Ernest Withers exhibit at Memphis Pink Palace

Just came across an interesting event listing in my newspaper, The Daily News. I've slacked off a bit on Black History Month Travel Tips lately. And since a lot of my followers are in Memphis, here's a local exhibition you could consider.

The Pink Palace Family of Museums will present “I Am A Man” through Oct. 24 at the Pink Palace, 3050 Central Ave. The exhibit will show the Ernest Withers portfolio, which documents prominent civil rights leaders in the 1950s and 1960s. For more information, call 320-6362 or visit www.memphismuseums.org.

Black History Month Travel Tip of the Day: Finding Soul in Memphis

Editor's Note: I had something else in mind for today's Black History Month Travel Tip of the Day, but thanks to the power of Twitter, I've adjusted. This message from @StaxMemphis sealed the deal: "This week in 1966, Otis Redding releases his reworking of the Stones classic "Satisfaction."

Did you know the great Otis Redding recorded in Memphis?

I often wonder how much music listeners really appreciate the city of Memphis for its place in music history. Sure, the city has Elvis and Beale Street. Hundreds upon hundreds of musical legends have made stops along the way to stardom in Memphis. I could write a number of entries on the Bluff City's role in shaping music, but I think today's focus will center on the soul of Memphis, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

Considering the role Stax Records played in combining black and white talents on its recordings, it seems like a perfect entry for today's Black History Month Travel Tip of the Day.

The museum is located at the site of the original Stax Records, the recording home to many American legends during the 1960s and '70s: Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, The Staple Singers, Booker T & the MG's, Wilson Pickett. The museum honors all of the Stax artists, as well as the influence of many other soul musicians on other labels from Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to Aretha Franklin (Memphis born) and Al Green (recorded at Memphis' Hi Records and still resides in the city).

The museum has some 2,000 interactive exhibits, films, artifacts, items of memorabilia and galleries. In addition to hearing all the truly great music that was made at Stax, the highlight of the museum to me is Isaac Hayes' gold-plated Cadillac. 

Images courtesy of www.soulsvilleusa.com

To me, the Stax Museum is one of the gems in Memphis. If you live in the area but have never visited, I highly suggest it. If you are out of town and planning a visit to Memphis, by all means put this museum on your to-do list.

Through April 30, the museum's featured exhibit is "STILL LIFE IN SOUL: Contemporary Music Photography by Jacob Blickenstaff." It explores the resurgence in popularity of soul music through photography made since 2005 by Blickenstaff.

For more information about the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, go to http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/. Stax is at 926 E. McLemore Ave. just a few minutes southeast of the Downtown core.

Black History Month Travel Tip of the Day No. 7: Memphis Cotton Museum

The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange tells the story of King Cotton in an appropriate setting: Memphis' historic Cotton Row along Front Street, what was once the center of the worldwide cotton trade. The museum opened in 2005.

The main exhibit hall at the museum is a 3,000-square-foot space where the story of cotton is told through documentary films, oral histories and interpretative exhibits. The museum will expand Feb. 26 when it opens the east wing called Exploration Hall. It will debut with "The Changing World of Cotton," an exhibit that allows visitors to explore the history of cotton farming over the past 70 years.

This museum is not focused on the black experience in America, per se, but without the backbreaking work performed by slaves, cotton might not have ever become the king it once was in the South. There are thousands of sites, museums and attractions in the United States that tell the story of Black America. But a museum focused on cotton seems like a pretty important place to get another perspective on African-American history.

For more information, go to http://www.memphiscottonmuseum.org/index.asp.

Experience Lincoln in Springfield

For those people who have never visited Downtown Springfield, Ill., you might be surprised to learn of its historic significance and beauty. Everything is pretty much centered on things related to Abraham Lincoln, from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, to the site of one of his law offices and a restored neighborhood that features the president’s home.

