History & Tours in Tyler

History abounds in Tyler and there are a lot of fun tours and events going on:

For more events, check out EGuideMagazine.com ‘s entire

Hit the Bricks Aug. 8th: Sip & Shop Downtown Tyler

For more events, check out EGuideMagazine.com ‘s entire

For the month of August, Hit the Bricks will be partially online with all restaurants and stores reopen to the public. Follow Downtown Tyler and Hit the Bricks on Facebook for updates and more information.

And don’t forget your mask – help end this madness and wear a mask when out in public! Get a cool one at Brands & Threads Apparel Co., now located at 316 S. Broadway (across the street from their old location). Check out their cool stuff at their new store or at facebook.com/BrandsandThreads. They are open 9am-1pm.

Show your support for Tyler’s businesses by being part of Visit Tyler’s Rose City Strong campaign by downloading the Rose City Strong Facebook profile frame. Go to your Facebook page and select “Update Profile Photo,” then select “Add a Frame” and search for Rose City Strong.

Activities

See what’s new as Tyler gets ready to go Back to School! Play games! Win Prizes! Shop Local Online!

A completely free & online event, Sip & Shop Texas is sending you on a virtual scavenger hunt (posted August 7th) to win prizes! See how UT-Tyler is preparing for the upcoming school year – and what amazing things TJC’s Earth & Science Center as well as Caldwell Zoo and E Student Group – have in store for all of Tyler’s virtual learners!

There is also an opportunity for you to support small business and shop local, online with Sip & Shop’s Hit the Bricks festival vendors.

Prizes include a Family 4-Pack of Tickets to the Earth and Space Science Center featuring Hudnall Planetarium; a Swag Bag Full of Goodies from UT-Tyler; one admission ticket to ESCAPOLOGY! The Live Escape Game; Tickets to Caldwell Zoo; A Back to School Gift Box for your favorite teacher; and Jewelry from Sip & Shop Texas!

There are 3 Ways to Win:

Snap a picture of you or your family in front of one of downtown Tyler’s colorful murals! Stay safe & Socially distanced.

Have fun in the online scavenger hunt through the Hit the Bricks Back to School Event. This is completely free & online.

Email SipandShopTexas@gmail.com proof of purchase from any of our Sip & Shop Festival Vendors or businesses located on or around the square in Downtown Tyler!

Go to SipandShopTexas.com to play. Winners announced Monday, August 10th.

Take a virtual tour of the Goodman LeGrand House and Museum while listening to the audio tour from our Roses and Weeds podcast. The museum is open for visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Capacity limit of 5 visitors at a time.

Gallery Main Street is now open inside the new atrium at Plaza Tower. Experience the newest art exhibit by John Deaton. All art is available for purchase. Gallery open to the public from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Get one free ticket to “The Art and Science of Arachnids“ at Discovery Science Place by checking out a spider-themed book at the Tyler Public Library! Bring your book (any book about or featuring arachnids/spiders- fiction or nonfiction) to the DSP and learn all about arachnids in art, science, and culture. Get up close to almost 100 live spiders from around the globe!

Bring your empty flower pots to Moss and they will fill them up for you!

Main Street Monday: Episode 8Business: Culture ETXAddress: 118 W Erwin
Posted by Downtown Tyler, Texas on Monday, August 3, 2020

Culture ETX will be doing their first Iron+Ember Saturday BBQ Series pop-up on from 11 a.m. until they are sold out!

Liberty Hall is celebrating its 90th anniversary! Join them on Facebook Live for Liberty Live: Concerts from the Couch. The lineup is: 11 a.m.: Michael Paul Jones from Blindpursuit; 11:30 a.m.: Lucas Kelm; 12 Noon: Owen Tiner; 12:30 p.m.: Max Mcruiz.

Watch KLTV’s “One Texas: Songs from Home” concert.

Clint & The Cosmic Wake will be live at ETX Brewing from 8-10pm. There is no cover and all ages are welcome as well as your four-legged friends.

Restaurants

1948 Coffee & Juice Co. is now open offering a full espresso bar, cold-pressed juices, smoothie bowls, vegan eats, organic and gluten-free options, and more! Also, downtown’s Urban Market, which is in 1948 Coffee’s area, offers goods and food from all over the world.

Andy’s Frozen Custard, located at 110 S. College Ave., is open 11am-12 midnight.

Black Pearl, located at 106 W. Erwin St., is still closed however their Food Menu & Cocktails are available at Ricks on the Square after 4pm.

Culture ETX, located at 118 W. Erwin St., is open from 5-10pm.

Don Juan on The Square, located at 113 E. Erwin St., is open 11am-9pm.

The Foundry Coffee House, located at 202 S. Broadway Ave., is open 7am-6pm. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Porch at ETX Brewery, located at 221 S. Broadway Ave., is open 11am-11:30pm. They offer beer to-go too!

SportsZone, located at 115 E. Erwin St., is open at 3pm-1am.

