Things to Do in Millington

At The Clay Canvas's child-friendly contemporary ceramics studio, customers of all crafting levels dabble in DIY activities ranging from pottery painting to hand-building moist-clay pieces. Children's summer camps, workshops, and other classes help youngsters take steps toward skilled painting or overcoming a fear of sitting at a potter's wheel that may be surrounded by friendly ghosts. The Clay Canvas also engages with the local artist community by selling finished pieces at the studio.

Hanging rows of brightly painted decks from its walls decorated with colorful graffiti art, MG Boards Skate Shop outfits the local skating community with a variety of boards and apparel. Shoes from Emerica and Etnies keep feet firmly on the grip tape, and longboards facilitate quick urban transportation without the hassle of heavy rush-hour rollerblading. Dedicated to increasing awareness of skating's health benefits, the staff at MG Boards extend their passion to the entire Memphis community, from sponsoring the Down South Longboarding Group to participating in half-marathon races to benefit Habitat for Hope.

Successful carriage maker Amos Woodruff began construction on his Memphis home in 1870, designing the property in French Victorian style with a mansard roof and cypress woodwork and flooring. A year later, the mansion hosted the wedding of Amos's daughter, Mollie, marking the first public event and first of countless weddings to be held on the property. Cotton factor Noland Fontaine owned the dwelling after Amos; following the death of Noland and his wife, the home became an art school and then a vacant building until the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities acquired the space in 1961.

Nestled among magnolia trees, the restored mansion still shelters handwritten autographs and memories of the craftsmen who helped erect the building. Just as it did for Mollie Woodruff, the property also continues to host weddings and special events with a front lawn that accommodates up to 250 visitors. A collection of more than 1,000 pieces of Victorian-era fashion, such as wedding gowns, undergarments, overgarments, and stiletto horseshoes, can be found in the home. The clothing display changes several times throughout the year along with the museum's rotating exhibitions.

The LuvMud Benefit Event sends costumed sprinters charging and trudging along a 5K course riddled with mud, obstacles, and more mud in order to raise funds for Habitat for Hope, a nonprofit organization supporting the families of seriously ill children. Having grown each year since its inception in 2010, the annual race challenges individuals and teams to conquer tough terrain designed with varying levels of difficulty so as to accommodate participants of all fitness levels. Along the route, spectators gather to scout the action, and volunteers stand by to provide directions and tips, such as reminding racers not to eat any mud without sprinkling on a few blades of grass first.

After making it through the final, massive, 50-foot mud pit and crossing the finish line, finishers recharge their bionic legs with fruit, water, and snacks. Meanwhile, an all-day festival celebrates the occasion with live music and food vendors, and showering equipment supplied by the Memphis Fire Department cleans off any caked-on mud and sweat from the race. LuvMud also holds special races that allow participants’ dogs to join in the fun, as well as all-night camping events that include nighttime racing and live music.

Author William Faulkner, satirist Stark Young, and art collector Mary Skipwith Buie share something in common—they've all lent their legacies to The University of Mississippi Museum. Originally opened in 1939, the complex encompasses the one-time home of Faulkner, Rowan Oak; registered Mississippi landmark Walton-Young Historic House, which housed famed satirist Stark; and a historic art museum built around Buie’s private collection. Today, the museum uses its three sites to preserve and showcase the artistic past and cultural heritage of the American South through exhibits, demonstrations, and education. Guides lead scheduled tours though the historic homes and the museum exhibitions to avoid waking napping sculptures.

Rotating exhibits center on genres such as Southern folk art by self-taught painters, ancient Chinese ceramics art, and mixed-media works by modern artists. The four permanent collections provide a home for lasting assemblages of 19th-century scientific instruments; Greek and Roman works of art; pieces by American modernists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, and John Marin; and a range of Civil War relics, antique costumes, and letters penned by George Washington and John Adams. As part of the museum's focus on education, instructors lead adult studio workshops on topics such as outdoor nature photography, woodcut printmaking, and watercolors. They also let younger artists explore exhibits, use studio space, and question German expressionism's use of forced perspective in ArtZone and summer camp programs.