Location: Memphis
Top Things to do in Memphis
10 History Museums in Memphis That You Shouldn't Miss
Memphis is a pilgrimage for those wanting to visit the birthplace of the blues, of soul and of rock 'n' roll. On Beale Street, W.C. Handy put down on paper the first written blues music. Elvis, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash all recorded at the historic Sun Records, which is now a museum. Graceland, the second most-visited home in America, welcomes visitors from around the world who yearn for a peek into the life of "the King." Beyond the music, Tennessee's largest city also offers much more. It has more sunny days each year than Miami, and combines southern tradition and hospitality with modern amenities. You'll enjoy great dining (be sure to sample the barbecued ribs), art galleries and exciting nightlife.
Restaurants in Memphis
1. National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8,750 reviews
At the place of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'S death in 1968 in Memphis, TN, the National Civil Rights Museum is a renowned educational and cultural institution. The Museum chronicles the American Civil Rights Movement with compelling presentations of iconic exhibits, oral histories of lesser-known civil rights foot soldiers, and visceral, in-the-moment experiences. Visitors will learn through emotionally charged, multi-user, multi-touch interactives, and a visually engaging, contemporary exhibit design that guides you through five centuries of history. Bring the whole family.
Reviewed By annmarieduffy - New York City, United States
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorrainne Motel. Chilling seeing this famous site as we turned the corner to enter. Site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. etched in our memories. Amazing exhibitions, chronologically bringing you through-the Slave trade, many hero’s including educators & pastors, the Civil War, 13, 14 & 15 Constitutional Ammendments , Jim Crow, Rosa Parks, with both her bus & the burnt out bus of the Freedom riders & of course MLK & his speech’s, the hotel room to Obama’s election. It finished with all the Civil Rights hero’s throughout the world & then award winning Civil Rights workers including many different fields such as Gore for the environment, Marlo Thomas for St Judes children’s hospital, Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, Gorbachev & of course Mandela. One of my biggest shock was that 5 million Africans were captured & enslaved in Brazil & another 5 million brought to the Caribbean. 388,000 were brought to North America & 9,000 to Europe. Now looking at the Slave Trade Database 10.7 million survived of the 12.5 million people transported. Horrific history.
2. Edge Motor Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 26 reviews
The Edge Motor Museum, Memphis’ only auto museum, highlights the rise and fall of the American sports car from “postwar to ‘74” in an exhibit called American Speed. Located just 600 feet west of Sun Studio, the museum is a short 2 minute walk down the street and features cars from the same era(s) that Sun highlights so well on their tours.
Reviewed By mbonnema - Grand Rapids, United States
Loved our stop in here on a rainy Sunday, the personal touch was much appreciated giving us a little background to the beautiful cars on display. Very much worth a visit!
3. Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,299 reviews
Chronicling the artists and the music that shaped the legacy of "Memphis Sound," this museum features the Smithsonian's "Rock 'n' Roll: Social Crossroads" exhibition.
Reviewed By 851bobw
Being able to go through museum at your own pace and choose what audio points you wish to listen to and the additional opportunity to listen on your own audio music from the past was great
4. Fire Museum of Memphis
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 188 reviews
Memphis' Hottest Attraction!!! America’s premier interactive fire museum is in the legendary Fire Engine House No. 1 in downtown Memphis. Step back in time to a turn-of-the-century firehouse. Fight the flames of a burning skyscraper from a snorkel basket simulator. Take a look at the horse-drawn era of firefighting from the horse’s perspective! Test your ability to find an escape route to survive a fire. Feel the heat of the FEDEX Fire Room. Learn about the most devastating fires in the history of Memphis. Discover the proud history of Memphis’ first African-American firefighters. And many more hot attractions!
Reviewed By ronp227 - Boca Raton, United States
For all ages especially for children, Fire safety learning at its best The hands on fire simulation is very impressive and a must stop for all fire house enthusiasts.
