Travel

Forget boring hotels! Have yourself a merry little Christmas in June if you would like.

At the Inn at Christmas Place, Christmas carols will be sung, Christmas cookies will be eaten and Santa will be seen. Does it get any better? 

Visiting a hotel with unique characteristics is part of the vacation adventure. Sure you could stay at a regular motel and maybe the indoor swimming pool would be enough to wow your kids.

Or you could stay at a magical inn that sends you into the Christmas spirit at every turn (no matter the month). 

The Inn at Christmas Place celebrates Christmas 365 days a year and we aren’t sad about it. It is located in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and you can really feel that Southern Tennessee Christmas charm radiating throughout the property.

And since I am a born and raised Tennessee girl, you can trust me on that!

Here is a breakdown of our quick trip to the Inn at Christmas Place and all the details about what we loved. 

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

The Inn At Christmas Place 

We visited the Inn at Christmas place after moving my oldest step daughter into the University of Tennessee dorms and visited with our then two and a half year old daughter.

The Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area is just a short drive from the University. So we were looking forward to having a little mini vacation before heading back to Memphis. 

Christmas Decor Everywhere

The Inn at Christmas Place has magical Christmas decor at every turn (and every floor)! When you first enter the inn, you will feel as if you have entered the stately home of a distant Tennessee relative. A warm fire and huge Christmas tree decorate the lobby along with countless other Christmas touches. 

Every single floor has a different theme to see and yes we rode the elevator floor to floor to see them all.

There are lots of Christmas classics like the Grinch or A Christmas Story (complete with a leg lamp in all her glory). 

In addition to the floor decor, there is tons of stuff all over the common areas that has been decorated for Christmas (even the office and gym are not safe from seasonal cheer). You will find trees, Santa figurines and other Christmas themed areas all over as you explore. 

If you stay in the regular rooms, the Christmas theme is there but modest compared to the common areas like the lobby. We had a mini Christmas tree, some holiday art on the walls, some wreaths and some holiday throw pillows on the beds. 

What I really loved about the room was that the bathroom was big and spacious. When you start combining whole families in one room, a nice spacious bathroom is key. 

I also appreciated the fact that every room has a mini fridge and a microwave. My daughter wanted a cup of milk every night before bed so it was nice to have a place to store a carton for her. And my husband liked having the ability to warm up his Mellow Mushroom pizza leftovers for a midnight snack. 

Free Warm Cookies Every Night

When you think of Christmas, certain things immediately come to mind. Jesus and the Nativity. Family and Gifts. Santa and cookies. These are Christmas traditions that many of us celebrate and you can do just that at The Inn at Christmas Place.

Every evening you can bring the kiddos down in their pajamas to get a freshly baked, still warm from the oven cookie to enjoy. And it is included with your stay.

The yummy cookies were a fun treat to look forward to every night! It was also a money saver for us because we are a dessert loving family. But since we knew that there were cookies waiting on us at the hotel, we didn’t need to splurge at dinner.

The cookies are available from 8 to 10 pm nightly.

This was probably the biggest cookie she has ever had all to herself. It isn’t the best picture but the joy on that little face just had to be shared. Living her best life at the Inn at Christmas place! 

Santa Visits

And with every delicious Christmas cookie, there is a big, jolly Santa somewhere nearby! He is in the living area next to the breakfast room almost every morning. He also has a weekly story time and even an evening concert on select nights. 

Seeing Santa and getting to tell him what you want for Christmas (even if it is in August) is always fun. Well for everyone but our kid! She wasn’t feeling Santa on this particular trip!

Be sure to check the Inn at Christmas Place website or give them a call to ensure Santa will be there on the dates that you will be staying. It does state on their site that Santa does have an occasional North Pole emergency that he must tend to. 

Continental Breakfast 

The included breakfast was quite good when compared to other larger hotel chain breakfast offerings. They had made-to-order omelets, Belgian waffles that you could make, lots of fruit, pastries, cereals and the typical breakfast items (eggs/bacon/sausage/biscuits). 

The coffee was also a step up from the typical hotel fare as well. I am a bit of a coffee snob and this was very good java. No coffee shop needed for me. 

