Museums in Memphis

Memphis punches way above its weight on museums. The city where soul music was recorded and where the civil rights movement lost Dr. King holds some of the most important cultural sites in the country — plus art, science, and a couple of Victorian mansions frozen in 1890.

Here's the guide, by type, with the part the other lists get wrong: the 2026 price, the day it's closed, and whether there's a free day — all verified at each museum's own website in July 2026. Two big ones are on the move this year (the Brooks and the Metal Museum are both relocating), and one name you'll still see floating around is temporarily closed — details at the bottom so you don't drive out for nothing.

The must-sees: music & civil rights

The reasons people fly to Memphis. Note the closed days — the two biggest are dark on different days.

• National Civil Rights MuseumDowntown, 450 Mulberry

  Built around the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated — one of the most powerful museums in America. $25 adults, closed Tuesdays, timed tickets online. Tennessee residents get in free Mondays from 3pm with ID. Give it a few hours.

• Stax Museum of American Soul MusicSoulsville, 926 E McLemore

  The only soul-music museum in the world, on the original Stax Records site — Isaac Hayes' gold-trimmed “Superfly” Cadillac and all. $20 adults, closed Mondays.

• Sun Studio706 Union

  The “Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll” — the working studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded. A ~40-minute guided tour, $15 adults, daily; a free shuttle links it to Graceland and the Rock 'n' Soul Museum.

• Memphis Rock 'n' Soul MuseumDowntown, 191 Beale (at FedExForum)

  A Smithsonian-developed walk through Memphis music from rural roots to soul and rock, with a 100+-song audio guide. $16 adults, open daily — and free for Shelby County residents every Tuesday with ID.

• Graceland / Elvis Presley's MemphisWhitehaven, 3717 Elvis Presley Blvd

  Elvis's mansion plus the huge Elvis Presley's Memphis complex across the street (cars, jets, exhibits). Tiered tickets; the standard Elvis Experience mansion tour runs $85 adults — check the daily calendar for hours.

• Blues Hall of FameSouth Main, 421 S Main

  The Blues Foundation's museum honoring 400+ inductees — $15 adults, kids 12 and under free, closed Sunday–Monday. Directly across from the Civil Rights Museum, so pair the two.

• Memphis Music Hall of FameDowntown, 126 S 2nd

  A compact, memorabilia-packed honor roll of Memphis music — Elvis to Aretha to Justin Timberlake. $8 adults, open daily — the cheapest music-museum ticket downtown and a quick, fun stop.

Art, science & gardens

Where the free days cluster — and two museums mid-move in 2026.

• Dixon Gallery and GardensEast Memphis, 4339 Park

  An Impressionist collection in a former estate with 17 acres of gardens — and free admission Tuesday–Sunday. 2026 is the Dixon's 50th anniversary, with 650,000+ tulips in spring. The best free afternoon in the city.

• Museum of Science & History (MoSH)Midtown, 3050 Central

  The old Pink Palace — science and history exhibits plus the AutoZone Sharpe Planetarium. $18 adults, closed Mondays, and free general admission the third Thursday of each month (planetarium shows $5 those days).

• Memphis Brooks Museum of ArtOverton Park, 1934 Poplar

  Memphis's flagship art museum — $18 adults, free every Saturday 10am–12pm, closed Mon–Tue. Big note: the Brooks is moving to a new downtown riverfront building (reopening as the Memphis Art Museum in December 2026), so catch the Overton Park building while it's here, and check before you go later in the year.

• Metal MuseumRiverfront, 374 Metal Museum Dr

  The only U.S. museum devoted entirely to fine metalwork, with a working blacksmith studio on a Mississippi River bluff — $8 adults, free Thursdays for Tennessee residents. Heads up: it's moving to a bigger Overton Park home (Rust Hall) opening September 5, 2026, so confirm the location before visiting.

• Children's Museum of Memphis (CMOM)Midtown, 2525 Central

  Hands-on everything for the little ones — climb, build, play — plus the Grand Carousel next door. $20 per person, open Tuesday–Sunday (daily in summer).

• Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic ArtDowntown, 119 S Main

  A quiet downtown gem of Qing-dynasty jade and ivory carvings plus a Judaic art and Holocaust memorial gallery. $6 adults, closed Mon–Tue — one of the best-value tickets in town.

History & the Victorian mansions

• Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton ExchangeDowntown, 65 Union

  On the actual trading floor of what was once the world's largest cotton market — the story of how cotton built (and scarred) Memphis. $10 adults. Check the site for same-day hours.

• Fire Museum of MemphisDowntown, 118 Adams

  Inside a restored historic firehouse — a genuinely fun, kid-friendly stop with a fire-simulation room. $10 adults, kids 2 and under free, closed Sundays.

• The Withers Collection Museum & GalleryBeale Street, 333 Beale

  The archive of Dr. Ernest Withers, the photojournalist who shot the civil rights movement and Memphis music — roughly 1.8 million images. On Beale; check their site or call for current admission.

• Woodruff-Fontaine HouseVictorian Village, 680 Adams

  An 1871 French Victorian mansion furnished in period antiques, in the Victorian Village district. $16 adults, Wednesday–Sunday (last admission 3:30pm).

• Mallory-Neely HouseVictorian Village, 652 Adams

  A 25-room 1852 mansion with nearly all its original interiors — stained glass from the 1893 World's Fair included (run by MoSH). $16 adults, but guided tours run Fridays and Saturdays only — don't show up midweek.

The free-museum cheat sheet

Memphis museums give away more free admission than most cities — here's every free day we could verify at the source (July 2026): Dixon Gallery and Gardens — always free, Tuesday–Sunday. Brooks Museum — free every Saturday, 10am–12pm. MoSH — free general admission the third Thursday of each month. Metal Museum — free Thursdays for Tennessee residents. Rock 'n' Soul Museum — free Tuesdays for Shelby County residents. National Civil Rights Museum — free for Tennessee residents Mondays from 3pm. Bring a state ID for the resident days.

One that's closed

You'll still see the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum (the Burkle Estate) on a lot of Memphis lists — but its own site says it's temporarily closed after a 2024 fire, with no reopening date announced yet. It's a meaningful site and worth watching for its return; just don't plan a visit around it right now. Everything else on this page was verified open with 2026 prices and hours at its own website in July 2026.

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