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- Memphis History Itinerary
- Girls Getaway Weekend Itinerary
The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange
(Suggested Tour time: 1-1.5 hrs.)
The Cotton Museum tells the story of this history-defining industry and its economic, artistic and cultural influences on the South and, ultimately, on the world. The Memphis Cotton Exchange room and trading floor had been restored to their 1939 look, complete with the original chalk-scribbled trading board and Western Union office. Video, photos and other artifacts further highlight the impact of "white gold" on life today.
National Civil Rights Museum
(Suggested Tour time: 1-2 hrs.)
Housed in the Lorraine Motel, site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this award-winning museum brings the stories of civil and human rights to life in moving fashion. Interpretive exhibits and in-depth audio/visual displays focus on milestone events like the Montgomery bus boycott and the Memphis sanitation strike, as well as more recent struggles and achievements of the Civil Rights Movement following King's death. Audio-guided tours are available in English, and docent guides for groups available with advance request.
Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum / Burkle Estate
(Suggested Tour time: 30 min.)
A deeply moving and fascinating glimpse into how runaway slaves escaped to the North. A former way station on the Underground Railroad, this home is filled with secret cellars and trap doors that reveal the escape route. The house also includes displays about slave auctions and the personal items that depict the lives of slaves in the South.
Chucalissa Archaeological Museum
(Suggested Tour time: 1 hr.)
This national historic landmark is located in a 187-acre tract of land in southwest Memphis. Chucalissa is home to the C.H. Nash Museum and Archaeological site, its associated collections and research facilities as well as a reconstructed 15th century Native American village.
Alex Haley House
(Suggested Tour time: 30-45 minutes)
Located nearby in Henning, Tennessee (about 40 minutes from Memphis), is the boyhood home and final resting place of Alex Haley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Roots. Advance reservations are suggested.
Woodruff-Fontaine House
(Suggested Tour time: 1 hr.)
This beautiful French Victorian mansion was built in 1870 along "Millionaires Row" and was the home to two prominent Memphis families. Deeded to the city in 1936, the building stood vacant for several years until the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities rescued the house in 1962 and restored it to its former splendor.
Elmwood Cemetery
(Suggested Tour time: 30 min. - 1 hr.)
Cemeteries, by definition, are historical places, but with 20 different Civil War generals and veterans from the Revolutionary War, Elmwood's claim to 'historic' is a tad stronger than most. But while history is the main draw, the cemetery's natural beauty leaves an even more lasting mark. Bring a picnic, take a walk and relax in the unique blend of nature, art and history at the Historic Elmwood Cemetery.
Davies Manor Plantation
(Suggested Tour time: 1 hr.)
Long gone are the days when folks bought one house and never left, birthing and raising generations within its walls. Today, folks flip real estate like burgers on Labor Day. That's what makes the Davies Manor House all the more impressive. Located on a 640-acre Revolutionary War land grant, the Davies Manor gives new meaning to the phrase this old house, as the Davies family owned the building for more than 100 years.
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