National Civil Rights Museum: Hours, Tickets and Visiting

The National Civil Rights Museum covers five centuries of African American history, from slavery to the modern Civil Rights Movement. It opened in 1991 at the former Lorraine Motel, the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

The museum’s interpretation includes nonviolent protest and armed self-defense. Its collection and presentations draw on 260 artifacts, more than 40 films, oral histories, interactive media and external listening posts. Together, these offer several ways to encounter the history rather than relying on written displays alone.

Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours for a typical visit, as the museum recommends. If you begin within the final hour before closing, the museum warns that your experience may be condensed, so allow enough time when choosing a ticket and arrival time.

The museum’s mix of artifacts, films, oral histories, interactive media and listening posts spans five centuries. If you’re fitting the visit into a fuller Memphis day, you can build it into a one-day Memphis itinerary from West Memphis.

Hours and prices can change, so check the official site before you go.

Opening hours

• Monday and Wednesday to Sunday: 9 AM–5 PM
• Tuesday: closed

Last checked November 2026. Hours can change on holidays and for special events.

Admission is $25 for adults, $22 for children ages 5–17, and $23 for seniors aged 65 and older and college students. Timed tickets are sold online only. The museum asks visitors to check in 15 minutes early; tickets are nonrefundable, and walk-up admission depends on availability or standby.

Tennessee residents can get free admission on Mondays from 3:00 PM until closing with state-issued ID. The offer covers one adult and up to five children, but excludes groups, holidays and special events.

Photography is permitted inside exhibitions without flash. Video is not allowed on campus or inside exhibits without prior authorization.

Expect security screening and bag inspection: weapons, illegal contraband and sharp objects longer than 2.5 inches are prohibited, while oversized bags must be checked with security. Animals are not allowed, except trained service animals accompanying guests who require them because of a disability.

The museum offers complimentary tour-guide and sign-language interpretation for hearing-impaired guests with at least two weeks’ notice. For visually impaired guests, complimentary tour-guide interpretation is available with 48 hours’ notice. Assisted-listening devices for the two main theater experiences and transcripts for exhibition audio are available upon request at the admissions desk; all films have open captions.

The museum is at 450 Mulberry Street in Memphis, Tennessee—not in West Memphis, Arkansas. Free parking is available for museum guests. To enter the visitor lot, turn north onto Mulberry Street from G.E. Patterson Avenue.

From West Memphis, the museum is about 4.8 miles from a motel in West Memphis.