Finding a hotel with an included breakfast is a great way to save money. Even if you hit a fast food restaurant, that is at least $15 for us and sometimes more depending on which kids we have with us at the time (if everyone is with us we are a family of 7 so eating out can add up very quickly). 

Eating at the inn also allowed us to get in quickly, grab some food and head out for our day of fun in the Gatlinburg area. 

Outdoor Grounds 

The grounds of The Inn at Christmas Place were very beautiful. The exterior of the inn reminds me of German architecture that is made even more inviting with Christmas wreaths, bows and lights. 

The beautiful ponds and flowers out back are impressive and peaceful. If I had not had a chatty toddler with me, I might have enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee on one of the benches. 

There is also a large birdcage outside that my daughter enjoyed. She liked taking a moment to look at the birds and watch them fly around. 

Pool

We didn’t use the pools when we stayed because sometimes what a toddler doesn’t know won’t hurt them. I know, I know, bad mama! Withholding fun from my baby! 

Anyway for all you awesome mom and dads out there, the pool options are plentiful at the Inn at Christmas Place. Indoors you will find a large swimming pool and a hot tub. 

Outdoors there is a pool and a water slide that looks like it would be fun. Just remember that the outdoor pools will only be open seasonally so if you are celebrating Christmas in November for instance, you will need to swim inside! 

Family Friendly Inn

Overall we all really enjoyed our stay at the Inn at Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge. It was a nice change from just a normal hotel. Typically we check into a hotel, throw our stuff down and leave immediately to go do something fun.

But when everyday is Christmas at your hotel, you stay a while. Explore and enjoy a little bit of Christmas spirit no matter the time of year. 

I am currently trying to talk my husband into another trip up that way so stay tuned for some updated pictures soon (If I can get my way!). 

If you have any questions, send me a comment below. And if you are planning a road trip with kids, check out these awesome travel activities all under $15. 

 

Whether you are buying the Disney Dining plan or not, saving money on food is probably top of mind when planning your Disney trip because everything Disney is expensive (Amen?!).

We just got back from our Disney trip and it was amazing. My 2 year old is officially obsessed with Mickey Mouse now. And the wonder and excitement that my 5 year old had as she watched Tinkerbell fly down from the fireworks show was pure joy. 

But you can’t have a Disney trip without a lot of up front planning! Thankfully we used a travel agent (that also happens to be a long time friend) and she did all the hard work for me! 

Dining is one of those up front things that you need to plan so that you can get the character meals that you want and eat at the time that you want. 

At Disney you can choose to pay as you go or purchase a dining plan. We chose to use the Dining Plan on our trip to make things easy. Since our little one is only 2, we only had two purchase 2 adult plans and one child. But that is still a pretty penny. 

So after purchasing that, I wanted to plan out loosely how we would use our credits and where we might need to fill in with supplemental meals or snacks. 

I decided to save money on breakfast at Disney World as a way to stay on budget and will show you how to do it too! 

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Save Money On Breakfast At Disney World

So if you want to save your quick service meal for lunch and your table service credit for dinner, you will need to do something for breakfast. 

You can always use one of your snack credits to grab a bagel, muffin or a donut but we liked to save our snacks for fun snacks at the park. 

That left us needing something for breakfast. 

Yes we could pay out of pocket for a meal at the resort but that gets expensive quickly even if the kids shared. 

Breakfast Cost At The Resort

Here is a breakdown of what you might pay at a quick service resort restaurant for breakfast. 

Mickey Waffle Basket Kids Meal $6.99 (One child and one toddler to split)

Breakfast Platter $10.99

Bagel Sandwich $8.99

Total: $26.97 – This would be even higher if you needed a second kids meal 

That means you would spend $134.85 in five days for breakfast. I know it is vacation but I can feed my whole family breakast, lunch and dinner for a week at home for around that much money. 

How To Eat Cheap Breakfast At Disney

So if the thought of spending $100+ bucks in 5 days on breakfast doesn’t sound magical to you, there is a solution. 

