Location: Downtown
Top Things to do in Downtown
Things to do in Memphis, Tennessee (TN): The Best Museums
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. Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 272 reviews
Admission prices: $6 adult, $5 senior, $4 student. Free if 5 years old or under.
Reviewed By a-travelin-foodie
Absolutely amazing pieces of carved ivory - from full tusks (even ancient mammoths) to small pieces. The jades too are phenomenal. I have been in museums all over the world (biut not China!) and have never seen such a large collection of beautiful work! There are a number of other excellent pieces, too. For $6, well worth it for anyone to come take a look on a rainy day, even if it's not normally your thing. The Judaica was pretty impressive, too, including a huge collection of contemorary silver and some art. Loved that they included the "Living On" exhibition - a collection of photos and stories of Holocaust survivors relevant to Memphis. An easy walk from any location downtown, it's on the trolley line. In the basement, accessible by either elevator or stairs.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Memphis Music Hall of Fame
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 80 reviews
What began in 2012 as an Induction Ceremony and tribute honoring the many heroes of Memphis music is now a fun, new interactive museum experience that will be just as outrageous as our Hall of Fame inductees. Let us introduce you to such legendary inductees as Elvis, Jerry Lee, B.B. King, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Howlin' Wolf, ZZ Top and many, many others through never-before-seen memorabilia, videos, music and interactives.
Reviewed By Andrew_Madsen - Northbrook, United States
This visit was a huge surprise. I expected a small exhibit that would take fifteen minutes to go through in spite of the admonition from the welcoming / clerk that it would take 45 minutes and I spent 90 minutes and felt I did not do it justice. This was an absolutely wonderful trip through the history of a genre of music that was the primary influence on modern rock. Where it began an how it developed is what this place is about. A must see for any lover of rock, soul, or the blues.
9. Peabody Place Museum
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 8 reviews
This museum contains more than 600 treasures from Europe and the Orient.
10. Jay Etkin Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
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