Discover The Crop That Changed The World
About Us
When you visit the Cotton Museum, you're treading on the legendary floor of the Memphis Cotton Exchange where cotton traders once stood at the center of the global cotton economy. 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 cotton.
Our Mission
The museum was founded in 2006 to preserve the history of this worldwide market place and to tell the epic story of the famed cash crop and its profound influence on the city of Memphis. Our mission is to share the story of the cotton and the influences of the people that were gathered here around the industry not only with a growing international audience, but with Memphis area residents- especially our city’s youth.
BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE! BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2023, WE OBSERVE WINTER HOURS: MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY, 10AM-4PM. (Btw, in case of bad weather, we follow the local public schools weather closure schedules.) We will be in hibernation (closed) on Sundays and Wednesdays until Spring! (We will open by appointment for group tours.)
We are ready to welcome new visitors and old friends! The Cotton Museum is excited to return to business as usual (with a few updates). Please come and see us, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10AM-4PM. We are closed on Sundays and Wednesdays until Spring.
MEMPHIS COTTON EXCHANGE
CRAWFORD HOWARD FOUNDATION
Museum Partners
The Cotton Museum’s diverse programs offer a variety of opportunities for your organization to form a valuable partnership with the museum. Museum Partner packages are available for corporate support of special events, educational outreach, exhibitions, and art programming. Many thanks to our generous supporters!
- Crawford-Howard Foundation
- Memphis Cotton Exchange
About The Venue
Built in 1922, the Trading Floor of the Memphis Cotton Exchange features 3,200 square feet of ornate 1920’s architectural detail, 30-foot ceilings, and beautiful arched windows. The trading floor has enjoyed a full restoration and this once private club is now open for your guests to enjoy. We are an ideal venue for rehearsal dinners, corporate events, and special parties.
Your support has made us a "one of a kind museum" which is "worth a detour!" Memberships provide you with a full year to tread the floor of the legendary Memphis Cotton Exchange, restored in 2004 and devoted to sharing the story of cotton - the crop that defined the culture of the South and changed the nation's history! It also enables us to provide educational programming and discounts for school groups.
Memberships are available from $75-$500 and include free admission for a year, guest passes, gift shop discounts, and more!
Welcome Educators!
The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange offers great learning experiences for all ages.
One-hour field-trips incorporating Tennessee state academic standards are available at a discounted student rate and are typically scheduled during weekday business hours.
Special rates are available for student groups. To arrange a class visit, please contact the museum at (901) 531-7826, email education@memphiscottonmuseum.org, or complete the contact form below.
Upcoming Events
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Our staff will be celebrating the holidays with friends and family on December 23rd, 24th, and 25th - and January 1st so we will be closed on those days!
The Cotton Museum is hosting the MWTC Christmas Party on December 15th from 6P-9P. There will be live music featuring Phil Barnes. Tickets are available online at MemphisWorldTradeClub.com! See you there!
The party you have been waiting for is back - The drinks will be pouring and the Soul Burgers will be sizzling on Friday Night, November 4th, 7P-11P, at Ernestine & Hazel’s! Purchase the hottest ticket in town here!
Join us on Thursday evening, October 13, 2022, at 6PM for the second in our Diversity of the Delta series. Dr. Anthony Borgognoni will speak on the earliest Italians to settle the Delta at Sunnyside Plantation in Lake Village, Arkansas.
Friday evening, October 7, 2022, at 6PM we welcome quilters from across the region who are displaying their beautiful works reflecting the cultural influences that have shaped their art. The quilts will be on display through October 23rd so drop by and see these amazing works of art.
Join us on Thursday evening, October 6, 2022, at 6PM for the first talk in our new series on the Diversity of the Delta. Author and historian, Tim Huebner, of Rhodes College introduces the series with the early beginnings of Slavery, Memphis, and the Delta.
Friday, September 9, 2022, through Friday, September 30, 2022, join us as we celebrate the works of Photographer Jack "Woody" Ray. Woody sees the beauty in the agricultural landscapes of the Mid-South through the lens of a lifelong southerner.
The Cotton Museum will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 21st and 22nd, as we welcome the members of the National Institute of Oilseed Products. Thank you for your patience and helping us to welcome this group to Memphis!
The 70th Annual Mid-South Farm and Gin Show is back in real life and better than ever! The Cotton Museum is celebrating by offering all participants 2-for-1 admission on Saturday, February 26th. Come see us between 10AM-5PM at the museum or stop by our Booth #2051, Level 1-Lobby, at the Gin Show. Welcome Back, All Y'all!
Tuesday, July 27, 2021, the Cotton Museum will host the Summer Roadshow sponsored by TN History for Kids. This event will focus on World War II in Tennessee, the Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee, and the influence of cotton on the culture of West Tennessee. The guest presenters will be Marc Perrusquia, author of "Martin Luther King's Last 32 Hours," Daphene McFerren of the Benjamin Hooks Institute for Social Change, John Ashworth of the Lynching Sites Project, Writer and Filmmaker Willie Bearden, and Bill Carey of TN History for Kids on Nathan Bedford Forest and the Rise and Fall of Slave Trading in Memphis.
The presentation will be standards-based, and provide six hours of professional development credit for public school social studies teachers.
The event is open to all history enthusiasts! Go to, www.tnhistoryforkids.org to register.
The cost is $40 and includes admission, a tour of the Cotton Museum, and lunch.
Come visit us at the 68th Annual Mid-South Farm and Gin Show. On Friday and Saturday, February 28th and 29th, we will be in Booth #4031 in the Sheraton Hotel at the Cook Convention Center. Stop by and chat about all things cotton to receive your 2-for-1 admission pass to the Cotton Museum. See you there!
The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange is where it all began on the corner of Union Avenue and Front Street, formerly known as Cotton Row, in downtown Memphis. How did Memphis become Memphis? What is cotton good for? Who/what is/was King Cotton? Bring your students and discover all of these answers and more. Cotton's indelible past and innovative future continue to shape our world.
We will be closed for Christmas from 2PM on December 24th until 1PM on December 26th.
We will be closed for New Year's from 2PM on December 31st until 10AM on January 2nd.
Go, St. Jude, Go! Come see us after the race. We will be opening at 12 Noon on Saturday, December 6, 2019.
Get ready to party the night away with the Cotton Museum. Our 13th Annual Harvest Party will be November 9, 2019, beginning at 7PM at a new location in the Atrium of Visible Music College, 200 Madison Avenue in Downtown Memphis. Tickets are available here. We are looking forward to plenty of good friends, good food, good drink and lots of great music.
(Parking is available directly across the street in the Toyota Parking Garage. Mention you are our guest and park for only $5.)
On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, the Cotton Museum will be closing early for a private party for the Better Cotton Initiative. Please visit us before 1PM or plan your visit for when we reopen at our regular time on Thursday morning at 10AM.
The Cotton Museum will be closed all day on Tuesday, October 1, 2019. The Cotton Council International has reserved the Cotton Museum for a special event. Please make plans to visit the museum when we reopen on Wednesday, October 2nd at 10AM.
Commissioner of Agriculture Charlie Hatcher welcomes international agricultural ambassadors to Memphis with an early morning brunch at the Cotton Museum on September 16, 2019.
Contact Information
Address
The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange
65 Union Avenue Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Phone
Want to keep up with all the great things we’re doing? Check out our Facebook HERE!
Membership
Membership is your ticket to educational exhibitions, fun family programs, and the best parties in downtown Memphis. But beyond the personal benefits you enjoy as a member, your support helps The Cotton Museum present new, high quality programs and exhibits for people of all ages and interests. Membership benefits are effective the moment of your purchase and continue for one year from the purchase date.
Parking
A parking garage called Parking Can be Fun is conveniently located on Union Avenue, two doors down from the Museum.