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!

Duck the Halls: Christmas at the Peabody

These door guys couldn't resist getting goofy by the entrance to the lobby!

You may think you have the coolest job in Memphis, but unless you are marching ducks at the Peabody Hotel, you’re probably wrong. Peabody Duckmaster Anthony Petrina spends his days in the beautiful hotel lobby making kids smile and enjoying life as a goodwill ambassador for the South’s Grand Hotel. Almost everyone know the story of how ducks ended up in the Peabody Hotel fountain, and like every good southern story it involves a little hunting and lot of Jack Daniels on a chilly fall day. Today the custom of the ducks has evolved into a daily march that is as steeped in tradition as the hotel itself. 

I sat down with him in the red and green adorned lobby to pick his brain about what it’s like working with farm animals during the holidays. “I love being here especially during the holidays, this was how I was introduced to the hotel; all the decorations were just going up,” Anthony told me.

The tree in the Grand Lobby.

Anthony was offered the Duckmaster position after working as a manager in the hotel’s restaurants. His bubbly personality, not his animal skills, landed him the job. When I asked him if he had any background in animal training he replied, “Not in animal training, no. My family dogs run the house…and the cats are worse!”

After practicing telling the story and training with the ducks, he was eventually ready for his first march. Anthony informed me that there is no dress rehearsal for the ducks. Each time a new set of ducks makes their debut (every three months), they are seeing a live audience for the first time. In Anthony’s words, this occasionally leads to things going “a fowl.” (Yes he went there, he made a duck pun.) One time it took him 15 minutes to get a new set of ducks into the fountain. “They must have been escape artist ducks before they came here.” He said he’s even had an occasional “diva” duck escape to underneath the huge floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree in the lobby.

An escape artist duck made a run for it. Luckily the Duck Secret Service swooped in to save the day.

To finish up the interview, I decided to throw in a little Christmas Q & A. 

1. Favorite Christmas Song?

The more fun ones! Here comes Santa Claus, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. I remember as a kid trying to see Rudolph’s nose passing by. I once saw what I know now to be taillights of a car passing by and I thought it was Rudolph! I was like YES! Christmas presents are here. I was further encouraged by me getting out of bed, sneaking downstairs and gasping because the Christmas presents were actually there. 

2. Favorite Christmas Movie?

A Christmas Story, obviously.

3. What’s at the Top of Your Christmas List?

“Nothing from Duck Dynasty. No offense to the show, those guys are great and I love duck stuff, but people come in and they’re like oh yeah, Duck Commander!... Not quite, different show, different attitude towards ducks.”

Backbeat/Peabody Disclaimer: This interview was conducted before Duck Dynasty-Gate!

4. Any Peabody Christmas traditions?

We’ve taken our Christmas family photo in front of the Christmas tree for the last two years. I asked if he wore his Duckmaster uniform in the photo, Anthony replied, “Of course! We may have to change it up next year though.”

There you have it folks. If you want to see Anthony do his thing live and in person go to the Duck March at 11 a.m. or 5 p.m daily. Also if you want to keep up with Anthony’s duck tales (yes another pun!) check out the Peabody Duckmaster Blog. Merry Christmas!

Backbeat tips for best Duck March viewing: Make sure to get there early. People start lining up around an hour before the march. For the best view on a crowded day, choose a spot by the railing upstairs in the mezzanine level. And don’t miss the holiday decorations; they are absolutely breathtaking.