The South’s Biggest Museum Boom is Happening in Memphis
Memphis's museum scene is evolving in a big way! Major expansions, relocations, and immersive new attractions are reshaping some of the city's most beloved cultural institutions. Take a look! Image: Instagram / Metal Museum
Museums in Memphis are having a major moment, with several beloved institutions unveiling significant refreshes and upgrades over the next 18 months. Get ready for expanded galleries, immersive new experiences, and so much more. These updates offer plenty of reasons to revisit old favorites and discover something new.
Brooks Museum of Art
More Info: brooksmuseum.org
The biggest headline of this bunch might be the transformation of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art into the new Memphis Art Museum. Scheduled to open in December 2026 along the Mississippi River bluff, this new facility will span more than 120,000 square feet and is destined to become one of the most architecturally significant cultural buildings in the South.
Designed by internationally renowned architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron, it will feature expanded gallery space, classrooms, public gathering areas, a theater, and a rooftop sculpture garden overlooking the river. Until then, you can visit the Brooks in its longstanding Overton Park location.
The Metal Museum
More Info: metalmuseum.org
The Metal Museum, our nation’s only museum dedicated exclusively to metal arts, is preparing to relocate from its longtime riverfront campus to the former Memphis College of Art’s Rust Hall in Overton Park. Opening in September 2026, the new facility will be almost six times the size of its current space.
Plans for the larger campus include artist studios, classrooms, exhibition space, a library, gathering spaces, a rooftop terrace, an auditorium, and a café catering to museum and park visitors. The relocation will allow the museum to display more of its collection and provide a glimpse into more of the behind-the-scenes process through demonstrations, workshops, and artist residencies.
The National Civil Rights Museum
More Info: civilrightsmuseum.org
This spring, the National Civil Rights Museum unveiled its completely reimagined Legacy Experience galleries as part of the museum’s 35th anniversary celebration. The new exhibition explores five central themes of poverty, education, housing, gender, and nonviolence, all while connecting historical civil rights struggles to contemporary issues facing America today.
Beyond the restoration, the new galleries will encourage visitors to join the conversation about democracy, equality, and civic engagement, making the museum a monument to history and a forum for discussing what lies ahead.
Mud Island River Museum
More Info: bvoexp.com
The old River Museum is making a comeback (of sorts) as Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time. This story-based immersive experience that melds together history, technology, and entertainment recently opened the first of several phases, with more on the horizon.
Rather than trying to re-create a traditional museum experience, this iteration takes a heavy dive into the experiential. The goal is to invite guests to interpret the history of Memphis and the Mississippi River in new ways, with a special focus on families, young audiences, and travelers looking for a unique experience.
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Ariel Taranski
Ariel's been writing professionally for over a decade, with a passion for travel, pets, good food, and a great book. She's lived in Memphis for over half of her life, a transplant from Florida and Southern through-and-through.