Continuing the series of blogs on parks and museums around Memphis, we’ll take a look this week at the Brooks Museum and Overton Park, where the Brooks makes its home.
 

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
1934 Poplar Avenue
http://www.brooksmuseum.org


The oldest fine arts museum in Tennessee, the Brooks Museum opened in 1916 after Betty Vance Brooks dedicated $100,000 to the City of Memphis in honor of her late husband in 1913.  The Beaux Arts-style building, located in the center of Overton Park, has undergone several expansions since its initial construction and now boasts twenty-nine galleries, two art classrooms, a research library, a print study room, and an auditorium.  The Brooks houses 8,500 works of art.  Throughout the year the museum hosts numerous public programs for children and adults alike, such as an independent film series, lectures, concerts, and free family events.  The Brooks is home to some culinary masterpieces as well courtesy of the Brushmark Restaurant, an elegant restaurant featuring fine wines and the exquisite cuisine of Chefs Wally Joe and Andrew Adams.  You can check out the Easter brunch menu here: http://www.brooksmuseum.org/brunchmenu.

 


 
Overton Park

As warm spring weather beckons us outdoors, don’t miss a chance to relax and enjoy the tranquility of Overton Park.  Opened in 1906, the 342-acre municipal park is home not only to the Brooks but also the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis College of Art, a 9-hole golf course, the War Memorial, and the Levitt Shell at Overton Park, originally known as the Overton Park Shell, where Elvis held his first paid concert.  Since reopening in September of 2008 after extensive renovation, the shell has hosted free concerts.  The natural gem of Overton Park is the Old Forest Arboretum, which offers visitors a glimpse at an array of trees from numerous species, with some of the trees estimated to be 300 years old.