With all of the grocery delivery options, you have a lot of easy options to make Disney a bit more frugal. 

Order groceries, have them delivered to the hotel and eat a cheap breakfast. It is that easy. 

Amazon Fresh Order

Here is a sample order that you could do to save money on breakfast at Disney World by using Amazon Fresh.  

2 bunches of Bananas $2.58

Kellogg’s Mickey Mouse Frozen Waffles, 10 ct. $2.90

Aunt Jemima Syrup $2.82

Jimmy Dean Croissant Sausage, Egg and Cheese, 8 ct. $8.98 

Total $17.28 

This would feed my family for the same 5 days for a fraction of the cost of eating at the Disney Quick Service restaurant. 

Use your refillable mugs to grab coffee or soda. 

How To Prepare the Food 

There will not be a microwave in your regular hotel room. But there is an easy fix. 

The quick service restaurant will have at least one or 2 microwaves and a toaster. So you could toast up a bagel or a waffle or microwave your breakfast sandwiches. 

This area is separate from the area that you actually make your food purchases. 

When I thinking about this idea, I read a bunch about it on Disney forums. Some think it is inappropriate to use the facilities to warm your own food. However, many think it is just fine. 

I happen to be in the latter category. The gift shop sells frozen TV dinners so you obviously would need to be able to warm that up. I see no reason that you can’t use the facilities of a hotel that you are staying in. 

There are napkins and cutlery available as well. But I just tucked a few from home in my checked luggage along with some paper plates.  

More Ways To Save At Disney With Grocery Delivery

If you would like to indulge in a couple of beers after a long day at Disney, you can save a lot by having some alcoholic beverages delivered to your room. 

A bottle of beer cost about $8 at the quick service restaurant at our resort. 

Or you can get a 12 pack of bottles from Amazon Fresh for about $16. 

That is a big savings! 

Do you have another idea to save money on breakfast at Disney World? Or just a Disney savings tip in general? Share it in the comments!

Shelby Farms playground is a Memphis, TN gem. The park is a great place to take the entire family for free and it is in the heart of East Memphis. 

At 4,500 acres, 10.65 miles of urban trail (referred to as the Greenline) & 40 miles of paved and unpaved scenic trails. You may see people accessing these trails by foot, on bikes or even horseback! Shelby Farms Park is one of the urban parks in the country and shouldn’t be missed if you are in Memphis.

Shelby Farms park has changed a lot in just the last few years. When I think back to it as a kid, I remember a big walking trail and the buffalo. And that is about it. 

But over the last few years, it has expanded into so much more! There is so much to enjoy and the Shelby Farms playground is like nothing else in the area! 

There is so much to do but my kid’s favorite is definitely the playground. The Shelby farms playground offers all kinds of active play for young kids all the way up to bigger kids. My kids beg to go and don’t want to leave! 

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

More Fun Things to Do in Memphis With Kids: 

The Art Project – An Art Free Play Experience

7 Tips for The Children’s Museum of Memphis 

Creation Station – The ultimate FREE Indoor Playplace

Where is Shelby Farms Playground and Park? 

So to enjoy the Shelby Farms playground, you first have to get there. 

Address:

6903 GREAT VIEW DRIVE NORTH
Memphis, TN 38134

The First Tennessee Foundation Vistor’s Center can help to direct you around the park and also has essentials like restrooms and water bottle filling stations. 

You can park in the parking lot here and access the Woodland Discovery Playground by walking a short distance. It is nothing crazy but if you have small kids, it would definitely be stroller worthy. 

If you don’t want to walk that far, there is a large parking lot at the Woodland Discovery playground area that you can park your car. 

Shelby Farms Park – Woodland Discovery Playground

Mental Floss called this one of the 16 Coolest Playgrounds in the world. So it is kind of a big deal. 

When you first enter the Shelby Farms playground, there is a large open green space. You will often see people throwing a football or just relaxing in the grassy area. Then you will find the “nests” that contain the different play areas. 

Look how cool this aerial view is & it doesn’t even show everything!

Image Credit: James Corner Field Operations

Sand Pit & Slide 

The first area to the right is the sand pit.

