The Memphis Pink Palace Museum is spread across two buildings and features rich collections, exciting exhibitions and engaging programs that explore the Mid-South past and present. Enjoy shopping and dining in the Museum Store and Bella Caffe also housed within the Memphis Pink Palace Museum.
Permanent Exhibits
Natural History of the Mid-South
Explore the natural history of the Mid-South. Adaptations showcases a large collection of skulls and skeletons of all types of animals, while other displays explain how the placement of teeth, horns, antlers and eyes as well as body shapes demonstrate how animals have evolved to adapt to the environments in which they live. Learn about the formation and biological history of lakes formed when the Mississippi River changes course to leave a water-filled abandoned channel behind in Oxbow Lake. Native animals found in Memphis and the surrounding area are featured in the Insect exhibit. Geology demonstrates how mountains and oceans were formed and how the movement of huge rock plates on the surface of the earth creates mountains and ocean basins. Geology also explores earthquakes using a real seismograph recorder that shows the vibrations that constantly occur in the area. Remarkable rocks and minerals from Tennessee, Arkansas and Southern Illinois as well as minerals found all over the world are also on display in the Geology exhibit.
Cultural History of the Mid-South
Explore Memphis’ past through a huge array of artifacts and dioramas in Memphis Pink Palace Museum’s cultural exhibits. Learn about the First Americans through butch marks found on a mastodon bone illustrating the success of a Paleolithic hunt, an extraordinary collection of Native American pottery left behind by a complex civilization on the Mississippi and hunchback figures, shrunken heads and animal effigies that reflect the spiritual beliefs of this mysterious culture. Discover the story of Memphis, from its birth as a frontier river town to its emergence as a vital Victorian Era city in The History of Memphis, 1800-1900. Historic Black Memphians examines the powerful impact African Americans have had on Memphis. Explore the history of Memphis as a leader in the health care industry. Saddlebags to Science: A Century of Health Care in Memphis, 1830-1930 includes dioramas of a frontier doctor “leeching” a woman with tuberculosis, a Civil War amputation, a doctor’s office from the 1890s, a 1920s dentist office and a pharmacy of the early 1900s.
The Pink Palace Mansion
The Pink Palace Mansion offers a look at 20th century Memphis through the From the Boss to the King: Memphis 1900-1960 exhibit. Spanning from the political era of Boss Crump to the musical revolution of Elvis Presley, learn about the changing roles of women, social and cultural differences of centuries past, Memphians at war and local entrepreneurs through artifacts including the Museum’s popular shrunken head. Be sure to look for the series of murals in Pink Palace Mansion’s entry hall, painted by renowned Memphis artist Burton Callicott.
Shopping in the Museum Store
Be sure to stop by the Museum Store. Gifts and keepsakes inspired by the Memphis Pink Palace Museum’s collections and exhibits such as t-shirts, educational toys, and CDs and DVDs are just some of the items available to purchase in the Museum Store.
Dining at the Bella Caffe
Take a break from your Memphis museum experience at the Bella Caffe. The Bella Caffe serves freshly made soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts as well as cold and hot beverages.
- In addition to its permanent exhibits, the Memphis Pink Palace Museum hosts special exhibits throughout the year.
- The Memphis Pink Palace Museum is ADA complaint.