The $38 million Legacy Experience carries the civil rights story from 1968 to today across three stories of interactive galleries exploring poverty, education, housing, gender equity and nonviolence. It's located in the building across from the Lorraine Motel and included with the museum's $25 admission.
The $38 million Legacy Experience carries the civil rights story from 1968 to today across three stories of interactive galleries exploring poverty, education, housing, gender equity and nonviolence. It's located in the building across from the Lorraine Motel and included with the museum's $25 admission.
The National Civil Rights Museum has always been one of the most important stops in Memphis. Now there's even more reason to visit.
The Legacy Experience, a $38 million expansion years in the making, officially opened on May 16, 2026. Located in the building across the street from the Lorraine Motel, it picks up where the main museum leaves off, carrying the story of the Civil Rights Movement from 1968 all the way to the present day.
What to Expect
The experience spans three stories of galleries and interactive exhibits inside an extensively renovated 120-year-old South Main Street building. It's built around five thematic galleries — poverty, education, housing, gender equity, and nonviolence — exploring the structural inequalities Dr. King was fighting in his final years and how those issues continue to shape American life.
As you enter, you're greeted by a compelling exhibit on the Poor People's Campaign, the movement Dr. King was organizing when his life was cut short. From there, a reimagined and interactive exhibit examines the Shot That Changed America — the assassination of Dr. King — with new layers of context and detail.
The galleries go deep into contemporary movements that have defined the decades since, including the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment, ACT UP, Occupy Wall Street, and Black Lives Matter. A Say Their Names gallery honors those lost to police brutality, with individual names appearing on screen one by one — a quiet, moving recognition of each life.
The experience closes with a participatory moment: a call to action titled "What Do You Hope For?" where visitors write their responses on paper. It's a simple gesture that turns reflection into something personal and lasting.
Built at the Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, the National Civil Rights Museum chronicles five centuries of civil rights history through artifacts, films, and immersive exhibits that put you inside the movement. This is also the museum's 35th anniversary year, and there's never been a better time to visit.
Plan Your Visit
The Legacy Experience is included with general museum admission, which is $25 for adults. Between this expansion and the Lorraine Motel exhibitions, you're looking at two buildings that together tell one of the most comprehensive civil rights stories in the country. Plan to spend the better part of a day here. There is that much to take in, and it's all worth your time.
For tickets and hours, visit civilrightsmuseum.org.
