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Tennessee has two new sites along the U.S. Civil Rights, the Jefferson Street Sound Museum and the Museum of Christian & Gospel Music, both in Nashville.
Located in the heart of historic Jefferson Street, Jefferson Street Sound Museum showcases how music, culture and activism intersected. During the 1940s-1970s, Jefferson Street stood as a vibrant hub — home to clubs, studios and venues where artists like Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, Ray Charles, James Brown, Tina Turner, Little Richard and countless others performed. Jefferson Street and its artists played a central role in shaping both Nashville’s musical legacy and the Civil Rights Movement. Today, as a museum, it offers both musical and educational programming that celebrates the R&B sounds that once flourished in Nashville, along with a fully functioning music studio.
The Museum of Christian & Gospel Music looks at the powerful role the genre and its musicians played as the sound served as a source of hope, unity and inspiration during the fight for Civil Rights. Visitors can experience state-of-the-art exhibits that celebrate today’s artists, honor the trailblazers of the past, and inspire future generations. Through interactive displays and personal artifacts, visitors can explore how gospel music sustained faith-based communities and how pivotal artists set the stage and contributed to the Civil Rights Era and beyond, whose courageous voices created life-changing music.
Both museums join Nashville’s Civil Rights legacy with destinations like the National Museum of African American Music and the Civil Rights Room at Nashville Public Library, among others. Additional locations statewide include the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton.
Meanwhile, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis will unveil its newly expanded and reimagined Legacy Experience on May 16, 2026. This is a landmark moment that also marks the Museum’s 35th anniversary. Housed in the Legacy Building, the expanded exhibitions pick up where the main museum leaves off, tracing the civil rights movement from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968 to the present day. Five immersive thematic galleries explore poverty, education, housing, gender equity, and nonviolence, weaving together history and the urgent questions of today. The outdoor spaces have been reimagined with new seating, audio and staging capabilities, and landscaped reflection areas. For a museum that already draws visitors from around the world, this reopening is a major milestone.
Tennessee has 17 sites along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. From Memphis to Nashville to Clinton, visitors can learn about the brave men and women who fought for their Civil Rights. These destinations shine a light on the triumphant and impactful stories at historic places across the state that shaped our nation’s history. Explore Tennessee’s Civil Rights Trail locations and listen to the 3-episode podcast.
