An Eclectic Day in Greensboro

Feeling the need for a little spring travel, Kim encouraged the family to drive to Greensboro, NC, for the day.

We'd been looking forward to taking in the International Civil Rights Center and Museum since it opened in February 2010. The museum is housed in the former Woolworth store building where the 1960s sit in occurred. Several of the art deco store features remain and are a delight to see. The museum's focal point--the lunch counter itself--is hallowed, presented on its initial footprint. It is much larger than we expected, and as Justin aptly put it, it is pretty amazing that it was never moved given the context of the 1960s south. There are also some interesting artifacts in the museum, including a "two-sided" Coke machine made for segregated waiting rooms and of which there are thought to be only 10 in existence (the other 90that were made having been destroyed, apparently, by Coke itself). We really, really appreciate the sprit of the museum, but we would make two critiques: 1) there seemed to be a need for coordination of the multiple tours scheduled on the day of our visit, and 2) we wish the museum would focus on the Greensboro location and local history more definitively in its mission, as the international idea seems broad for now. If you go, expect a guided tour, seek to educate yourself on the museum artifacts by means other than simply reading placards (buy the newspaper supplement describing the museum opening in the gift shop for help), and allot significant possible wait time if you do not schedule your visit with the museum itself.

Following our visit, we headed a few blocks up to Greensboro's Mellow Mushroom--yum! Mellow Mushrooms are such classy pizza joints! We spent only about $20 and had a fresh-made pizza we "designed" along with a yummy soft pretzel appetizer, and Elijah got to sit in a tie-dyed high chair. This Mellow Mushroom location is decorated in a hip gothic style with several throwbacks to old churches including ornate lettering and a pulpit-like hostess stand. Great place to take in lunch!

On the way back up 220, we stopped at Edward McKay Used Books and More, quite an impressive bookstore. Some perks? Inexpensive prices, fun atmosphere, well-organized collection that takes pains to separate "lay" from "professional" books, T-shirts and tote bags for sale... If Kim could add anything, it would just be a postcard to buy! Several families in the children's section were talking about allowing their children to pick a certain number of books per trip to the store, much like one might do by giving a child $5 at the Dollar Tree. What a great idea--with much better results likely!

Continuing our drive, we made a brief pit stop at Mt Tabor United Methodist Church's Talking Mural exhibit as we neared the Virginia state line. The exhibit signs have always intrigued us, and today, we drove by beyond its operating hours (10-4, Monday-Saturday) but found it open anyway. The people of the church have made their house of worship a rest stop of sorts, complete with a playground for kids. They offer an audio drama of the life of Jesus whenever you stop in, and the congreation takes welcoming you seriously: there are even specially-decorated tissue boxes in each pew. The site has a clear evangelical goal but did not strike us as "pushy."

Relevant Links:
International Civil Rights Center and Museum
Mellow Mushroom
Edward McKay Used Books and More
Talking Murals of Mt Tabor United Methodist Church

Relevant Twitter Handles:
GoGreensboro, EdMcKayBooksGBO