Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
4.8(2.5K)google
5.0(61)yelp
Senior-FriendlyIndoorCity LandmarkMust-SeeLocal FavoriteImmersiveEducationalCivil Rights History
Overview
The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum is a museum in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Its mission is to document, exhibit the history of, and educate the public about the American Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. state of Mississippi between 1945 and 1970. The museum secured $20 million in funding from the Mississippi Legislature in April 2011 after Governor Haley Barbour testified in favor of its funding.
Practical Info
MonClosed
Tue9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thu9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fri9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Suggested Duration2.5-4 hours
Best TimeA must-visit on weekday mornings right at 10:00 AM opening. As a world-class historical site, entering early provides a solemn and quiet atmosphere to absorb the heavy archives. Around 11:00 AM, the natural light flooding the central glass atrium beautifully illuminates the 30-foot 'This Little Light of Mine' sculpture as its powerful musical choruses echo.
Getting ThereSituated in downtown Jackson at 222 North Street. Drive via I-55 to Exit 96C for High Street West. Follow High Street for 0.8 miles, then turn left onto North Street. The museum complex sits shared with the Museum of Mississippi History, providing a large covered underground garage with validation available.
Travel Tips
- Shared facility with the Museum of Mississippi History requires airport-grade security screenings; large tactical backpacks, selfie sticks, umbrellas, and pocketknives are barred from entry.
- The central 'This Little Light of Mine' rotunda features intense high-volume audio and flickering strobe illumination that present severe triggers for photo-sensitive or sensory-sensitive guests.
- Sundays offer completely free admission, packing the central underground public transit parking structures to maximum capacity before 11:00 AM; arriving via ride-share is optimal.
Reviews
Positive
- The pavilion looks monumental; the central 'This Little Light of Mine' sculpture glows with music, stacking top cultural value.
- Eight chronological galleries profoundly and truly restore civil rights history; multimedia interactive modules offer a deeply moving experience.
- Facilities are ultra-modern with perfect accessible designs throughout; baths shine clean, and multilingual guides are highly friendly.
- Completely free to the public on Sundays, and standard tickets are highly reasonable; management is professional and full of respect.
Heads up
- Exhibits show highly real, graphic photos and audio of Klan violence and lynchings; the emotional impact is heavy, unsuitable for young kids.
- Located in downtown Jackson, parking requires using metered spaces on streets; slots are hard to find at peak hours, with mediocre public transit.
- The information and text weight are massive, requiring 3+ hours to finish; it causes heavy fatigue if you don't find enough seating.
- Due to its fame, weekends run heavily crowded; narrow immersive dark-room booths jam easily, lacking proper crowd control limits.