5. Slave Haven / Burkle Estate Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 689 reviews
Visitors can tour the tunnels used by runaway slaves who stopped at this plantation, one of the stations of the Underground Railroad.
Reviewed By 24Long
Fascinating and heartrending story of a German immigrant businessman who offered his home and possibly his livelihood to provide a haven for runaway slaves during the run-up to the Civil War. Both guides, Greg and Asia, shared stories covering the slave trade, Memphis’ slave markets, how the Underground Railroad worked, to the system Mr.Burkle used to get runaways safely to Cairo, IL and beyond. Fascinating look at mid-18th century life in Memphis. Please create a pamphlet about the history this house represents. This story needs to be heard.
6. Blues Hall of Fame Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 208 reviews
** In response to COVID-19 the Blues Hall of Fame Museum is closed until further notice ** Blues Hall of Fame Museum visitors will enjoy 10 individualized galleries with interactive touchscreen displays along with three master databases where they can hear the music, watch videos, and read the stories of each of our inductees. In addition, each gallery houses one-of-a-kind memorabilia. Our upstairs Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise Gallery is free to the public and hosts rotating exhibits twice a year. The museum was built through the generosity and support of Blues fans so that it would serve all four components of The Blues Foundation's mission: preserving history, celebrating excellence, supporting education, and ensuring the future of the music.
Reviewed By 148anthonyd
Artifacts from inductees are very cool, but what sets this apart for me was the listening room where I could hear inductees songs and then go back and see their influences and hear how those were recorded and played. Spent at least an hour listening to blues and learning some things along the way.. Worth a stop while in Memphis
7. Mud Island River Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,031 reviews
Island containing a 52-acre park that is home to the River Walk and the Mississippi River Museum accessible only by a footbridge.
Reviewed By nikki8375 - Staten Island, United States
My family and I took our two dogs for a walk in this park on our last day in Memphis. We are so happy we decided to make this stop. The Mississippi River model is so intricate that the details really amaze you. My dogs enjoyed jumping across the river at narrow parts and wadding in the shallow areas. The real treat is when you finally get to the end of the walk where the River feeds into the Gulf of Mexico. I was just really blown away by this park. I loved the details and the care that was put into the design of this park. There are many places where the walls explain where you are in the River and in which state. There is a little shop with indoor bathroom facilities at the end of the park. We really enjoyed this park and would encourage anyone to take a visit here to see the miniature, mighty Mississippi.
8. Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 254 reviews
Discover the natural history, folkore, and mystique of the Lower Mississippi River Valley in this 18-gallery museum located on Mud Island in the middle of the Mississippi River. OPEN THURS-SUN LABOR DAY THROUGH MEMORIAL DAY
Reviewed By Iowa_is_my_home
We were impressed with this visual representation of the Mississippi, it's flood plains and depths. After spending over an hour walking the length of the exhibit, we wished it would have continued all the way up river to Itasca! And the museum on site was an excellent depiction of the river history, boats, people, music...all the interesting facets the that make Memphis history fascinating.
9. Pink Palace Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 581 reviews
The Pink Palace Museum is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the Southeast. You can walk through a replica of the first self-service grocery store in the country, Clarence Saunders' Piggly Wiggly. Explore the cultural and natural history of the Mid-South through exciting exhibits, dioramas, and audio-visuals. Trace Memphis' development from the time of Spanish explorers through the Civil War and the yellow fever epidemics. Learn from the award-winning medical exhibit how health care grew to be Memphis' largest industry.
Reviewed By planeswalker2020 - Columbus, United States
I really enjoyed this museum, there is alot of effort in the preservation the the items on display. The only thing that was a bummer was there were a few exhibits being worked on( for future exhibits) that I would have liked to see while I am in town but that did not ruin the experience.
10. The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 280 reviews
Reviewed By oklambsrus - Colbert, United States
Lots of history. Make sure that you take time to listen to the interviews in the original phone booths and the videos at the desk. The history and information within the videos will give you an inside perspective of the era.
