We’ve Found the Best Museums in Memphis, Tennessee

The best museums in Memphis, Tennessee, are as diverse as they come. The city has museums dedicated to the Memphis music scene, including its history with soul music, gospel, and rock ‘n roll, and the biggest names in each.

There are museums dedicated to the voices of the civil rights movement and the city’s role in not only fighting back against segregation but its role in it.

Memphis museums educate and entertain, astonish and inspire. The options I’ll get into below were all visited by us at some point. We’ve accumulated months in this city — Brian grew up here, too — so we know this one well.

I’ll list them in the order we’d prioritize them in, but it really depends on your interests when you’re finding that perfect rainy day activity or alternative to Graceland.

Quick Tips for Your Memphis Visit

Your Flight: Look for deals into Memphis International Airport using Skyscanner. Love deals? Subscribe to Going.

Your Accommodations: Browse Booking.com or Hotels.com for your options in Memphis. Vrbo is my Airbnb alternative.

Your Ride: We’ve been to Memphis with and without a car, and it’s just easier to see the city with a ride. Book a rental car ahead of time.

Top Spots: The National Civil Rights Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum were my top museums in Memphis.

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National Civil Rights Museum

The Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis

The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel is an essential visit while in Memphis. The complex consists of several buildings, which makes this one the largest museum in Memphis if you’re talking about square footage.

Start your visit outside the former Lorraine Motel in Memphis, the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. You’ll see a sign there in the courtyard describing what happened here, and a wreath denoting the balcony where he was shot.

The museum itself is focused on five different exhibits, starting with slavery in America.

Learn about early efforts of resistance to slavery and influential names in Black history that may not have made your civil rights education. You’ll also get a detailed account of the life of Dr. King.

I’ve been twice now. Each experience was a little bit different, and the museum is consistently evolving to speak to the times.

Plan to spend at least two hours on your self-guided visit to this civil rights museum in Memphis, although you can certainly dedicate more time to this one.

READ MORE: Planning a Southern road trip? Steal my two-week itinerary to help you plan.

Stax Museum of American Soul Music 

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is dedicated to Stax Records, a record label that included some of the biggest names in music back in the 1960s and 70s.

Otis Redding.

Isaac Hayes.

The Staple Singers.

Year after year, the studio produced hit after hit…until it didn’t. Changing times and the loss of one of their biggest stars in Otis Redding caused a tumultuous period at the studio.

The studio closed in 1976 and was razed in 1989 to make room for a community center that never happened.

A renewed interest in historical preservation led to efforts by locals and former Stax employees to fund a museum on the site of the old studio. Visitors today can see what it may have been like back in the day, along with memorabilia from studio artists.

Fun fact: That includes Isaac Hayers’ Cadillac, people.

Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum

The Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum from the outside

The Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum in Memphis is a powerful experience. The initial draw for us was the 19th-century home’s place in history as an Underground Railroad stop, a fact supported by Memphis historians.

The home, known as theBurkle Estate, was owned by German immigrant Jacob Burkle back in the day. Evidence shows that he hid runaway slaves in the cellar underneath his home, an area accessible on your guided tour.

Burkle even purchased two slaves on the slave market to free them himself. He sent them off to freedom in Canada, reporting them missing once he knew they were safe on the other side of the border to avoid suspicion.

The tour you’ll get here is much more than a look at the cellar, though. You’ll hear vivid depictions of the Middle Passage and the history of slavery in Memphis through a mix of audio and information from a live guide.

We learned about the history of slave songs like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” I didn’t know this, but the spiritual was used in coded messages by slaves running away to freedom.

At one point, our tour guide led us in singing the first verse. I’m not ashamed to say I teared up hearing it in this new way.

Tours start right on the hour during operating hours. If you have to visit during a certain time you may want to call ahead, but we had no trouble arriving a few minutes before the next tour’s start time.

Sun Studio

The outside of Sun Studio in Memphis

Sun Studio is considered by many to be one of the most important recording studios in rock and roll history. I’ve been twice now, and each tour seems to offer an additional nugget of musical history.

This is where big names like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis started their careers.

On your visit to Sun Studio, you’ll be able to stand where those greats stood recording all of your favorite songs and listening to studio sessions from back in the day.

The best part is that Sun Studio isn’t just a place to relive the glory days. It still operates as a professional recording studio for musicians seeking that special Sun sound.

Tour tickets are made available only on the day of visits. If you have to visit during a certain time of day, head over there first thing to reserve a time for your desired time slot.

READ MORE: Love a musical city? You’ll want to visit Nashville while you’re in Tennessee.

Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum

I wandered into this one while Brian was golfing at his favorite childhood course. Your entry ticket will get you a 12-minute intro film and a self-guided audio tour, but it’s more exciting than that sounds. This is one of the best music museums in Memphis.

Your tour takes you through Memphis music’s connection to the rural South and country porches. Learn more about segregation in Memphis in both the music scene and daily life.

Marvel at memorabilia and stage costumes from artists connected to the city, including Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Carla Thomas, and yes, Elvis Presley.

My favorite part was taking a break from the audio guide to play songs on the same device. Jukeboxes throughout the space allowed you to choose songs you were feeling in that moment and read about the exhibits, instead.

Fun fact: That’s how I made “Wooly Bully” happen, and it wasn’t a mistake.

The museum is curated by the Smithsonian Institution, so you know this one has the goods.

Mud Island Park

Mud Island Park is a free outdoor museum that features a full-scale model of the Lower Mississippi River. There are interpretive signs pointing out sites of interest along the “river,” so you can spend quite a bit of time on the outdoor portion alone.