There is a water table feature that will pump water down a series of wooden planks. 

Tons of sand to put your feet in and play with. I often times see younger kids bringing small shovels and beach buckets to play with in this area. 

There is also a toddler sized slide and an open air play hut to use in this area. 

The landmark of this area in the big wooden climbing structure and slide. I have gone down this slide and will tell you that it is fast. Not like kinda sorta fast. Super fast.

I would not recommend anyone under the age of 4-5 going down it. Not to mention the climb up would be better suited for an older child. I have seen quite a few parents have to climb up to get a scared kiddo more than once. 

There are a couple of benches in this area for the parents too.

What I Love about the Sand Nest

It is great for parents with toddlers and older kids. My 1 year old loves the small slide and the sand while my 5 year old wears herself out going up the big slide. It is nice to be able to keep both of them in the same area, having fun. 

Slide Nest 

The next nest is the one with all the slides. 

There are two chute style slides that can be used with a burlap sack to slide down. These sacks can be hard to find but you can go down without one and still have fun. 

There are two other large slides that can fit multiple kids across all at the same time. This is a fun change since slides are typically one at a time. 

There are also ropes and rock climbers that can be uses as a fun way to get back up the hill after sliding down. 

A music wall with some noise makers is something that we usually bang on for a minute on our way out. 

What I Love about the Slide Nest

Since the slides are so wide, it makes it super easy to slide down with a toddler if you want to give them some extra help. Don’t get me wrong, I have certainly crunched my legs up on a twisty traditional slide before but this just makes it so much more comfortable. 

Swing Nest 

The swing next will come up next. It is filled with several different ways to swing. 

There are traditional swings and baby swings. There are also several ADA swings available. 

There are tire swings and ropes. 

What I Love about the Swing Nest

We usually do this after doing the other two and so it is a relaxing way to end our play time. There is something kind of relaxing about pushing your kid in a swing. 

Climbing Nest

This area is currently closed due to repairs and renovations. 

When it is open, it is a large area full of ropes for climbing. This area is best suited for school aged kids due to the difficulty of scaling the ropes course. 

What Else Is There To Do At Shelby Farms?

So much! Don’t stop at the Shelby Farms Playground, there is so much more to offer. 

I think there is literally something for everyone that enjoys the outdoors at this park. 

Ziplines 

I haven’t done this yet but I really want to! I always see people on the course and it looks so fun! 

Your kids have to be at least 10 years old so keep that in mind. The park website also says to allow 2-3 hours to complete the course so keep that in mind. 

The ziplines are a paid activity and it isn’t cheap. However, keep a look out on groupon! I have seen passes on there for about 1/2 off before. You can read more about the ziplining at the park here. 

> 20 Lakes 

If water fun is your thing, there are tons of things that you can do to enjoy the more than 20 lakes on the property. 

You can rent paddle boats, canoes, kayaks and stand up paddle boards in order to experience the lakes from a different view. And you can bring your own non-motorized boat if you have one. 

Fishing more your style? There are no fees to fish at Shelby Farms but if you are 13 or over, you will need a TN fishing license. More fishing info here. 

Food At The Park

Food options at the park is a relatively new undertaking. 

The visitor’s center and the FedEx Event center both have new restaurants coming in the Fall of 2019. 

Cheffie’s at Shelby Farms Park will be in the Visitor’s Center and offer breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 

Coastal Fish Company will be in the FedEx center and offer dinner daily and lunch/brunch on the weekends only.

You can also find snacks and vending options in the Visitor’s Center gift shop. 

Another favorite is the food trucks that will pop up to offer fun local specialties. I see Memphis’ choice for  gourmet popsicles there fairly often. So if you see the Mempops cart, be sure to stop for a yummy treat.  

Laser Tag & Paintball

This is another one that I have not personally used but I’m sure it would be popular with the kids. More info about these activities can be found here. 

Water Spray Park

The splash pad is only open seasonally, so you will want to check the website for available dates. 