Rhea’s Hot Links, located at 204 S. Fannin St., is open from 9am-5:30pm. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Rick’s on the Square, located at 104 W. Erwin St., is open 4pm-1am.

Tapatio’s Grill Chicken, located at 614 W. Valentine St., is open 10am-11pm.

True Vine on the Square, located 110 S. College Ave. Suite 102, is open 4-8pm. They offer beer to-go by an individualized Pick Six option. Pick six 12oz cans or six 16oz cans or two 12oz and four 16oz, or three of each, the limit does not exist (well okay it exists up to 288 ounces per day, but you get it.) Order online or in-person for pickup. Be sure to try the new “Galactic Minotaurt Gose” variation – total cucumber and watermelon yumminess!

There are usually a few Food Trucks hanging around Downtown as well so there’s no excuse to leave hungry with all of the dining options because in Downtown you can have your cake and eat it too.

Shopping

Backbone Hair + Beauty, located at 235 S. Broadway, is open 9am-5pm. Get a stylish new hairdo along with experiencing a downtown jibe in this hip new hair salon. They also sell a line of cool t-shirts and hair products.

Brands & Threads Apparel Co. is now located at 316 S. Broadway (across the street from their old location). Check out their cool stuff at their new store or at facebook.com/BrandsandThreads. They are open 9am-1pm. And to note, they are offering VERY COOL custom-made masks too!

Moss: Where Flowers are Fair, located at 237 S. Broadway Ave., is open 10am-3pm.

Salvation Army Thrift Shop, is open to treasure and bargain hunters alike. They are located at 723 N. Broadway, open 10am-5pm.

Personalized Candles Available…Let us us know what you need or come check out our pre made personalization..:@urbandeauxcandle @downtowntyler
Posted by Urban Deaux Candle Co. & Mercantile Store on Sunday, August 2, 2020

Urban Deaux Candle Co. & Mercantile Store and 903 Closet is located at 317 S. Bois D’Arc Ave. and open 11am-6pm. They offer PERSONALIZED candles! Drop by the shop to order your’s today.

Ye Olde City Antiques is open again at 302 E. Locust after a recent fire took out part of their showroom. They will offer hidden bricks with discounts for all Hit the Brick shoppers.

Museums & More

Take a virtual tour of the Goodman LeGrand House and Museum while listening to the audio tour from our Roses and Weeds podcast. The museum is open for visitors 11am-4pm. Capacity limit of 5 visitors at a time.

Smith County Historical Society is open by appointments only.

Gallery Main Street is now located in the lobby of Plaza Tower. Go to DowntownTyler.org to view and purchase artwork in the current exhibit.

More Info

Hit the Bricks is held rain or shine, cold or hot, and even amid pandemics. Help us support our local Downtown businesses during this time. For more information, visit the event on Facebook or download the FREE app “EGuide Tyler TX.”

Downtown Tyler

“The Art And Science Of Arachnids” On Exhibit

Bored? Looking for some fun science-based activities? The Discovery Science place has come up with a few ideas.

“Since 1993 our mission has been to ‘ignite curiosity in young minds through fun, hands-on exploration.’ Since our early beginnings as a Junior League of Tyler project in a donated former car dealership, we have worked towards that goal. There is so much to see and experience at the Discovery Science Place,” said Chris Rassure.

Currently, “The Art And Science Of Arachnids” is on exhibit July 11th-Nov. 15th.

The Art and Science of Arachnids is a limited-time, family-friendly exhibit that features 100 live arachnids and examines their place in human culture. Visitors will explore human-arachnid connections through hands-on activities like building robots, conducting science experiments, creating their own arachnid art and more.

The exhibit displays 100 live arachnids –the largest such display in North America, including endangered species like the Tiger tarantula and Mexican Red Knee tarantula, alien-looking tailless whip scorpions, and beautiful Peacock tarantulas and Sun Tiger tarantulas. Specimens are featured in three large informative cubicle displays highlighting art, culture, and science.

In addition to hands-on activities and arachnid specimens the exhibit features the beautiful macro-photography work of Julian Kamzol in a fascinating look of arachnids up-close.

This is the first time the Discovery Science Place has featured living creatures as part of a traveling exhibit. This exhibit would appeal most to students ages 4-14 and all interested in biology, nature, and art/culture.

The exhibit will follow the same hours as the main museum: Friday-Saturday 10am-12noon & 1pm-3pm, Sunday 1pm-3pm only. Advanced tickets are highly recommended as guests w/out advanced tickets may be turned away at the door if they are at capacity (health concerns/protocols). Ticketing capacity is 25 people per every 1 hour. Buy your tickets HERE!

The Art & Science of Arachnids is the largest traveling arachnid exhibit in the U.S. featuring rare and seldom seen species like the Bolivian Red Rump Tarantula and the Brazilian Black and White.

The Discovery Science Place is grateful to the following
sponsors and partners of “The Art and Science of Arachnids”.

