Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, Memphis, TN, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum is a music history museum beside Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, at the FedExForum. It tells how the blues, rock 'n' roll and soul grew out of the same city, and it began as a research project of the Smithsonian Institution. If you want to know why so much American music traces back to Memphis, this is a good place to start.

The story behind it

The museum grew out of a Smithsonian research project created to mark the Institution's 150th anniversary. It opened in 2000 in the Gibson building, once home to Gibson Guitar's operations, and moved to its current spot at the FedExForum in autumn 2004.

Its seven galleries follow Memphis music in order. They begin with the field hollers and porch music of sharecroppers in the 1930s, then move to Beale Street in the 1940s and the radio that carried its sound. After that come Sam Phillips and Sun Records in the 1950s, and finally Stax, Hi Records and the soul sound of the 1960s and 1970s. Along the way you see instruments, stage clothes and a mixing board from Ardent Studios, objects that outlast the people who played and wore them.

What to look for

• Notice how the galleries run in time order, so you can follow one thread from sharecroppers' porch music to the soul records of the 1970s.
• Look for the stage costumes and instruments, which show how performers presented themselves as the music changed.
• Find the mixing board from Ardent Studios, a reminder that the sound of Memphis was shaped in recording rooms as well as on stage.
• Step outside and look at the setting itself: the arena beside you and Beale Street close by make the museum part of a living music district.

Tips for your visit

• Check current opening hours and admission details before you go, since they change.
• Plan to spend a good part of a morning or afternoon inside if you like to read and listen, as the exhibits reward a slower pace.
• Pair the visit with a walk along Beale Street, which is only a short stroll away.
• Evenings around the FedExForum can be lively on event nights, so come by day for a quieter approach and by night for atmosphere outside.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Memphis, TN takes you on foot through the streets around the museum, with the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum as one stop on a longer route. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Memphis, TN is a good choice if you like a mystery theme with your sightseeing. You reach the museum on foot as part of a wider walk, hear about it in the app, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape in Memphis suits a lighter, story-led walk. It passes the museum along its route, the app gives you the background on each place, and you solve a puzzle as you go. One ticket covers the whole group.