Best Museums in Memphis: Elvis, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Music

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Elvis Presley fans will love seeing his home and exhibits about his life at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Jamie Bartosch.
Elvis Presley fans will love the museums in Memphis, Tennessee, many of which feature exhibits about his life and music, especially his estate, Graceland. Photo by Jamie Bartosch.

Museum lovers like myself swoon over cities like Washington D.C., Chicago and New York for their outstanding museums, but we found Memphis, Tennessee to be another terrific “museum city.”

While better known for its barbecue and blues music, a weekend trip to visit the Memphis museums is worthwhile, especially if you’re a fan of old rock and soul music, Elvis Presley and American history.

You can stand a few feet from the actual balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, dance with other patrons while you watch video clips of “American Bandstand”, and visit the studio known as the birthplace of Rock-n-Roll!

Great museums tell stories in engaging ways. A lot of panel-reading is fine, but other storytelling tools – compelling short videos, interesting memorabilia and a good audio (or in-person) guide – provide an experience that you can’t get from reading a website. Memphis’s best museums do this.

Here’s my take on each Memphis museum we visited, info on a few of the places we missed, and a preview of the new museums opening in 2025.

Best museums in Memphis

The National Civil Rights Museum

The actual balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated is part of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, Photo by Jamie Bartosch.
The actual balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated is part of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo Credit: Jamie Bartosch.

This outstanding museum is a must-visit. The most powerful part? You can stand in front of a floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor of the Lorraine Motel balcony, looking at the exact spot where MLK Jr. was assassinated. It’s very powerful, emotionally intense and sobering, just like the museum itself.

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The Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, is part of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Jamie Bartosch.
The Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, is part of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo Credit: Jamie Bartosch.

Built into the side of the historic Lorraine Motel, the museum does an excellent job of telling the story of African Americans arriving in the U.S. and battling for freedom and equal rights.

Exhibits include a replica of Rosa Parks’ bus that you can walk through (with voices from the bus driver telling her to move to the back) and a peek into the actual room where MLK Jr. stayed before his assassination. We were deeply moved by all of it.

Tickers were a bargain; only $20 per person, and less for seniors and students.

SheBuysTravel restaurant tip: a half-block away, on the other side of the parking lot, is Central BBQ. A delicious, affordable and fast meal (you order at the counter).

Graceland

Fans leave flowers, notes and trinkets at the gravesite of Elvis Presley, at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Jamie Bartosch.
Fans leave flowers, notes and trinkets at the gravesite of Elvis Presley, at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo Credit: Jamie Bartosch.

Expensive and touristy – but also entertaining and awesome – Graceland is an entire campus full of Elvis-themed exhibits, restaurants and gift shops. The highlight is Graceland, Elvis’s home with its wild interior décor.

The interior décor of Graceland, Elvis Presley's home, is a sight to behold. Photo by Jamie Bartosch.
The interior décor of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home, is a sight to behold. Photo Credit: Jamie Bartosch.

While Graceland was considered an extravagant mansion in the 1960s, it seems small by today’s standards. The groovy interior decor will make you chuckle, and the audio guide (included in the price of the ticket) does a good job of explaining the story of each room.

The property has a memorial garden where Elvis and his family members were laid to rest, including his daughter, Lisa Marie, who died in 2023.

Elvis Presley's iconic jumpsuits are on display at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Jamie Bartosch.
Elvis Presley’s iconic jumpsuits are on display at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo Credit: Jamie Bartosch.

Definitely go into the “Dressed to Rock” exhibit in the main Graceland campus area, which features all of Elvis’s iconic jumpsuits. Unless you’re really into cars, I’d skip the planes and cars exhibits.

We bought the lowest priced ticket available ($85 per person!), and it gave us access to everything we wanted to see. Serious Elvis fans can opt for private and VIP tour offerings.

SheBuysTravel tip: Graceland can get very crowded. If you can somehow manage to go at 9am on a weekday when school’s in session, it’s worth it – you’ll have the place to yourselves.

Sun Studio

Old rock and soul music fans will want to visit Sun Studio, a small but cool museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Jamie Bartosch,
Old rock and soul music fans will want to visit Sun Studio, a small but cool museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo Credit: Jamie Bartosch

It’s small and niche, but you literally get to stand in the recording studio – on the exact spot – where musicians from Johnny Cash to John Mellencamp have recorded music. A live guide gives an entertaining tour, which includes the funny story of how Elvis Presley was invited to record his first hit, “That’s All Right” here.