There are other fun things to see: art galleries and quaint shops, the Illinois state capitol building and even a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

But with today being President’s Day, we’ll take a closer look at Springfield’s Lincoln sites. The presidential library and museum is located at 212 N. Sixth St. All the other sites are within a few blocks of the museum, excluding Lincoln’s tomb, which is a mile and a half north.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum: The museum takes an inside look at Lincoln the man, the Springfield resident, lawyer, legislator, masterful speech giver and U.S. president. There are a number of exhibits highlighted by movies, re-enactments and artifacts that tell the life and struggles of Lincoln. http://www.alplm.org/home.html

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site: This four-block neighborhood features a number of homes restored to their 1860 appearance, including the structure the Lincolns called home for 17 years. It was the only home Lincoln ever owned. The neighborhood contains 12 structures. Go to http://www.nps.gov/liho/lincoln-neighborhood.htm to learn more about the history of these buildings.

Old State Capitol State Historic Site: This is an exact reproduction of the original that was built in the 1960s after what was remaining of the old site was razed. The original building was where Lincoln practiced law before the state’s Supreme Court, served as a state legislator, gave his 1858 speech titled “House Divided” and where his body lay in state before his burial nearby.

Lincoln Herndon Law Office State Historic Site: Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Springfield from a number of offices. This building is the only office space that is still standing. Lincoln practiced law from this office from 1843 until 1852. It's within sight of the Old State Capitol building and is adjacent to a number of quaint shops and eateries.

Lincoln Depot (Great Western Depot): This is the train depot where Lincoln departed Springfield to head to Washington to take the oath of office as president. Lincoln gave an impromptu farewell speech regarding his affection for his hometown when he saw the turnout of people there to see him off.

Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site: Oak Ridge Cemetery is the final burial place for Lincoln, his wife, Mary, and the entire family except son Robert, who is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. http://www.state.il.us/hpa/hs/lincoln_tomb.htm

For more Springfield Lincoln information, go to http://www.lincoln200.net/, which was designed for last year’s 200th birthday celebration of Lincoln, or http://www.lookingforlincoln.com/.

Image courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum

Black History Month Travel Tip of the Day No. 4

This is certainly a subjective statement, but I would say one of the biggest contributions made by African-Americans is in music. And blues music has certainly made one of the biggest impacts on all other forms of music.

Today’s latest Black History Month Tip of the Day is the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Miss., about 90 miles south of Memphis.

The Delta Blues Museum was established in 1979 by the Carnegie Public Library Board of Trustees and reorganized as a standalone museum in 1999. The museum has been housed in the historic Clarksdale freight depot since 1999. The former freight area – about 5,000 square feet of ground-floor space – is devoted to permanent and traveling exhibits.

The museum’s collection includes musical instruments, recordings, sheet music, posters, photographs, costumes, folk art, paintings and other memorabilia. Some of the exhibits focus on Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Big Joe Williams, big Mama Thornton, Charlie Musselwhite and Jimmy Burns.

The Delta Blues Museum Stage hosts a year-round music education program and also serves as the main venue for local festivals including the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival in August and the Juke Joint Festival in April.

For more information, go to http://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/.

Black History Month Travel Tip of the Day No. 3

If you find yourself in Louisville, Ky., the first place that comes to mind might be Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. And there are plenty of other sites worth seeing in Louisville, but since this is a Black History Month travel tip, today’s focus is on the Muhammad Ali Center.

The Muhammad Ali Center was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 1997 and opened in Downtown Louisville, the boxing icon’s hometown, in November 2005.

The Ali Center has two-and-a-half levels of exhibits and galleries that explore the boxer’s life. A series of interactive pavilions tell his story through six core values of his life: respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, spirituality and giving. There is also a chronological timeline of Ali’s boxing career, highlighted by several items of boxing memorabilia.

The current special exhibit at the center is “Muhammad Ali by Simon Bull,” which showcases 16 paintings of Ali in oil on canvas and five color photographs done by the British-born artist. There are a couple of Black History Month programs: An inspirational music program titled “Rejoice” on Feb. 21 and a poetry slam on Feb. 25.

For more information on the center, visit http://www.alicenter.org/Pages/default.aspx.

Black History Month Travel Tip of the Day No. 2

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is possibly the newest exhibit that has opened to the public to tell the story of the civil rights movement in the U.S. Located in the former Woolworth’s that was the site of the 1960 lunch counter sit-in, the museum opened Feb. 1 in Greensboro, N.C.