GOLD SPONSOR: THE BOYLAN FOUNDATION

SILVER SPONSOR: LISA KRAUS AND FRANK CABELL

PARTNER SPONSOR: TARGET

EDUCATIONAL PARTNER: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT TYLER

IN-KIND MEDIA SPONSOR: KLTV CHANNEL 7

IN-KIND MEDIA SPONSOR: KYTX CBS19

FRIEND SPONSOR: DANA WOODARD

Discovery Science Place is located at 308 N. Broadway Ave., Tyler TX 75702, (903) 533-8011, info@discoveryscienceplace.org, discoveryscienceplace.org/

Upcoming events:

Art

Looking Arty: Murals Around Downtown Tyler

There is a lot going on in the art community around Tyler, TX. Here are some of the beautiful murals. Take your photo with one (or all) of them and tag #BeautifulTyler! To list more murals here, contact EGuide at eguidemagazine@gmail.com.

“Eyes of Tyler”

Located at the corner of Elm Street and Broadway Avenue just south of the Downtown Square, #tylertx alongside the Lindsey Building. Painted by Dace Lucia Kidd in 2017. Dace said, “My image, ‘Eyes of Tyler,’ is inspired by the concept of shared beauty. It is intended to communicate that there is beauty within all of us if you just look. My goal is to encourage everyone to create what is next in their life, to search for what is beautiful within everyone, while being aware of the beauty in Tyler, and particularly in the downtown area.”

“Wings of Tyler: Welcome!”

Wings of Tyler is a project by local artists Cassie Edmonds and Dace Kidd.

Wings of Tyler is a mural on the exterior wall of a building leased by Edward Jones Investments on the southeast corner of Broadway Avenue and Erwin Street. The art faces west, which is Broadway Ave., just a few feet south of the downtown square.

According to the artists’ rendition, there is five sets of wings painted at various heights and lengths along the wall, allowing individual or group photo opportunities. The wings are finished in Venetian mirror-glass.

The idea is to make the wall “the most photographed” spot in all of East Texas, Dace Kidd explained. “Somebody can bring their pet, their kid, somebody disabled, groups of photos; two groups of people will be able to pose in front of the wings,” said Kidd.

“Be Happy”

The “Be Happy” mural is an effort to help people ‘be happy’! The 70 feet X 20 feet mural is located on the back brick wall of the ETX Brewing Company, 221 S. Broadway, Off the Square in downtown Tyler. It faces South College Avenue.

Tyler native Lindsay Boone led the project. She says there are at least eighteen different East Texas native wildflowers on the wall because she wanted people to “see something that looks familiar.” In addition to the flowers, “Be Happy” is inscribed in the center.

Annie Gilstrap with the ETX Brewing Company says the tag line for East Texas Brewing company is ‘Beer Happy,’ so it was an easy decision to shorten the line to ‘Be Happy.’ “You can’t look at the wildflowers and not be happy, they just bring a smile to your face because they’re just joyful and bright,” said Gilstrap.

The 13 artists involved include Lindsay Boone, Mikayla Willis, David Maldonado, Kate Googins, Tyler Shelton, Justin Fasulo, Rady Randall, Becky Martin, Maddi Travis, Jennifer Vaughn, Julianna Wynn and Chasity Erbaugh. The artists ask that if you take photos with or of the mural, that you use #ETXWildflower when sharing on social media.

“Peace Mural”

How do East Texans celebrate Peace? With art, film, poetry, conversation, joyful gatherings, worship, photography, meals, dance, shopping, community service, children’s activities, and peace pole installations….and at the Peace Mural, located at 308 N. Broadway next to Discovery Science Place in #downtowntyler. Find out more at tylerpeace.com.

“Discover Art”

While at Discovery Science Place, check out the other unique murals located on the outside walls, located at 308 N. Broadway in #downtowntyler.

“Spread a Little Kindness…And Cake”

This cool mural is located on the east wall of Janie’s Cakes, 308 E. Front St., Tyler.

“At Janie’s Cakes, we make an old-fashioned pound cake. And the tagline that we use on a regular basis is that we want you to spread a little kindness one cake at a time. So it was a natural thing for us to paint this on a wall of our building,” said Janie Clapp, owner.

“Like all good Southern girls, Janie learned baking and meal making from her great-grandmother. ‘Papu,’ as Janie called her, made every lick of her baked goods from scratch using plenty of real cream, real butter and real cane sugar. That little slip of a girl grew up to be quite a cook in her own right. After honing her skills at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Janie returned to Tyler, Texas, where she opened Janie’s Cakes in 1987. Today, Janie makes every pound cake the same way she made her very first: from all-natural ingredients, farm-fresh eggs, real creamery butter and with a huge dollop of her great-grandmother’s abiding love.”

They make 26,000 pound cakes a year, in a variety of sizes with different fillings, enjoying busy seasons like the holidays and Mother’s Day. Check out their unique story HERE.