![\""I](\"https:\/\/otwp-admin.fareportal.com\/going-places\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/The-Withers-Collection-Museum-Gallery.jpg\")
“I am a man” mural at 14th Street and T<\/a> by John Leszczynski<\/a> licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery, nestled among plenty of bars and restaurants at 333 Beale Street, showcases some of the key moments of the civil rights struggle featuring poignant portraits of famous leaders and protestors. It also houses great shots of legendary blues, jazz, and soul legends like B.B. King and Aretha Franklin. Photojournalist Dr. Ernest C. Withers captured as many as 1.8 million pictures, which he painstakingly preserved and archived.<\/p>\r\n Withers’ collection transports visitors back in time to where they feel they are actually witnessing the Montgomery Bus Boycott or the iconic protest of Memphis sanitation workers who held the iconic \u201cI Am a Man\u201d placards. There are also numerous pictures of Dr. Martin Luther King that have been captured in more private moments, which could only have been accessed by Withers, as he was a close personal friend of MLK. For lovers of American history and photography, this is a must-visit location when hopping cheap domestic flights to Memphis<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Slave Haven – Underground Railroad Museum – Memphis – Tennessee – USA<\/a>\u00a0by Adam Jones<\/a> licensed under CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The underground railroad at 826 N Second St. was pivotal in bringing African-Americans fleeing a life of slavery to safety, and this 19th-century-house-turned-museum also played an important part in this brave plan of escape. The Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum<\/a> is part of the Burkle Estate and is run by Elaine Lee Turner, who along with her sisters were very active members of the civil rights movement, having been arrested numerous times for their many acts of defiance.<\/p>\r\n Visitors can get up close to see the secret doors and dark cellars that once were used to hide escaping slaves and walk around to get a true feel of what it would have been like in this antebellum home during that unforgiving period in history. You can also take a guided tour for more in-depth insight into slavery and the underground railroad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Statues of Protesters with Signage – National Civil Rights Museum – Downtown Memphis – Tennessee – USA<\/a>\u00a0by Adam Jones<\/a> licensed under CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n If history that you can feel, touch, and experience is more your thing, then it doesn\u2019t get grittier than the National Civil Rights Museum<\/a> in Memphis. The bittersweet significance of this sprawling museum is that it’s at 450 Mulberry Street, where the Lorraine Motel \u2013 the place where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot on April 4, 1968 — is located. The museum\u2019s various historical artifacts, exhibits, and multimedia presentations come together to provide an eye-opening experience for all visitors, covering slavery, Jim Crow segregation, the civil rights movement, and even current issues.<\/p>\r\n Beale Street Baptist Church<\/a> by Tom Bastin<\/a> licensed under CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/em><\/p>\r\n Stax<\/a> by Ethan Kan<\/a> licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n As the sound of soul resonated through the 50s and 60s, there’s no doubt that the small but significant Stax Records at 926 E McLemore Ave was a powerful catalyst in bringing the genre to the attention of the whole of America. With its roots in the gospel tunes so intertwined with the African-American experience, soul music was the soundtrack to most American youth at the time and was undeniably the soundtrack to the civil rights movement as well. Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes were just a couple of the amazingly talented artists that paid their dues at this legendary Memphis studio, churning out hit after hit and are still revered as classics today.<\/p>\r\nSlave Haven Underground Railroad Museum<\/h2>\r\n
![\"Slave](\"https:\/\/otwp-admin.fareportal.com\/going-places\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Slave-Haven-Underground-Railroad-Museum.jpg\")
National Civil Rights Museum<\/h2>\r\n
![\"National](\"https:\/\/otwp-admin.fareportal.com\/going-places\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/National-Civil-Rights-Museum.jpg\")
Beale Street Baptist Church<\/h2>\r\n
![\"Beale](\"https:\/\/otwp-admin.fareportal.com\/going-places\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Beale-Street-Baptist-Church-768x1024.jpg\")
Stax Museum of American Soul Music<\/h2>\r\n
![\"Stax](\"https:\/\/otwp-admin.fareportal.com\/going-places\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Stax-Museum-of-American-Soul-Music.jpg\")
![\"Soul](\"https:\/\/otwp-admin.fareportal.com\/going-places\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Soul-food-1.jpg\")
If all that walking around Memphis has made you hungry, then you\u2019ve come to the perfect place to not only satisfy your hunger but also your appetite for more black history. This popular soul food diner located at 998 Mississippi Boulevard has been serving up southern treats like fried chicken, turnip greens, and fried tomatoes, but the real main course served up within its walls is its historic role in the civil rights movement; the humble diner acted as an important meeting place for civil rights leaders planning protests and activities in Memphis.<\/p>\r\n