Visiting the Cotton Museum in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, is an opportunity to tread in the steps of legendary Memphians and the shapers of the first burgeoning international economy. The floor of the Memphis Cotton Exchange is where cotton traders once stood in the center of the global cotton market. Once, only the elite members of the Cotton Exchange were allowed to enter. Today, this historic space is open to the public and is devoted to sharing the story of the crop that changed the world.

The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange represents the only place in the State of Tennessee dedicated to the story of cotton – a story that is central to an understanding of the history of our region, our nation, and the world economy.