National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel

National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel

National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel
5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
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.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Neighborhood: Downtown
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See what travelers are saying

  • abroadwithashley
    Minneapolis, Minnesota1,724 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Incredibly Encompassing
    This is an excellent museum that tells the story of Civil Rights in the United States from the Transatlantic Slave Trade to the death of MLK. An affiliate Museum of the Smithsonian, the quality is of the highest caliber. Each room focuses on some aspect of Civil Rights and proceeds chronologically. We found ourselves moving through at a bit of a quicker pace as we had already been to previous museums dedicated solely to each room’s theme. However, if you haven’t been to any of those sites, this may be a great first stop to get a big picture overview and before traveling throughout the (mostly) southern parts of the U.S. and visiting the sites firsthand. The one thing to note is that the museum is far, far more than just about the MLK assassination. In fact, if you want only to see the hotel and room, you can do that without entering the museum. Highly recommended.
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 8, 2023
  • MAP12
    New Orleans, Louisiana632 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Overlooked by many, but very historic and beautifully done
    This one has been on my "to see" list for a while - it seems to be closed when I get to Memphis. This time it was open and I got to see it. It started out a bit crowded, but ones you got through the first room, things got better. Such rich history here and presented very well
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 10, 2023
  • Jenifer C
    White Settlement, Texas65 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Highly emotional
    We are so glad that we went here. Even just standing outside, gives you the shivers. There is a gray line on the ground that marks a straight line from the window that they believe the shot came from to room 306. So many pieces of this museum are emotional. There are lots of televised clips, blown up photos, quotes on walls, and replicated memorabilia that take you back in time. Bring Kleenex! This is a longer walk of a museum. Towards the beginning there are places to rest, however, closer towards the end there are not. I would not suggest this museum to anyone who has difficulty walking unaided, or for long periods of time. Some of the areas are small, and quickly become crowded.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 15, 2023
  • nickswlon
    Teddington, United Kingdom471 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An Absolute Must-See
    This is an absolute must-see when visiting Memphis. It is a well laid out museum with loads of poignant, emotional exhibits and testimonies. I could have so much more time here but it really is a museum which requires two or more shorter visits to take it all in. I commend and salute everyone who has put this museum together.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 4, 2023
  • PHILIP R
    49 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A very humbling experience.
    What a truly humbling experience this was, learning so much about Civil Rights in the USA and this long, but still unfinished journey. We learned so much about the tragic events of the past and how African Americans were galvanized by Dr King and many others. It is very fitting that the museum is built around the motel where he was assassinated. There is much to learn here for all nationalities, but you are informed and not preached to. Whilst certainly not perfect, we are lucky here in the UK that we have not travelled such a tragic past. Here you get a real history lesson which should not be missed. The museum is located halfway between Beale Street and the Train Station.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 6, 2023
  • Betty J
    117 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Birthday
    This is a must see on anyone's list so much history. This was my first visit but it won't be my last. I'm from the city of Albany and they had an entire section on Albany Georgia a lot of the people I knew that were displayed and their accomplishment.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 17, 2023
  • Lee S
    Cincinnati, Ohio342 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not a Museum, An Experience
    Anyone around when MLK was assassinated can't help but pause and reflect as you enter the motel's parking lot. From there on each step was an experience of the continued heroes of civil rights. As a white man it stirred my soul and challenged my naivety and disregard to the struggles inherent in power and privilege.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 3, 2023
  • Tink B
    Naples, Florida3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must see in Memphis
    Everyone should go to this museum. So much I never knew. The museum is actually in the hotel that Martin Luther King was staying at. The ones who created this museum did a wonder job. The room Martin Luther King stayed in was left just the way it was many years ago. This museum is one for all to visit. Our favorite of all.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written December 5, 2023
  • Kay K
    Chicago, Illinois173 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a visit!
    This is a very good Civil Rights Museum. The timelines were informative and interesting. The timeline focused on different events in different areas so you could really dive into a specific area or all areas. We love history so spent a little over 3 hours here. Staff was helpful, but not intrusive. Well marked and easy to find
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 14, 2023
  • K J
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lorraine
    Disappointed that some of it is under construction but gives me an excuse to go back. Have been there a couple times and its always so interesting and cool to learn more and more. I dont like that you cant walk the outside of the Lorraine anymore but i guess that is understandable. I do like how they have built the museum into the hotel and you walk by those rooms from the inside. I wish we would have had a tour guide. I miss tour guides. Its hard to take everything in on your own. Guides add that special story time touch. I cant wait to go back in 2025 to see the improvements!
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written January 2, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles9,206 reviews
Excellent
7,558
Very good
1,296
Average
276
Poor
51
Terrible
25

