Memphis, Tennessee
Do it @ the National Civil Rights Museum.
Why we were there: Pink Palace Craft Fair & River Arts Memphis
When we were there: September & October 2026
Where did we go:
We had a fantastic time in Memphis this year. We were lucky to have been able to visit twice, for two separate show a month apart. Of course, the first thing we did was check-in at the Metal Museum. The Metal Museum Shop is a retail gallery that we have a long history with, dating back to my first trip to Memphis in 2006 (read the blog post about that trip here.) When we are in the same area as one of our stores we like to visit and see whats up and how things are going. We love our Stockists!
In order of visitation, our first trip in September led us to the Crystal Shrine Grotto at the Memorial Park Cemetery. Sometimes when we visit a city because of a show we don’t have a lot of time, or money, to spend - this site fit in perfectly! In a nutshell, in 1938 this cemetary teamed up with a concrete artist to create benches and bridges that look like fallen trees. Ultimately he created the Cyrstal Shrine Grotto - The only man-made crystal cave in the world. A sculptural representation of an old hollowed-out tree, large enough to walk through and reveal crystals, lights, sculptures, and stories inside. Truly amazing! See the pictures below for a glimpse and read their website for the full story - its is very detailed.
We did drive past the Pink Palace that one of the shows we participated in was named after. The building, originally intended as a mansion for Clarence Saunders of Piggly Wiggly, earned its nickname from this facade, and it now serves as the home for the Memphis Museum of Science and History. After a legal dispute with the New York Exchange, him went into bankruptcy leaving his Pink Palace unfinished and eventually being given to the city of Memphis in the late 1920s for use as a museum. I love the fact that it is pink and he owned Piggly Wiggly. Also, there is a bright yellow flying dinosaur out front.
Our next trip to Memphis, included a trip to the National Civil Rights Museum - site of the former Lorraine Hotel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. A thoughtful and stunning museum with interactive exhibits that really puts you in the shoes of civil rights leaders and activists during that time period. This should be a stop for all USA citizens, especially right now as civil rights have been eroding dramatically and violently throughout our country. To that end, we also stopped the ruins of the Clayborn Templed, which we drove past every day to and from the show. In April 2025, the historic Clayborn Temple in Memphis was destroyed by a fire that investigators later confirmed was arson. The 134-year-old building was a significant site during the Civil Rights Movement, particularly for Martin Luther King Jr.'s sanitation workers' strike campaign in 1968. The ATF, Memphis Fire Department, and police are investigating the intentionally set fire to determine who is responsible. It is devastating to witness. I included some pictures below.
While Memphis is the home of heartbreaking struggle, we enjoyed our visit and hope to visit and explore more every year.
Things to do when we return
There are more history museums I would like to see, including the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum which is a house that was part of the underground railroad. Unfortunately, an accidental fire has destroyed the museum in 2024 and there is now a GoFundMe to restore it. And I haven’t even started talking about the music history of Memphis. Graceland is way to pricey now for us, but there are lots of other sites that are worthy of a visit, like Sun Studios and Stax Museum of Soul.
Snapshots:
