Downtown Kidventure: Family Fun in Memphis

Downtown Memphis - home to music, nightlife, great sports action .... and kid mecca? If you grew up in the '70s or '80s, that might seem far-fetched, but look at the city now and you'll see a wondrous place full of adventure, fun, and frolic. From the Orpheum Theater to the Peabody Ducks, from the Fire Museum to the Mississippi River Steamboats, from the Main Street Trolley to the old-time Peanut Shoppe, there are no end of delights to please every child. We're proud of our city's resurgence, so - as part of our Memphis Loves Memphis tour series - we want to invite you and your family to join us on a unique child-oriented tour: the Downtown Kid-Venture.

The tour is on Saturday, May 10, the day before Mother's Day. What a great way to celebrate the holiday! (As an added bonus, it will tire out the kids, so mom can get some rest on Sunday.) The tour includes:

• The Peabody Duck March and Duck Palace
• The Fire Museum
• Mud Island River Park and tram ride
• Main Street Trolley ride
• Tasty treat at the The Peanut Shoppe
• Rufus, Backbeat Tours' Hound Dog mascot
• Any other fun things we can fit in (Memphis Park, Orpheum Theatre, Civic Center fountains) 

Peabody Duck Palace and Main Street Trolley

But what do kids think? We wanted to get some advance opinions, so we asked some of our littler friends what they thought.  Here's what they had to say.

Practical Elizabeth

Peabody Ducks. Elizabeth, 11, was excited to learn that there were ducks in a hotel, but was concerned that they might "poop" everywhere. We asked Elizabeth if she would like to live in a palace like the ducks, but she declined. "I don't even clean my room. I couldn't clean a whole palace."

When asked what a Peabody duck might do in its spare time, Allie Grace, 9, offered, "probably just duck stuff. Eat, watch TV, swim, fly ... do they fly south for the winter like other ducks?"

The kids were creative when it came to catching runaway ducks, but we liked the solution offered by Courtney, 6, the most: "Put on wings and a beak and duck feet and pretend to be its mom. Then I could lead it back to their house."

The Peanut Shoppe. The Peanut Shoppe with its selection of candy and nuts was quite popular with the kids. When Sammy, 3, heard about a store that sold only candy and peanuts, his eyes got VERY WIDE.  Charlie, 3, said he likes both candy and peanuts, because they're "yummy." When asked about favorite candies, Anna, 5, summed up the general consensus, saying, "I like chocolate. And sour stuff. And gummy bears. And Starburst. I guess I just like it all."

The thoughtful Cody

Mr. Peanut vs. Rivals. We asked our group to compare Mr. Peanut to some our other furry (and feathered) friends. There was general agreement that the "good ducks" could beat Mr. Peanut in a fight, but, after some consideration, Cody, 14, noted that, even though peanuts are not very big, Mr. Peanut does have a weapon of sorts: his cane. Courtney, 6, thought Backbeat's mascot, Rufus the Hound Dog, would probably be more fun than Mr. Peanut, because he "could play fetch and stuff with you," while "Mr. Peanut has glasses. I don't think he could play very much." Sorry, Mr Peanut - we love you anyway!

Rufus.  Speaking of Rufus, Charlie, 3, had quite the friendship with our Hound Dog mascot.  According to Charlie, Rufus "likes to come to my house and give me candy under my sofa... He is invited to my birthday party and I like him."  (Rufus agrees and has already accepted  the invitation to Charlie's birthday party.)

Swimming in the mini-Mississippi

Mud Island.  All the kids were excited about going to Mud Island. Drew, 10, said that he went on the tram last year "and I thought we were going to fall in the ocean!" Collin, 7, explained that, at first he thought that there might be little people living in the miniature Mississippi River on Mud Island, but now he knows that there aren't. (He seemed a bit disappointed about that.)

Future Firefighter Lucas

Adventurous Sammy

Fire Museum. The Fire Museum was also a popular choice. Sammy, 3, said it would be fun to be a fireman so you could ride in the truck and play with the dog. Lucas, 7, realized it might take a little while before he could start his firefighting career. "Right now I don't have my driver's license, but when I get that and if I learn, ... I think I could [drive a fire truck]."

