Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TN, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, is the former motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Today its preserved facade, sign and balcony form the heart of the National Civil Rights Museum, one of the most significant sites of the American civil rights movement.

The story behind it

The building began life in the 1920s as a hotel, first called the Windsor and later the Marquette. In 1945 Walter Bailey bought it and renamed it after his wife, Loree, and the song "Sweet Lorraine". Under the Baileys it became a well-known place to stay for Black travellers and musicians in segregated Memphis.

King was staying in Room 306 in early April 1968, in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. On the evening of April 4 he was shot as he stood on the balcony outside his room. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and died there about an hour later.

Jacqueline Smith, a longtime resident who worked as a housekeeper at the motel, was the last tenant to leave and was removed by deputies on March 2, 1988. She has kept a protest outside ever since. The museum opened to the public on September 28, 1991.

What to look for

• The balcony outside Room 306, where a wreath marks roughly the place King was standing.
• The Lorraine Motel sign above the entrance, preserved as a landmark of the site.
• The period cars parked below the balcony, which set the scene as it looked in 1968.
• The pavement across the street, where you can look back at the facade and see the whole scene in one view.

Tips for your visit

• You can see the exterior from the street at any time, and it takes only a few minutes. The museum inside needs a good part of a morning or afternoon, so check current opening hours and ticket details before you go.
• Go early in the day if you want a quieter view of the balcony and a calmer moment on the pavement.
• This is a place of mourning as well as history. Take your time and keep voices low.
• The museum's exhibits also cover the building across the street, from where the shot was fired, so allow time to see both sides of the story.

See it on a quest

The Lorraine Motel is one stop on Ghost Hunt in Memphis, TN, a self-guided walk themed around the darker stories of the city. You reach the site on foot as part of a longer route through downtown Memphis, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever suits you, with no guide and no fixed departure.