Memphis Attractions

Pink Palace Museum

The Pink Palace, a soubriquet bestowed on this elaborate pink marble Memphis mansion by the locals, was intended to be a luxury home for the founder of the Piggy Wiggly chain of supermarkets, Clarence Saunders, when he began building it back in the 1920s. Before the ostentatious mansion that dominates Central Avenue was completed Saunders declared bankruptcy, and the homestead ended up in the hands of the city of Memphis for use as a museum. The Pink Palace Museum is devoted to culture and natural history, it’s origins preserved in the form of a replica of the first self-service grocery store in the country, Saunders’ Piggly Wiggly. Visitors can also explore dioramas, exhibits and audio-visual displays that trace Memphis’ development from the arrival of the Spanish explorers through the Civil War and yellow fever epidemics. Dinosaurs and fossils also feature, as does an excellent medical-history section. The museum includes a planetarium and an Imax theatre.

Address: 3050 Central Avenue; E-mail: more_info@memphismuseums.org; Website: www.memphismuseums.org; Telephone: (901) 320 6320; Opening time: Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm, Sunday 12pm to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, New Years Day and Thanksgiving; Admission: Museum: $8.75 (adults), $6.25 (children 3-12); Imax: $8 (adults), $6.25 (children); Planetarium: $4.50 (adults), $4 (children). Combination tickets for Museum/Planetarium/Imax available