Plan Your Visit.

Timed tickets are sold online only, with no refunds. Please check in 15 minutes before your time slot. The last ticket is sold at 5:15 PM. Walk-up tickets are offered based on availability, on a standby basis.

A typical visit takes 1.5 to 2 hours. Guests who start within the final hour may have a more condensed experience. Allow extra time for the Legacy Building across the street.

Tennessee residents receive free admission on Mondays from 3:00 PM until closing, for one adult and up to five children, with a state-issued ID. Free Period Monday is not observed during holidays and special events, and does not apply to groups.

The museum is traditionally closed on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. The holiday calendar may be adjusted as needed.

The museum is open (administrative offices closed) on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, and Labor Day.

In inclement weather, the President of the museum decides whether to remain open, often following the status of government facilities. If we close, guests with paid online reservations are notified by email or phone, and updates are posted in the homepage alerts.

Begin at the main lobby on Mulberry Street, where staff will orient you and the self-guided journey opens with the roots of the freedom struggle.

The galleries are self-guided with audio support. Group and school tours can be arranged in advance through our education team. Learn about group visits.

The museum opens a dialogue about a history that spans slavery through the modern Civil Rights Movement, and contains sensitive materials that may be troubling to children. Review our Family Guide for ways to discuss these topics with young visitors.

All guests are subject to a screening process. Packages, purses, and bags may be inspected. Sharp objects longer than 2.5 inches, weapons, and contraband are not permitted; oversize bags must be checked. Only service animals are allowed.

Photography within the exhibitions is permitted as long as no flash is used. No video is allowed on the museum campus or its interior exhibits without prior authorization. We invite you to share your visit and tag @ncrmuseum.

Excessive light, including camera flash, can damage some of the museum's delicate textile and document artifacts. Please also be mindful that copyright laws limit the use of archival photos, audio, and footage on display — the museum has license to these images and audiovisuals for exhibition purposes only and cannot grant use rights to others.

Media personnel, photojournalists, and bloggers must be credentialed at least 48 hours in advance. Submit a media request.

The museum carries the Academy Award–nominated documentary short, The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306, an excerpt of which is shown in the Memphis exhibit. Other films shown in the museum are not available for purchase, but a variety of items pertaining to the civil rights movement is available in the museum store.

The National Civil Rights Museum is a public/private partnership and is operated as a private, non-profit institution. All monies received — admissions, gift shop sales, donations, memberships, and more — go toward the upkeep of the museum and advancing its educational mission through special programs and the work of our staff.

No. The State of Tennessee owns the Lorraine Motel structure, but the museum is run by a non-profit organization.

No, but the Tennessee Historical Commission has designated the Lorraine Motel as an historic site.

The listing is under the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation, dba National Civil Rights Museum. The IRS has designated the museum as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Though the museum is located at the assassination site of Dr. King and pays tribute and homage to the legacy of this great leader, it is devoted to the thousands of people who were a part of the entire American Civil Rights Movement.

No, these cars are intended to orient visitors to the time period they are about to enter. Though Dr. King often was driven to Memphis events in a white Cadillac owned by the late local activist and community leader Cornelia Crenshaw, the cars at the museum have no historical significance.

Yes. Soon after the tragic shooting of Dr. King, many community members set about to preserve and, in some cases, remove distasteful evidence of the crime. One such effort involved the removal of a concrete square on the balcony with the blood stains from Dr. King. Later, that square was replaced.