get out on the water,  then you can rent a paddle or motor boat from the lake shop at Herb Parsons Lake.

So bring your fishin’ pole (& license!) and get down to Herb Parsons Lake to enjoy some fun and semi-free (You must have a fishing license — if you do not have one already, the lake shop sells day licenses for $5.50. There is also a small lake use fee charged.)

But it IS FREE to come out to Herb Parsons to enjoy the beautiful lake view, explore the lake grounds, and, most importantly, have fun!

Check out our Herb Parsons video below! Enjoy!

The Airmen of Note – Free Concert!

The Jazz Ensemble of The United States Air Force Band, The Airmen of Note, are performing Thursday, March 24 at 7:30 p. m.

The concert will be held at Michael D. Rose Theatre at The University of Memphis and is FREE and open to the public.

If you love jazz and big band music, then this is the fun and free event for you!

Stax Museum (every Tuesday!)

Stax Museum, located at 926 E. McLemore Ave.

Stax Museum of American Soul Music offers free admission to Shelby County residents every Tuesday from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

In order to take advantage of this fun and free activity, museum goers must provide proof of residency. The free rate is not applicable for group tours and not valid during holidays or special events.

Hall of records at Stax Museum - so much history, so much soul

Stax Museum, located in Memphis, TN, is located at the original site of Stax Records, one of the most iconic recording studios in the world. Stax Records launched the careers of artist such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MG’s, and Rufus Thomas.

A couple of Isaac Hayes' flamboyant stage outfits. The man knew how to dress!

Stax Museum pays tribute to its artists “with a rare and amazing collection of more than 2,000 interactive exhibits, films, artifacts, items of  memorabilia, and galleries designed to keep Stax alive forever.” ((from www.soulsvilleusa.com))

Oh, you know... just having some FREE fun at Stax!

Tim Sampson, Communications Director at Stax, noted that Stax uses social media to promote events, merchandise, new exhibits, fund-raisers, etc.

Sampson also suggested that Stax’s social media presence has been very effective. Stax’s Facebook page currently has over 17,000 fans from all over the world!

The Civil Rights movement in Memphis played a huge part in Stax's history - come and find out how.

Stax, the only soul museum in the world, is not only an important part of musical history, but also an important part of Memphis history.

Come on down to Stax Museum and find out why!

Oh, and bring your dancin’ shoes. I’m not kidding – there is a dance floor.

Dance floor at Stax -- dance courtesy of my husband!

Isaac Hayes' brought his dancin' shoes...You should too!

Stax is social: Facebook :: Twitter :: Website

Orpheum Theatre – Monday, March 7

The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN is opening this Broadway Season with a fun and FREE event that is open to the public.

The event will be held on Monday, March 7 at 2 p.m.

“Experience LIVE performances by members of the Broadway cast of the Tony-award winning MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL and participate in Q&A session with the creative team. Take home a CD sampler from MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL!” ((from  orpheum-memphis.com))

If you love Broadway, musicals, and Memphis, then make sure to get down to the Orpheum Theatre and be a part of this fun and free event!

Below: One of the many amazing performances of MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL!

See the official invitation below!

The official invitation from The Orpheum Theatre

The Orpheum Theatre is social: Facebook : Twitter : MySpace : Website

Special thanks to Amara for sending in this event. Be sure to check out her blog on time management!