Joe M
Linthicum Heights, MD124 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Business
Extremely well organized. Tell not only the story of that day on April 4th but the sad and sickening history of the fight for civil rights and the rights that some in this country couldn’t bare to share with their fellow countrymen of color.
I was so pleased to see a large school group of suburban kids anxious to see this exhibition. I was highly moved by the exhibit. Evidently, so were those kids.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kat l
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Solo
Wow, what a wealth of information under one roof! I visited the National Civil Rights Museum while in Memphis on a work trip. I was fascinated by all of the historical information that they had on display and the chronological organization flowed very well. It’s amazing how much information from the Civil Rights era is left out of school books, but this museum gives you a more in depth look at what school curriculum leaves out. It takes some time to see every single thing that is inside, so I’d recommend giving yourself about two hours so that you don’t have to rush. The gift shop at the end has souvenirs for purchase that are decently priced as well.
Written August 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Noel78
Tennessee622 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
I had no preconceived idea of what to expect before walking in the door. But I knew that an museum organized under the guidance of the Smithsonian was going to be a gold standard. The museum starts its story hundreds of years before King’s birth. The first gallery tells honestly on one small panel that the slave trade could not have happened if Africans had not sold other Africans to Europeans. That detail often gets lost in the shuffle of history.

The second “gallery” is a theater with a short movie. Then the standard text and visuals move the visitor through the building. The second half of the displays simply get too text heavy. I watched many fellow visitors walk past engaging displays, but they simply could not take any more museum going. This place is comprehensive as I describe in my title.

The last part of the museum ends with a look at King’s hotel room. Silence is requested which is fitting. But after that the visitor finds that the ending is abrupt. The closed doors open into a bright, merchandise-filled gift shop. It was a jarring juxtaposition. But it’s not the end of the museum experience.

Your ticket includes entrance across the closed-off side street to the “boarding house” as it is called. Here is a detailed display about the assassin and the heinous murder. I was amazed at how much space they devoted to this criminal and his history.

The museum was crowded at mid-day on a Friday. Free parking and food services nearby.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

