Discovering Civil Rights History

Your visit begins at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot as he stood on the motel’s balcony outside room 306.

Next, stop at the Legacy Building across from the Lorraine Motel (the site from which Dr. King’s assassin allegedly fired his shot). Here, you’ll find a timeline of the fight for civil rights in America that stretches from 1619 to 1968 and includes a closer look at Dr. King’s assassination and its global impact.

The museum also features 260 artifacts and more than 40 interactive stations where visitors can view films and listen to oral histories. Permanent exhibits span five centuries and include slavery in America (1619-1861), student sit-ins (1960), the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956), Freedom Rides (1961) and Black Power.