Memphis Museums

(Memphis, Tennessee - TN, USA)



Memphis is home to many captivating museums, which cover a diverse range of subject matter reflecting different epochs of the city's complex and fascinating history. From the area's early native inhabitants to the American civil rights movement, Memphis has museums to keep even the most avid culture vultures intellectually stimulated.

Memphis played a major part in the evolution of American music and this has spawned dozens of music museums that feature exhibitions concerned with blues, rock 'n' roll and jazz music. The city's top cultural attractions tend to be spread throughout its most central neighborhoods, with a notable concentration of blues museums around Beale Street.


Rock 'n' Soul Museum

Address: 191 Beale Street, Suite 100, Plaza of FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee TN, 38103, USA
Tel: +1 901 205 2533
Located in the Beale Street entertainment district, the Rock 'n' Soul Museum tells the tale of the evolution of music in the area and how it became known as the 'Memphis Sound'. Seven galleries explore the history of the city's rich music heritage and its impact on cultural changes.
Open hours: daily - 10:00 - 19:00
Admission: charge, discount for children

W.C. Handy House Museum

Address: 352 Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee TN, 38103, USA
Tel: +1 901 527 3427
Step back in time with a trip to the W.C. Handy House Museum on Beale Street, next to the New Daisy Theater and the Robert Church Park. Handy's tiny wood-frame home is lovingly preserved and contains artifacts and memorabilia.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 17:00, seasonal variations apply
Admission: charge

National Civil Rights Museum

Address: 450 Mulberry Street, Memphis, Tennessee TN, 38103, USA
Tel: +1 901 521 9699
Housed in the Lorraine Motel where the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April 1968, this fascinating museum aims to chronicle key episodes of the American civil rights movement and to inspire its visitors to participate in civil and human rights efforts around the globe. Visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of multi-media exhibitions, audio and visual displays.
Open hours: Monday, Wednesday to Saturday - 09:00 - 17:00, Sunday 13:00 - 17:00, seasonal variations apply
Admission: charge, discounts for children, students and seniors, children under three free

Peabody Place Museum

Address: 119 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee TN, 38103, USA
Tel: +1 901 523 2787
The Memphis Peabody Place Museum houses a fine and expansive collection of 19th-century Asian art with a permanent collection of treasures created for Chinese nobility during the Quing Dynasty. The collection includes jade sculptures, ivory carvings, bronze ceremonial vessels, furnishings and textiles. Peabody Place also contains some European art and temporary exhibitions.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 10:00 - 17:30, Saturday and Sunday - 12:00 - 17:00
Admission: charge, children under 12 free

The Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium

Address: 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee TN, 38111-3399, USA
Tel: +1 901 320 6320
This popular Memphis attraction contains an eclectic mix of exhibits - it is a natural history museum, IMAX theater and also houses a planetarium. Displays at the Pink Palace include a model of the first Piggly Wiggly store, America's original self-service supermarket, which was founded in 1916.
Open hours: Monday to Saturday - 09:00 to 17:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00.
Admission: charge