More than a century ago, music began pouring into Memphis, Tennessee. Musicians of all races and backgrounds came together and, for the love of music, created a sound that changed the cultural complexion of the world forever. America’s music exploded out of Memphis. Today, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame honors many of the greatest musicians of all time, who created this city’s musical legacy, and who shook our planet to the core!

Located at the original site of Stax Records in the Memphis, TN community known as Soulsville, USA, the Stax Museum is the only museum in the world preserving and promoting the legacy of Stax Records and artists such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and dozens of others. Equal parts international tourist destination and community-based museum offering more than 30 free programs to the public each year, exhibits include a 1906-circa Delta church, recreation of the original Stax recording studio, Hall of Records with some 900 45 singles and 300 LPS on display, a dance floor, and Isaac Hayes' 1972 gold-trimmed Cadillac Eldorado.

At the Cotton Museum in downtown Memphis, we are rediscovering the American South and telling the dynamic story of the plant that built the Bluff City. Memphis was established in 1816 as a shipping port for cotton and was a major hub in the slave trade. Downtown streets once bustled with cotton related commerce in our neighborhood known as Cotton Row. The influence of the industry and the traditions of the people who were gathered around it are forever woven into the cultural fabric of our city.