Frequently Asked Questions
- Why are flash cameras not permitted in the museum? Excessive light can damage some of our delicate textile and document artifacts. We want to preserve exhibit artifacts by limiting the use of flash to authorized personnel only. Visitors are welcomed to take NO FLASH photos during the museum tour to post on our social media sites. Please be mindful that copyright laws limit the use of archival photos on display for museum exhibition purposes only.
- Can I carry my camera if I don’t use it? Yes.
- Are any of the films inside the museum for sale? No. Although, there is a wide variety of other items available for purchase pertaining to the civil rights movement including “The Witness” documentary shown at specific times. Other items include T-shirts, magnets, books, coffee mugs, keychains, DVDs, posters, and backpacks.
- Can we bring drinks into the museum? No. Food, beverages, chewing gum, candy, etc. are not permitted in the exhibit area. This policy includes any food items or drinks purchased in the museum’s café or store.
- What is the admission fee used for? The National Civil Rights Museum is operated as a private non-profit institution. All monies received (i.e., admissions, gift shop sales, donations, memberships, etc.) go towards the upkeep of the museum, as well as to pay salaries.
- Does the state run the museum? No. The State of Tennessee holds the lease on the property; but the museum is run by a board of directors.
- Is the museum part of the National Parks Service? No. Although, the Lorraine Motel is designated an historic site by the Tennessee Historical Commission.
- Who is the protester outside? Her name is Jacqueline Smith and she has protested the museum since ground was broken in 1987 – though she has never been inside the museum.
- Is the museum a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Though the museum is located at the assassination site of Dr. King, it is devoted to the entire civil rights movement, while paying tribute and homage to the legacy of this great civil rights leader.
- Did the cars in the courtyard belong to Dr. King? No. These cars are intended to orient visitors to the time period in which they are about to enter. Though Dr. King was often driven to various events while in Memphis in a white Cadillac owned by the late Cornelia Crenshaw, a local activist and community leader, the cars here have no historical significance.
- Is it true that a square of concrete on the balcony once contained the blood of Dr. King? Yes. Soon after the tragic shooting, many community people 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 bloodstains from Dr. King. Later that square was replaced.