Bookstar Storytime Review

For those of you who haven't yet checked out Bookstar's Storytime with your child, you need to go some time.

We went on July 11th to hear a story about and then see the character Biscuit. Biscuit is an adorable dog. Storytime is for children of all ages. There are coloring projects you can do and the cafe is right there if you need a snack. I really enjoy going so I can see what new books have come out or what is on sale after we finish up with storytime.

Storytime at Bookstar is 2pm every Saturday.

They are located at 3402 Poplar Ave. in Memphis in the Poplar Plaza shopping area.
Click on my calendar to see what stories are coming up and what other characters will be coming to the store.

Pink Palace Dinosaur Exhibit

We went to the Dinosaur Exhibit with our free trial membership to the Pink Palace. It was a great time. The dinosaurs were animatronic-style. Later, we toured the rest of the museum. I hadn't been through the museum (besides Enchanted Forest) since I was in grade school and am very glad we checked it out.

The dinosaurs are on exhibit through September 20th.
General Admission is:
$8.75 for adults
$8.25 for seniors age 60 and up
$6.25 for children ages 3-12
Free for children age 2 and under
Admission is free on Tuesdays beginning at 1pm

The Pink Palace is open:
Monday - Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Japanese Garden Candlelight Tour Review

My daughter and I had a lovely time our first time at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. We went to a once a year candlelit evening tour of the Japanese Garden of Tranquility. There were fans that you could handpaint with Japanese words and complimentary refreshments. The Tapas at the Garden was a separate event inside the building. I can see myself relaxing at one of those events enjoying a glass of wine and a nice appetizer one night before this summer ends while my daughter spends some time with family or friends.

I really enjoyed the guided tour of the grounds of the Japanese Garden.

These trees are worked on in a method similar to Bonsai trees. This tree would be ninety feet tall without sculpting. It was shorter than me.More of the trees:


The Koi fish were very happy to see us.
The tour was candlelit, but as you can see from my photos, it never got dark enough to need them. Regardless, it was the perfect weather for a stroll through the Garden. The Botanic Garden is normally open from Monday - Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Admission on regular days is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children 3-12, and free for 2 and under.
The Botanic Garden is free on Wednesday.

They will be hosting a special event on Saturday August 1st to celebrate the opening of the brand new Children's Garden. Gates open at 11 am. Check the Memphis Botanic Garden's website for more information.

Family Friendly Fireworks Celebration

It looks like Mud Island is the place to be for this year's Fourth of July holiday. The people I talked to who worked there said this is a great place to bring your kids for this year's festivities. We went to Mud Island for Halloween last year and had a blast. If you've never been downtown to watch the fireworks, it is a treat. I've watched the fireworks a few years ago from a restaurant downtown and they were incredible. I think it will be a lot of fun to watch them from the other side this year.

Bring your children and a blanket and enjoy the sights together. Festivities begin at 6pm and the fireworks will get started around 9pm. There will be a carousel, a moonbounce, and food and drinks available for purchase. Parking is $5 in the lot at Poplar and Front St. The monorail is four dollars or you can just take the free walk across. Mud Island allows no personal fireworks.

For more information go to: http://www.mudisland.com/