This is another paid experience and costs $5 for kids 3-10 and $5 for adults if the child is 0-3 (up to 3 children 0-3 can accompany one paid adult). There is a 50 minute time frame on this 

Dog Park 

100 acres of the park is dedicated to off leash fun for your dog. There are ponds, unpaved trails and open fields for your dog to have a blast and run free (with your supervision of course). 

Just keep in mind that the other areas of the park that allow dogs do require a leash (trails outside of the dog park etc).

I hope that if you are in town or new to town that you will check out the Shelby Farms playground and park. And if you want to eat a yummy breakfast before you go, be sure to check out Brother Juniper’s near the University of Memphis. It is about 15-20 minutes from the park and really yummy. 

If you find yourself around the University of Memphis area and need a yummy breakfast, Brother Juniper’s is the place! You will find the massive open face omelets that they are known for piled high with delicious and unique toppings. 

I can’t believe that I grew up in Memphis and I had never tried this place until today! Let me tell you, I have been missing out and you have too if you haven’t tried Brother Juniper’s breakfast! And since Frommer’s recently named Memphis as one of the Best Places to Visit in 2019, I am going to be reviewing more fun things to do in my hometown!

(Affiliate links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Location of Brother Juniper’s Breakfast Restaurant

The location could not be better if you are visiting for a Tiger’s game or visiting your child at college. It is just a short walk from campus if you are at the University. Or even if you are visiting Memphis and staying Downtown, you are only a 20 minute Uber ride away from a delicious local breakfast experience.

This part of the University area has been revitalized in the last couple of years and offers a pretty cool scene.  You will find some newer, upscale restaurants like Char and some long time Memphis favorites like Garibaldi’s Pizza. Some other neighbors to Brother Juniper’s is The 901 Scoop to try out the rolled ice cream trend or the Tiger bookstore to get yourself outfitted in Tiger blue. 

So now that you know the area you are going to, the actual Brother Juniper’s breakfast that you want is located at 3519 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38111. 

Hours of Operation : 

Monday :  Closed 

Tuesday – Friday : 6:30a – 1:00p

Saturday : 7:00a – 12:30p 

Sunday : 8:00a – 1:00p 

Brother Juniper’s Atmosphere

There is a small outdoor area out front but it was super cold today so we entered into the old house right away. We were promptly greeted by a friendly hostess. Since it was a Saturday morning, we were expecting a little wait but were pretty pleased that it was only about a 10-15 minute wait. There are also two fairly large bar seating areas if you don’t mind sitting there as opposed to a table to avoid the wait. 

We were quickly called back to our table by the hostess. And in true southern, Memphis style “follow me ya’ll” is probably what you will hear. In the dining room, you will find a diverse crowd of people ranging from families with young kids, couples and college kids. 

The main sitting area has a warm, family feel. I always love restaurants that are in old homes because it just gives it that quaint feel that you want when you are about to eat a big stack of pancakes and a hot mug of coffee. 

On the table, you will find a laminated menu with the extensive offerings. The large menu is printed front and back, completely filled with every breakfast option you can probably think of. There is sure to be something to please your belly!

Brother Juniper’s Breakfast Review

Right when we sat down at our table, our server came to take our drink order. I was really excited about this because while we were waiting, I had been scoping out a big chalkboard that detailed all of their specialty lattes. I love a sweet coffee treat.  

Coffee

My husband takes his coffee black so there isn’t much to talk about there but he did say that it was a good cup of coffee. (I wouldn’t touch a cup of black coffee with a ten foot pole. Give me ALL the sugar.) I chose the Juniper Latte. It is an espresso with caramel and topped with whipped cream. The caramel was prominent and delicious.

It was one of my favorite parts of our Brother Juniper’s breakfast experience. If you love good coffee, you know a lot of times the coffee at a breakfast diner tastes like burned motor oil but that was not the case here! My hubby even tried it, his exact comment was “that tastes like candy!” 

Savory Brother Juniper’s Breakfast Entrees

There were so many options, I had a really hard time choosing what I wanted. Thankfully, I did know that I wanted to try some type of eggs benedict so that narrowed down my choices a bit. 

