Sight guide · Memphis · United States
Visiting National Civil Rights Museum
Built around the Lorraine Motel, where Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
National Civil Rights Museum is a museum in South Main Arts District, Memphis. Allow 3 hours; it is mid-priced. Booking ahead is not usually needed.
Key facts
- Type
- Museum
- Area
- South Main Arts District
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Not usually needed
- Good for
- history and rainy day
- Best months
- January–March
About National Civil Rights Museum
Built around the Lorraine Motel, where Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on 4 April 1968, the museum traces the struggle for civil rights from slavery through the Montgomery bus boycott and the sit-ins to the Memphis sanitation workers' strike. The tour ends at Room 306, preserved as it was, and continues across the street in the building where the shot was fired.
Tip: Allow at least three hours, and leave time for the exhibits across the street in the Legacy Building, which many visitors rush.
Plan your visit
- Time needed: 3 hours.
- Cost: Mid-priced.
- Book ahead: not usually needed; buy on arrival.
- Where: South Main Arts District, galleries, restored warehouses and the National Civil Rights Museum.
Best time to visit National Civil Rights Museum
National Civil Rights Museum is indoors, which makes it a good plan for the wettest months:
- March: 18°C (64°F) highs, about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds.
- February: 13°C (55°F) highs, about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds.
- January: 10°C (50°F) highs, about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds.
When to visit Memphis has the full month-by-month picture.
Fit it into your trip
Our 3-day Memphis itinerary visits National Civil Rights Museum on day 1, together with Graceland, Beale Street and Big River Crossing.
- No. 2 of the 18 sights in our Memphis things-to-do list.
- Day 1 of the 1-day plan.
- Day 1 of the 2-day plan.
- One of the picks in museums in Memphis.
- One of the picks in historic sites in Memphis.
Near National Civil Rights Museum
Also in South Main Arts District, so you can walk between them:
- Blues Hall of Fame Museum — 1 hour, low cost
If you like National Civil Rights Museum
- Sun Studio — Union Avenue, 1 hour
- Stax Museum of American Soul Music — Soulsville, 2 hours
- Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum — Downtown and Beale Street, 1.5–2 hours
- Metal Museum — South Memphis bluff, 1 hour
Staying near National Civil Rights Museum
Stay in South Main Arts District ($$$) to walk here: galleries, restored warehouses and the National Civil Rights Museum. All areas to stay in Memphis.
Questions travellers ask
+How long do you need at National Civil Rights Museum?
Plan 3 hours. With Blues Hall of Fame Museum nearby, it fits a half-day in South Main Arts District.
+Is National Civil Rights Museum free?
No, it is mid-priced. Tickets are usually available on the day.
+When is the best time to visit National Civil Rights Museum?
January–March, the wettest months, when an indoor sight is most welcome. Allow at least three hours, and leave time for the exhibits across the street in the Legacy Building, which many visitors rush.
+Do I need to book National Civil Rights Museum in advance?
Usually not: you can decide on the day.