Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology

University of Tennessee, Memphis

LIVING IN MEMPHIS

Memphis on the Mississippi.    Where and how students live will determine much about the quality of their experience as graduate students. Few cities can boast anything as romantic and beautiful as the mighty river the Indians named "Father of Waters." Echoing the cries of roustabouts and whistles of steamboats long gone, Ol’ Man River is eternal: languidly rolling on by, carrying waters of the Yellowstone and the Susquehanna down to the Gulf of Mexico. Memphis stretches eastward from the Mississippi’s banks in some of the cleanest and greenest miles of urban terrain in the country. There are almost two hundred parks in the city, where students can jog, picnic, toss a Frisbee, play tennis or golf, ride a bike, or just sit and watch the red splendor of a sunset on the river. Unique among these parks is Mud Island. Located on an island created by the river it celebrates, this 50-acre park is devoted to the history, folklore, and culture of the Mississippi. Meandering down the 5-block long scale model of the river is a pleasant way to while away a Sunday afternoon out, and take in some history and geography in the process. Other parks include the Lichterman Nature Center, a 60-acre wildlife reserve, and the Memphis Zoo, where 475 species of animal reside on 36 acres. Tennessee has many of the most beautiful state parks in the country, one of them just a few miles north of the city. Camping, swimming, boating, fishing, and hunting are easily pursued in the vast forests, lakes, and streams of Tennessee. Other natural retreats are offered in the nearby states of Arkansas and Mississippi. Memphis is located just far enough south to ensure a mild winter yet provide the pleasant variety of real seasonal change. Autumn is especially beautiful, and spring nothing short of spectacular.

Memphis museums.  While the moderate climate makes Memphis ideal for those who love the great outdoors, there are plenty of indoor attractions, too. Art lovers can enjoy major exhibits at the Brooks Museum of Art and the Dixon Gallery, as well as smaller exhibits at numerous art galleries throughout the city. The National Ornamental Metal Museum is the only one of its kind in the nation. The recently opened Children’s Museum provides hands-on participatory activities designed to take some of the mystery out of math, science and the arts. History buffs can visit the National Civil Rights Museum; journey back to the days when cotton was king, at a house in Victorian Village; shudder at the crude instruments of a 19th century doctor at the Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium, a cultural and natural history museum; or feel the tremor of cannon fire on the deck of a simulated Civil War gunboat at the river museum on Mud Island.

    Fans of live theater can choose from a professional repertory theater, two community theaters (one of them nationally recognized), a dinner theater, or any of the five college theater departments in the city. Student discounts are available at almost all of these fine productions. The magnificent old Orpheum Theater, recently restored to it former grandeur, and currently being enlarged, brings Broadway to Memphis.

Memphis is Music.  Everyone knows, or soon learns, that Memphis mean music. Whatever one’s musical taste, from blues to Beethoven, Memphis has something to offer, and, most musical performances can fit easily into students’ budgets. An evening of bluegrass at the Lucy Opry costs only a small donation. The University of Memphis music department offers a number of excellent productions at little or no charge. Strolling down Beale Street on a summer evening, one can pick up a different blues sound about every ten paces -- and it’s all free. Few experiences can match the magical meeting of balmy weather and beautiful music in Memphis’ many outdoor concerts: a chamber orchestra concert in the elegant Dixon Gardens, a River City Band concert in the Botanical Gardens, or a pop or rock concert under the starry skies at the Mud Island amphitheater. With its own symphony orchestra, opera company, and ballet company, Memphis affords abundant cultural opportunities.

Memphis Sports.    Sports fans will not find themselves neglected in Memphis. In Memphis’ signature building, the Pyramid Arena, fans can cheer for the nationally ranked University of Memphis Tigers basketball team. Just a few blocks from campus, you can watch big-league baseball as the Memphis Chicks, a double-A basketball team in the Kansas farm system, plays in the new Autozone Park stadium. In the Mid-South Coliseum, you will find the Memphis RiverKings of the Central Hockey League, a professional hockey team. The U.S. Men’s Indoor National Tennis Championships attract top-ranking stars, and the Federal Express St. Jude Classic is now a major national PGA golf tournament. The Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is the home to the University of Memphis football team, one University of Tennessee Southeastern Conference game each year.

How about a party?    Memmphians love parties, so festivals abound throughout the year, from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to the Dickens’s Christmas in Overton Square. The largest and longest celebration is the Memphis in May Festival, a full month of international exhibition honoring a selected foreign country, with world-famous live music, races, a renowned barbecue contest, and a fine arts finale. The Sunset Symphony, a Memphis Symphony Orchestra pops concert that has become a happening, draws tens of thousands to the riverbanks to hear a resonant bass sing "Old Man River" with the moody river itself as a backdrop.

Memphis exhibitions.    One of the premier cultural attractions of Memphis is the internationally acclaimed Wonder Series Exhibitions. Each year an exciting subject is chosen for a comprehensive historical exhibition constructed in collaboration with the country from which the artifacts were obtained. The series began with the Ramesses The Great Exhibition in which 74 Egyptian antiquities were loaned by the Egyptian Museum of Cairo including a colossal 47-ton, 25-foot tall statue of Ramesses The Great. The next exhibition, in collaboration with the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg, was entitled Catherine the Great. It focused on the life and reign of the Russian empress Catherine II (the Great). Included among the many priceless art treasures in this exhibition was the grand coronation carriage of Catherine the Great which was ordered by Peter the Great for the coronation of his second wife, Catherine I. Other exhibitions in the Wonder Series include: The Etruscans: Legacy of a Lost Civilization, Splendors of the Ottoman Sultans, Napoleon, and The Imperial Tombs of China. The most recent offering was the Peruvian Exhibition, which featured 200 - 300 objects from 10 public and private collections spanning 3,000 years of culture traditions in Peru.

UT student sports.    Students can take a break from work or study at a number of facilities on campus, too. At the Wassell Randolph Student-Alumni Center (the SAC), students can swim in an Olympic-sized pool, play racquetball or squash, pick up a game of volleyball or basketball, work out in the fitness center, or enjoy the soothing effects of a sauna or whirlpool. Best of all, the SAC’s excellent facilities are ample enough not to be crowded. U.T. Doctors Field offers jogging tracks, six lighted tennis courts, and fields for football, softball, and soccer. Those who enjoy competitive sports can participate in intramural football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, golf, or soccer.

The life-long friends you make.    Graduate school is a time to make lifelong friends. The Office of Student Life does all it can to help that process along by scheduling both major events and regular activities. There are dances, concerts, films, cookouts, ice cream socials, talent shows, and many other great get-togethers. The Student Affairs Office also helps students get acquainted with the campus and the city. The campus is located at the outer edge of downtown, in an area known as Midtown. For students who prefer the convenience of living on campus, there are single rooms with air-conditioning that cost an average of $2,650 a year or suites with shared kitchen facilities. Whether students choose to live in a dormitory or in an off-campus apartment, moderately priced housing is available. With a wide variety, from stately mansions on tree-lined streets to modern apartment complexes, Midtown neighborhoods offer a pleasant sent of community.

Memphis - it's a good place to live.    Perhaps the nicest aspect of living in Memphis is its atmosphere. Although greater Memphis has a population of approximately one million, the city was settled and developed by people from rural roots, with a feel for the neighborliness of small town life. So Memphis has all the amenities one expects to find in a major city yet maintains the friendly atmosphere of a small town. Memphis offers many exciting things to see and do. It is the educational, cultural, commercial, and medical hub of the Mid-South. But most of all, it is a city where people soon come to feel at home.