The gravy benedict was the option that I chose featuring a southern, fluffy biscuit topped with chopped sausage, tomatoes, green onions and two over medium eggs. But here is the kicker. It is topped with hollandaise sauce and white gravy. I love biscuits and gravy and adding in the hollandaise just elevates it to the next delicious level. 

My husband went with one of the Brother Juniper’s breakfast specialties, the open face omelets. The Hungry Tiger is a three egg open faced omelet featuring tomatoes, green onions, bacon, ham, sausage, feta, cheddar, mozzarella and swiss. Basically every breakfast item you can think of piled on top of an omelet. 

Omelets are not usually my personal favorite but I love trying things so in my mouth it went! I really enjoyed this for two reasons. Piling all the toppings on top made it taste less eggy to me which is why I don’t love omelets in the first place. The open face omelet style was a nice twist on the original and is something that Brother Juniper’s states is unique on their menu. The other thing that really made this choice stand out was the feta. I don’t know why more places don’t use feta at breakfast because it is delish! 

Sweet Breakfast Options

I will literally not go to a breakfast restaurant if they don’t have good sweet options. My idea of a perfect breakfast is a little savory and a big sweet something on my plate. And I don’t want just a pancake! I want some delicious bakery dessert stuffed into my french toast or pancakes. 

Brother Juniper’s did not disappoint. I wanted to sub my home fries that came with my meal for a Cinnamon Roll pancake but our server let me know that was not an option. We decided to just order one pancake as a side to try it. The one pancake is huge! Both of my kids could have shared that as their main meal and been full with leftovers. 

The cinnamon roll pancake does not just make an impression for the size. The cinnamon sugar and cream cheese icing will leave you feeling like you had an amazing dessert for your early morning meal. We added a teeny tiny bit of syrup to our pancake but it really needed nothing. 

And that Monte Cristo on the menu is calling my name for next time. 

Side Dishes

The two main sides offered are the home fries or cheese grits. The home fries are diced potatoes that are well seasoned with savory spices and lightly fried. A quick dip in ketchup and these started disappearing quickly.

But the table favorite was definitely the cheesy grits! The grits were full of cheese which is important because why call them cheese grits if they are not going to be swimming in ooey gooey goodness? And the consistency was perfectly creamy and just what I think of when imagining some good southern grits. 

Overall, we really enjoyed both the food and experience at Brother Juniper’s. Do you have a favorite Memphis breakfast or brunch place to eat? 

If you are looking for a fun, creative activity for your kids in Memphis, TN, The Art Project will not disappoint! 

I have been wanting to visit The Art Project Memphis for oh, about the last four years! That is what little kids will do to you, delay your plans by a few years. Anyway, we finally got the chance to visit today and had a great time. 

It is a great little gem for those that live in the Memphis area or a fantastic place to visit if you are with kids on a vacation in Memphis. 

(Affiliate links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

What is Art Free Play? 

The Art Project Memphis has structured classes but what I really love is the concept of art free play that they offer. The idea is simple but brilliant. 

The materials are all there: paint, stamps, glitter and more. The kids come in and create whatever they can dream up. Their slogan is to “Create Art. Leave the Mess.” and let’s be honest, could that make your mama heart any happier. Enough said. 

Where is It?

The Art Project is located in the Overton Square area. This area has been revitalized over the last few years and is one of our favorite places to go! 

We love to eat at the restaurants in Overton after a fun day at the Memphis Zoo or the Children’s Museum of Memphis. And now we will add the Art Project to our list of favorite family friendly activities in Memphis!

We love just about every restaurant in this little strip. You will also find a cute outdoor courtyard at the steps of The Art Project. There is a small stage that features musical acts in good weather, corn hole, blocks, and hula hoops to play with before you even go inside to work on your art!

What to Expect At The Art Project Memphis

 The cost is $15 per child for the art free play and totally worth it! After you pay for the free play, you can grab aprons for the kids and get started.

There are several different areas to play in with a variety of different materials. I will be honest, when we first walked in, I thought the kids might get bored. It is relatively small for a kids play place (though not at all cramped) and I wondered if there would be enough activities to keep them occupied. 