George Bohan
Akron, OH238 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
If you're going to Memphis and you have any interest at all in US history, you MUST visit the Museum. I'm sure others here have provided details about the experience so I'll just provide a few hints and tips.
The Museum is open on Monday, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, an unusual schedule for museums. Take that into account in your travel plans.
We got "timed tickets" online in advance. I'm pretty sure you can also buy tix at the museum but the timed tickets assure that you can get in on your schedule.
We spent three hours in the museum and didn't see all that was available. We're especially interested in the history of the civil rights movement. Plan accordingly, taking into account your own interest.
There's a free parking lot on the property. We had no trouble getting a space before our 9am Monday tickets. There appears to be free parking on the street next to the museum.
Central BBQ is immediately across the street from the museum. It has ample indoor and patio seating.
Again, if you're in Memphis for any reason you MUST visit the museum and get a sandwich afterward at Central BBQ.
Written August 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MissyKelly
896 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Friends
I recommend planning your visit early in order to spend time at least 3-4 hours with the exhibits. I enjoyed the focus on Memphis Civil Rights and the interactive nature of the museum. Don’t leave without visiting the bookstore.
Written July 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ONCSail
Chapel Hill, NC95 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Couples
You cannot visit Memphis for the first time without visiting this location which not only pays homage to America’s greatest leader, but also the historical and continuing struggle for equality of people of color in the United States. The museum tour starts with a photographic art exhibit which I imagine changes periodically. Visitors are then ushered into a display about the massive forced diaspora from Africa before viewing a 12 minute video. The remainder of the museum is centered around the timeline of the struggle for freedom and recognition from the time Africans came to these shores up until almost present day. The timeline seamlessly takes you to the recreation of MLK’s hotel room where you can see across the parking lot to the boarding house across the street. It is a very poignant moment. Ultimately, the last room is devoted to the struggle of all oppressed peoples, of all gender, race, nationality and sexuality. There is a section of the museum across the street from the hotel that is devoted to the assassination itself, which I didn’t go through because first, it wasn’t clear it was part of the tour or even what it was and secondly, it seemed too grisly and somehow salacious to me. So what to know before you go: it’s easier to get your tickets online before you go—checking in is faster that way. There is a handbag check and you go through a metal detector before entering. Even though you buy tickets for a certain time entry, they will let you in regardless of the time. I think 11:00-12:30 might be the busiest time-try to get there earlier in the day or later. There is a lot to read in this museum, especially if you are not familiar with the civil rights history. You can read as much or little as you’d like—I think overall the displays are self explanatory. I just finished reading The 1619 Project which was really helpful background to the displays. I also found reading about the history of this museum itself on Wikipedia to be an interesting background to think about in the context of what is chosen to display. Finally, there is no museum charge if you simply want to view the hotel from the exterior. Why not 5 stars? I think a map of the museum either virtual or real would have been helpful to have before and during the experience. Also, the initial 12 minute video starts with a white guy from Ford Motor touting their support of the museum—incongruous way to start—save the chest beating for the end.
Written February 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JS19772017
Dublin, Ireland66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Family
We had to skim through due to having young kids with us but we enjoyed the exhibits a lot. Lots of great displays and information set the scene and tell the story of the civil rights movement. The tragic events of the death of MLK are dealt with well and in great detail. Very much highlights the failings of society to truly deliver equality and the disappointing thing is that the challenge remains there to be achieved. A lot was achieved by the Civil Rights movement but there remains much to do to truly eradicate racism. Would be great advice for anyone to visit this museum and think a little of their own role to play in that and challenge your own biases.
Written May 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lori H
Pinehurst, NC4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
A part of my lifetime and a masterful tribute to the man and the movement. Sad we’ve really not come that far. The bus drivers, waitresses and service industry can ride anywhere on the bus they desire but still can ill afford good schools or the promise of life enhancing opportunity.
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Travel_Addict_Cyprus
Michigan1,286 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
Address: 450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103
Fees: $17/adult
Hours: Thurs-Mon 9am-5pm (closed on Tuesdays & Wednesdays)
Parking is free.
Self guided tours.
Located south of downtown Memphis in the South Main District. To enter the visitor lot, turn north on Mulberry Street from G.E. Patterson Avenue.
The museum is housed in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, and features multimedia presentations, artifacts, oral histories, on the civil rights movement. You are guided through 5 centuries of history. You also get to see King's motel room, where he spent his final hours.

Allow several hours to explore this museum and don't miss the additional exhibits across the street, where they talk more about the assassination, and the arrest.

We arrived around 9:30 and left at 1:30. Spent 4 hours going through all the exhibits, but if my kids were with us (they are history buffs), we'd be in there until the museum closed. (That's what we did in the WWII Museum in New Orleans!)

Highly recommended while you are visiting Memphis.
Written April 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

geoffrey_matt
Hobart, Australia156 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
We weren’t sure about going to this museum, but I’m glad we did. It is confronting, as you would expect, but the way it walks you through the history of the civil rights movement is spectacular. It is equal parts interesting, moving, horrifying and inspiring.
It is one of the best curated museums I’ve ever seen, made even more powerful by the building it is housed inside.
Written March 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel, Memphis

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