Note: You won’t find many free museums in Memphis outside of days set aside for Memphis museum free days. Check museum websites in case free admission applies to one you’d like to visit during your stay.

The park also includes an event space for concerts in the summer months. Brian saw The Beach Boys here back in the day, so you know it’s legit.

Graceland

Everyone should visit Elvis Presley’s Graceland at least once in their lives if only to see how strange this place is. I visited once years ago, and admittedly, that was enough for me.

First of all, it’s expensive. If you want to actually visit the mansion, the cheapest option is over $80 on their Elvis Experience Tour. That’s what I did back in the day when it didn’t cost quite as much.

Most visits are self-guided. You’ll get to explore at your own pace, listening to audio from “The King” himself. I’m talking about Elvis here, not John Stamos, who also appears on the audio tour.

Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum

The outside of the Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum in Memphis

The Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum is a worthwhile stop even if you just take it all in from the outside. It’s part of what was once known as Millionaire’s Row, so the homes that surrounded it are predictably impressive.

That includes the Mallory Neely House, a site that is part of another museum complex that I’ll get into in a minute.

You can visit all three floors of the French Victorian on a self-guided tour and learn more about its former occupants.

The Woodruff-Fontaine House was once home to Amos Woodruff, a carriage maker, and Noland Fontaine, a Memphis businessman. Period antiques decorate the property throughout.

The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery in Memphis

This evocative museum shows off the work of Ernest Withers. Withers was a Black photojournalist who documented the careers of soul legends like B.B. King and Isaac Hayes and the struggle for equal rights among Black Americans.

See key events from the civil rights movement. That includes the “I Am a Man” images from the Memphis sanitation worker’s strike of 1968 and images from the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Learn more about Negro League Baseball and Jackie Robinson’s efforts to desegregate the major leagues.

After you’re done, take a deep dive into the complicated life of Withers himself. After the photographer passed away, information came out that Withers worked as an FBI informant for several years. The power of the images remains.

The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery is on Beale Street in downtown Memphis so there’s all kinds of trouble you can get into after. I’m talking about options for live music in one of the most musical cities in the United States.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

This art museum in Memphis is the oldest (and largest) in the state of Tennessee. See sculptures, collections from regional artists and pioneering women in the field, and growing exhibits of photography, all at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

Since our visit, the museum received a donation of Chinese art from the Ming and Qing dynasties, including a variety of ceramics. Exhibitions are curated regularly, though, so what you see on one visit will likely differ on the next.

Museum of Science & History (MoSH)

A dinosaur outside of a museum in Memphis

We stayed within walking distance of the Pink Palace Mansion, now known as the Museum of Science & History (MoSH). I’ll admit to being ignorant of all of the properties that fall under the MoSH umbrella.

Note: If you see other sites reference the “Pink Palace Museum,” this is what they’re talking about.

Outside of the Pink Palace, MoSH includes:

  • MoSH Central, or the main museum
  • The Mallory-Neely House
  • The Planetarium
  • Lichterman Nature Center
  • Audubon Park
  • MoSH 3D Giant Theater

We’ve only done the main site for some Memphis geology, science, and history, so there’s definitely more for us to explore on repeat visits.

Check the MoSH website for hours of operation and special programming, as the complex hosts special events throughout the year.

More Museums in Memphis

Those were our favorites, all tested by one or both of us, but there are quite a few we haven’t visited yet. Here are a few that look like a good time, just in case they hit a particular interest area for you:

  • Blues Hall of Fame Museum: This one opened in 2015 to educate visitors on the more than 400 inductees into the Blues Hall of Fame. Galleries include memorabilia from the biggest names in blues, including an acoustic guitar from Muddy Waters.
  • Metal Museum: At one time known as the National Ornamental Metal Museum, this sounds like one of the more unique things to do in Memphis. See metalwork in all of its forms, including a sculpture garden that includes “The Big Chicken Gate.”
  • The Memphis Railroad & Trolley Museum: Exhibits include a look at how the city’s trolleys came to be, the story of the two railroad bridges in Memphis, and the city’s tunnel systems.
  • The Children’s Museum of Memphis: We don’t have kids, but if you’re traveling with the whole family, this could be a good addition to your Memphis trip. As a former educator, I love their take on playful learning.
  • The Cotton Museum: This museum is dedicated to the cotton industry. The museum is housed on the bottom floor of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, once ground zero for the cotton economy and a private club for the Memphis elite.
  • Fire Museum of Memphis: This one bills itself as the “hottest” attraction in town. It offers a history of the fire service in Memphis and tips on fire safety. Only you can prevent bad puns, but I really don’t want you to.
  • C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa: The earthen mounds discovered here in the 1930s were likely built around 1000-1500 AD by ancient American Indians who used them for ceremonial purposes.

Memphis is worth visiting for its museums alone.

There are at least 25 museums in Memphis, so there’s truly something for everyone here.

Memphis museums chronicle the civil rights movement, celebrate numerous genres of music history, and show off celebrity homes. That diversity is what gives the city the title of having some of the best museums in the South.

This is a city that rewards travelers who go beyond the surface.

Want to explore more of the South? Check out some of my favorite places:

I’m not done yet! Check out these Southern guides, too:

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Agnes Groonwald

Agnes Groonwald is the creator of Travel on the Reg, a travel/humor blog for regular people who travel in a regular fashion. She has been to 50/50 U.S. states and explored 30+ countries, most often as a digital nomad. She's all about sharing the honest truth about travel, real experiences, and all the quirky stuff about her favorite (and not so favorite) places.