We were there with our friends so we had 4 kids ranging from 5 years old to a one year old. Let’s just say that after an hour and a half no one was ready to go! Success! 

Scribble Space Area 

The set up of The Art Project Memphis is really well thought out. The Scribble Space is to your left when you enter and is filled with 12 full size easels and probably that many smaller, toddler size easels. There is also a large table that children can share to work on projects. 

Completely surrounding this circular art space are large white bins. Inside the bins you will find literally every kind of art material that you can think of.

There are tons of paint brushes, markers, crayons, stamps, glue, scissors, Kwik Stix (the coolest no mess paint ever), glitter, fabric, tiny pieces of cut up paper for collages – you know all the things that make you cringe when thinking about sweeping them up from your rug. But you don’t have to worry about that here, your kids make the mess & the Art Project staff cleans it up.  

I think that is what I loved the most about this place. Not once did I get upset with my kids about making a mess. We try to allow them to “be kids” at home but you know, right after you mop the floor is always when an art explosion happens!

We were of course respectful of our messes at the studio, but it was nice to not stress about a little glitter hitting the floor and being able to say of course you can open that huge container of moon sand. 

Café Area

They offer several drink and snack options for kids and adults in their small café. Even awesome things like coffee and beer. I think Daddy might even join us next time with those options being available. 

In the café area, there are many tables and chairs that you can use to relax but they also each have an art focus. Some tables had things like moon sand with cars, animal figurines and rolling pins. Others had blocks or other building materials. 

Other tables had materials and a project sheet with an idea with how to use the materials. I loved that lots of the items were recycled items which really gets kids thinking on how to be creative, not to mention is sustainably smart for the environment. 

Some of the project ideas built a little flower out of wine corks and play dough tops and another used yarn and paint to create an interesting texture on the paper. 

Chalkboard

On the back wall, there is a huge chalkboard with lots of sidewalk chalk. 

Small Tables 

Along the window side of the scribble space, there are a couple of kid sized tables. On these tables we found things like play dough and cookie cutters, magna tiles, Squigz, and blocks. 

Extra Easels

There are also about 5 extra easels that are not in the Scribble Space for painting and creating. Right before we left, a birthday party arrived. First of all, I’m making note for my kid’s next birthday! Secondly, that is where my comment about the space being so well thought out comes from. 

Even if you are there during a birthday party, you still have access to all of the materials. Those big, white bins surrounding Scribble Space can be accessed from either side so you can just keep on creating even if the inside of Scribble Space is reserved. 

What You Will Love At The Art Project Memphis 

The Size of the Studio

Although at first I thought the size might be a negative, it wasn’t and let me tell you why! First of all, they have so many things for kids to create with, there is no boredom involved. Like I said, we had 4 kids and not one complained the entire time. Is that even possible? 

The smaller size also helped me not to feel exhausted when I left. Have you ever been somewhere like Chuck E. Cheese and you leave feeling like you just ran a marathon while dodging baseballs? And when you are chasing a toddler, those wide open spaces can be daunting. 

I loved that I could sit in the chair in the café area and literally see the entire facility give or take. 

No Mess

Ok, so I may have mentioned this once or twice or 72 times so far but seriously, no mess! Your kids can pretty much do whatever within reason and not here the word no. 

Not only will you not be sweeping up glitter, but you don’t even have to pick up a box of crayons and put them away. Nada. 

Staff 

While I was there, there were several employees and one of the owners. They were all so friendly and accommodating. 

Right when we left, my little one fell outside and cut his hand on the concrete. I went back inside and they gave me a bandaid and even offered me Neosporin! 

I also heard another mom asking for a room to nurse her baby, and guess what, they had a room for that. 

Everything was so clean (despite the dried paint on everything –  but hey it is an art place and that just adds to the colorful decor).

Café 

Although I didn’t try anything from the café, I loved the convenience of it being available. You know how it is, it never fails that you get somewhere and your kid is thirsty or hungry. And you forgot a snack. I know I can’t be the only one?

If you are in Midtown Memphis and looking for an inexpensive way to spend an afternoon creating art with your kids, give the Art Project Memphis a try. I think you will love it.