The tour is short, because the building is small. But it’s filled with music clips and an interesting history about the studio known as “The Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll.”

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

The incredible rags-to-riches-to-rags story of this legendary studio is told at Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Jamie Bartosch.
The incredible rags-to-riches-to-rags story of this legendary studio is told at Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo Credit: Jamie Bartosch.

If you’ve seen the 2024 HBO documentary, “Soulsville USA”, then you’ll know the incredible rags-to-riches-to-rags story of this legendary studio.

While the original Stax building was demolished, this terrific museum was built in its place. We liked seeing Isaac Hayes’ gauche, gold-trimmed Cadillac, the re-creation of the famous Studio A (with some of the original instruments), and the costumes worn by artists.

One of my favorite parts? A floor-to-ceiling video display of “American Bandstand” episodes from the ‘70s with a dance floor in front of it.

It’s fun to learn the backstories of musicians who recorded there, including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the MGs. You’ll hear the “Theme from Shaft” repeatedly, but that’s not a bad thing (“shut yo mouth!”).

SheBuysTravel dining tip: About 3 miles from here, in the Midwtown neighborhood, we found a few great restaurants, including Huey’s Burgers, a famous Memphis spot with memorabilia-covered walls and yummy burgers, and Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos, a small, casual, family-run place with fresh, budget-friendly Mexican food.

Memphis Rock ‘N Soul Museum

Located just off Beale Street, this museum gives an interesting overview to all the great music that came out of Memphis, from rural country music to 70s rock.

The audio tour is great, and it makes you realize how unappreciated Memphis is in American music history. We liked stopping at all the different “listening stations” to hear samples of different songs.

She Buys Travel dining tip: There are lots of overpriced tourist traps on Beale Street, but we enjoyed our milkshakes at the retro soda fountain counter at A. Schwab Trading Company (which is also a fun, giant souvenir store). For a meal, I’ve heard B.B. King’s restaurants on Beale Street is a good choice for burgers.

Elmwood Cemetery

While not technically a museum, it sort of is! Go to the cemetery’s main office, pay $10, and you’ll get a QR code that links you to a self-guided audio tour that you can play on your car radio.

The tour takes you past graves of famous Memphis residents from the past 150 years. Each one has a story, and you learn a little about the city’s history as well. (Spoiler: the yellow fever outbreak was BAD!)

Other museums worth visiting

Pink Palace Museum & Mansion: I’ve heard great things about this museum, housed in the pink marble mansion that once belonged to the Piggly Wiggly founder. It’s home to several museums and attractions, including the Museum of Science & History, the Sharpe Planetarium, a nature center, the Giant Screen Theater and the Clyde Parke Miniature Circus. A good choice if you’re with kids.

The Cotton Museum. Cotton played a key role in Memphis’ existence and in the American economy. That story is told in this museum, built on the old Memphis Cotton Exchange trading floor.

The Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame Museum. This small museum, located 1 ½ blocks from the National Civil Rights Museum, can be seen in less than an hour. It includes videos, story panels, displays and lots of blues music in 10 different galleries.

More museums coming in 2025

  • The Brooks Museum of Art, the longtime art museum, is moving to a gorgeous new building on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
  • The Legacy Building, an extension of the National Civil Rights Museum, is being built across the street in the renovated boarding house where Dr. King’s assassin waited and fired the fatal shot. Its exhibits will address issues in Dr. King’s last book, “Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community.”
  • Maybe a bit of wishful thinking here, but hopefully the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum will reopen in 2025. It was severely damaged in a January 2024 fire and is currently undergoing a fundraising campaign to restore and rebuild the highly-regarded history museum.

Safety

Like most big cities, Memphis has some sketchy and unsafe neighborhoods. But I felt like the areas around the museums were safe.

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Jamie Bartosch is an award-winning journalist based in suburban Chicago. Her stories have appeared in dozens of publications, including USA TODAY, A&E, The Telegraph (U.K.), and the Chicago Daily Herald. A longtime contributor to SheBuysTravel, and the mother of two college students, Jamie’s stories provide honest, useful information to help parents save time, save money, and maximize their family fun.
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