Things to Do in Southaven

Perched atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the Metal Museum provides an opportunity for visitors to view expertly crafted metalwork every day without transforming their minivans into tree-hanging dragon feeders. As the only institution in the United States devoted exclusively to showcasing fine metalwork, the National Ornamental Metal Museum takes visitors back to a time when blacksmiths were revered as celebrities and held frontcourt season tickets to public stoning bouts. Visitors can peruse a variety of metalworking facilities, exhibits, and a gift shop while browsing delicate knives and jewelry alongside sturdy cast-iron sculptures and contemporary works. Each individual membership is good for one year and includes free admission to all exhibits. Additionally, members will receive 10% off any metal repair work performed by the museum’s capable smiths, a tuition discount for classes, special-event and newsletter mailings, and 10% off gift-store items. With three guest day passes, you’ll never get caught with no way to entertain the in-laws or pals visiting on a rainy day.

The Fire Museum of Memphis uses a combination of interactive exhibits, artifacts, restorations, and multimedia to illustrate Memphis's history of fire damage and to honor those who dedicate their lives to fighting fires. Built inside the refurbished Fire Engine House No. 1, the museum itself is a rich piece of history. The Memorial Wall's larger-than-life sculptures are a riveting tribute to the heroes who fell in the line of duty, and a collection of prints and portraits honors the 12 brave men who made up the first class of African-American firefighters in 1955. Alongside a bevy of antiques from past eras of fire fighting, the horse-drawn E.H. Crump Steamer, named after the late mayor, will evoke a simpler time—before motor-technologies subjugated our equestrian allies to achieving glory primarily as silly-named racing horses.

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.

A piggy bank covered in polka dots, a platter celebrating Mother’s Day complete with each of her children’s handprints, a ceramic replica of Sesame Street’s Ernie—these are just a few of the projects that have emerged from Seize the Clay, a hands-on art studio specializing in pottery painting. In addition to embellishing various bisque pieces with unique designs, visitors can create glass-fused pendants, multihued mosaics, and silver-clay jewelry personalized with the initials of their beloved mail carrier. They can also try their hands at the potter’s wheel, hold birthday parties, or attend an interactive summer camp.

Although painting is a solitary experience for many artists, it becomes a color-strewn party at ArtJamN. Enthusiastic staff members encourage participants to interact, inspire each other, and even collaborate on the same canvas. Painters are outfitted with a bevy of paints and textures that add dimension to magnum opuses and make it easier to crawl into someone else's painting and take a nap. Both regular painting sessions and private parties introduce burgeoning artists to a cornucopia of artistic styles as they intermingle and sip from their own stash of adult beverages.

Thrill-seekers of all ages weave through Golf & Games Family Park’s 40-acre mini metropolis of indoor and outdoor attractions. Scampering legs can dart and dash through the neon-clad, 6,000-square-foot indoor laser-tag arena. A burbling waterfall streams through the park’s 54-hole mini-golf course, hemmed by lush landscaping and statues of various jungle-inhabiting creatures. Bumper boats bob in cerulean waters churned by colliding vessels as they circle a central, life-size elephant statue, and two go-kart courses cater to future and present-day adults. Guests can engage in more conventional contests such as volleyball, basketball, and horseshoes within the bucolic tree lines that frame the open picnic pavilions or hone various swing types at the park’s batting cages, 120-stall driving range, and spacious putting green.