Little Vigor at the Fire Museum of Memphis

Join us on Saturday, May 10, for the Downtown Kid-Venture. The tour begins at 10:15am on the rooftop of the Peabody Hotel (in front of the Duck Palace) and ends at 12:30pm. Prices are $12 for adults; $7 for children (5-14), free for children under 5. Wear comfortable clothes; there's about 8 blocks of walking altogether (with plenty of rest stops as we go).  Strollers are welcome. To make reservations, call (901) 527-9415 or book online through Zerve.  

Thanks to our partners, the Fire Museum, The Peanut Shoppe, and Mud Island River Park for giving us free or reduced prices to make this tour possible!  

By Meagan May, mother of the first Backbeat baby, Valerie!

Backbeat Goes Behind the Scenes at Wicked

Even as a born and raised Memphian, there will always be something magical about going to see a play at the Orpheum Theatre. From the very first time when my Mom took me to see Cats and the cast came down the aisles all dressed up, to the green sconce lights that filled up the theatre with an eerie green glow at last night’s performance of Wicked, the Orpheum Theatre is one of most magnificent places in our city. Last night the feeling at Wicked was more of an experience than a show. We have all seen The Wizard of Oz but Wicked feels more intimate, like you have finally been invited behind the scenes to hear the whole story of what went down in OZ.

On Tuesday they were laying down the Wicked stage on top of the Orpheum Stage

Speaking of being invited behind the scenes, I had the honor of dropping by The Orpheum on Tuesday to see the stage for Wicked being set up and chat with Ryan Lympus, the Associate Company Manager. He explained to me that it took 30 people over 30 hours to set up the show. It takes 13 semi trucks to transport Wicked from one city to another and there is one trailer just for costumes! (When you see the show and how the people dress in the Emerald City this will make total sense!) All the costumes and stage props are manufactured and housed by specialty stores in New York City before they make their rounds with the touring shows. The show sets up 285 lights, 50 speakers, and a stage with built in electronics, fog, and sliding tracks. Another intricate setup includes the mechanisms that allow Glinda and Elphaba to fly 30 feet in the air. They even have to bring help from the local stagehand union to assemble it all in time. 9 other locals are performing in the orchestra along with 6 company musicians. On Tuesday they were still putting everything together in composed chaos, but by the time the curtain opened on Wednesday it was a well-oiled machine, with the backstage choreographed as meticulously as the show itself.

The orchestra rehearses in the lobby while the stage is being set up.

Ryan described the set as a combination of steampunk and The Wizard of Oz

In case you’re thinking you have already seen Wicked so you’ll just skip it this time, DON’T! This is a whole new cast, giving the story a unique feel. The actresses playing Elphaba (Jennifer DiNoia) and Glinda (Hayley Podschun) have become such good friends in real life that it adds to the drama on stage. These women also belt out the most killer, rock star voices and have toured the world performing. Currently there are 9 touring companies: 2 national tours, the company on Broadway, and 6 international tours. This blockbuster show celebrated its 10^th anniversary in October.

The stage completed and ready for the curtain to go up!

So whether you’re going to the Orpheum for the first time or for the fifteenth time, don’t skip Wicked. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, don’t fret! They still have great tickets available. Plus, if you like to live dangerously they are offering a ticket lottery! Two and a half hours before every show people will have the opportunity to show up at the Orpheum Theatre box office and will have their names placed in a lottery drum. Thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats for $25 each. If you get drawn make sure to have cash for the two tickets made available to you.

Entertainment Weekly called it “The Best Musical of the Decade” and the show celebrated its 10^th anniversary in October. Winner of over 50 major awards, Wicked will be at The Orpheum through February 16. For tickets go to the theatre’s website, www.orpheum-memphis.com or call the box office at (901)525-300. If you want more information on the ticket lottery click here http://www.orpheum-memphis.com/orpheum_theatre_info/news/detail/wicked-announces-lottery-for-25-seats