The 50th Anniversary Gala & Banquet “Standing For a World of Change” will really kick things off tonight. The program – originally scheduled for Jan. 30 but postponed to Feb. 13 because of inclement weather in the Greensboro area – is a benefit for the museum recognizing international civil and human rights achievements worldwide.

But considering the event is sold out, you probably won’t be attending. But in honor of the recently opened museum, it’s today’s location to recognize Black History Month.

The purpose of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum is to memorialize the stand of the Greensboro Four as they launched the sit-in movement on Feb. 1, 1960. The focus is on the sit-in activities at the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro.

The sit-in was led by four North Carolina A&T State College students on Feb. 1, 1960. In the days and weeks that followed, hundreds, if not thousands, of youths around the country joined in the sit-in movement that led to the desegregation of the Woolworth lunch counter.

The museum itself features a number of exhibits centered on the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter. Other exhibits, including a re-enactment of the discussion that led to the sit-in and a broad look at the six-month sit-in struggle, take a look at the civil rights movement as a whole.

The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go to http://www.sitinmovement.org/

Learning Everyday: An Intro to Fire Museums

Visiting a fire museum is not high on the list of sites to see for my art-loving wife or my history-buff self. So maybe it was good our introduction to the concept came while attending a birthday party at the Fire Museum of Memphis this weekend.

The museum has its share of historic trucks and equipment, which was pretty cool to check out. But the highlight of this museum – and I’m sure many worldwide like it – is the educational aspect. That’s where this museum has found its mission.

From the room simulator that shows an innocent fire starting and spreading quickly through a house while the room’s heat begins to get very unbearable to the maze teaching children how to escape a burning house, the museum does a great job. And when not learning about fire safety or the history of firefighting in Memphis, the museum offers plenty of play opportunities.

There are nearly 300 museums in North America devoted to firefighting, according to the Fire Museum Network. The network’s Web site, www.firemuseumnetwork.org, lists museums in all 50 states, throughout Canada and in a number of other countries.

Some are basic rooms in working firehouses. Others are more elaborate, such as those that can be found in major cities that are housed in former firehouses.

I’ve been to a grand total of one. So I can’t speak as an expert on the subject. But I can say I was pleasantly surprised in the detail of the interactive exhibits and the number of historic trucks and other items.

The most important visitor on this trip, my 3-year-old son, gave the museum his approval. Two fire trucks and one ambulance with flashing lights and working steering wheels and switches was a perfect experience for a boy infatuated with all things cars and trucks.

If I’m on a weekend trip to New York am I going to visit the New York City Fire Museum? Probably not, but an extended stay, particularly if a certain toddler is in tow, and I can’t think of anything better.

Got Reservations? Avoid Lines to See Renaissance Masterpieces

Just because the Renaissance was some 500 years ago, it doesn't mean you have to wait for hours to see many of its masterpieces. But don't ever try getting into Florence, Italy’s Uffizi Gallery during peak tourist season without a reservation.

A few years back in planning a trip to Italy, I knew I needed to reserve a spot to get in to this museum featuring many of the Renaissance period’s great masterpieces. But when I called six weeks in advance there were no tour times available until two and a half hours before our train was set to depart for Venice.

I had a choice and I had to make it quick. We could skip the museum, which wasn’t much of an option with my art-obsessed wife, or we could make do with a quick hour and a half of seeing the highlights in the Uffizi before heading off to catch the train. For me, it was a no-brainer.

I mean, yes, I hope to make it back to Florence one day. But just in case one day becomes never or many years from now, I had to make that reservation. Looking back, I’m glad we did, but I do wish we would have had more time to see this wonderful museum.

But I certainly am very glad we were not among the visitors who we saw standing in line for 10-plus hours trying to get squeezed into the museum. Our reservation was exactly that, a reserved spot for two that meant we did not have to spend hours waiting to get in.

So what can you do to avoid this at the Uffizi or other popular attractions? Well, if you’re planning a trip to a foreign country chances are you are doing it a few months in advance. So pencil in a few hours for those “must see” attractions, go to a travel forum such as Trip Advisor and find out from that forum’s experts if reservations are a must for that attraction.

Take it from me, it is well worth the extra time and effort to research the sites you want to see, particularly if your time is limited. Other than that, well, you can plan a trip next time for the off-season.