My spouse and I came here while we were in Memphis. For anyone who is interested in American history, especially in the south. This is one spot you will want to check out as this was a house that was used during the underground railroad that runway slaves would come as a safe spot to hide before running off to the northern states. If you are in the area I would highly recommend visited it. [Review #722] (20th Review of 2024) read more

0 stars as this place is NOT open, IS abandoned and IS scary. The surrounding neighborhood is a little uncomfortable for two white women walking through. Seems to be a low income area. Yelp said this museum was open but clearly has not been for quite some time: read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Stopped here last week and the business profile stated Open Now hours, but the museum grounds and bathrooms in back are in seriously disrepair. Wish we would have had the opportunity to take the tour but this place was closed and I suspect not currently in operation. There are a lot of nice murals in the area, be safe while driving around this area due to horse carriage businesses. Grind City Brewing is nearby, as well. Hope to visit when the Slave Haven museum and tour is open again. read more

This tour is @ 1 hr long. It is very informative. It is not that cool inside so take a fan. It might not be suitable for kids because they have to heat an audio recording of all the pictures posted on the walls. The audio recording is @ 30 or more minutes long. It can get pretty long especially when you are with 24 other people taking the tour. There is free parking. It was nice experiencing the underground cellar where it is believed they kept the slaves that were escaping. You do have someone pointing to the various pictures as the audio recording is telling you the stories. I would've preferred someone telling the story live instead of a recording and for the ac to function properly because it was 96 degrees outside. Website info https://slavehavenmuseum.org/ They do not allow you to take pics or videos inside. read more

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I would give this place 20 stars if I could!! Amazing, amazing experience where I learned SO much and it really helps give you perspective. Elaine Lee Turner gave us a fantastic tour!! This place was formally Jacob Burkle's estate where he was an abolitionist that helped the enslaved escape. He even intentionally made his house with hiding places underneath and holes to let in light and air for the enslaved hiding beneath. We had the honor of standing in the basement space and they turned the light off and you immediately got a sense of what they felt being down there and adjusting to the darkness&thankful for the light that was coming through the holes. It was such a humbling experience. All these horrid acts led to the enslaved inventing Amazing ways to resist: -Drums were a form of communicating -Singing was a form of communicating too *The song Swing Low Sweet Chariot, had a metonymic double meaning. These double meanings allowed enslaved people to safely communicate messages of hope, freedom, and specific plans for escape to one another under the watchful gaze of their captors. For example, the song stood for Swing=run, Low=hide, etc etc -Quilts were a form of communicating by the secret patterns in the quilt pictures that were a guide to get to Canada. One could hang the quilt for a whole week. The first picture was of a mucket wrench which meant get your tools ready&to brake the shackles. Get ready mentally as well&learn the songs&the routes&signs of nature. Wagon wheel is a symbol of a free spirit and it turns north towards Canada. Cleveland Ohio had lake eerie that crosses over into Canada . Once you cross into Canada, You will be free but you will never see your family again. read more

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As I was researching for some tours, I ran across this one and it sounded very interesting and educational. The tour is partially done through audio and by a tour guide. The tour included walking through this little house which is actually a history museum. I had learned so much from slave trading to starting a new life in the North. Plan to spend about 90 minutes at this museum. I would highly recommend this tour. read more

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Take this tour and bring your children. My husband and I were in Memphis for a wedding and were lucky enough to have time to visit Slave Haven. Being born and raised in New Orleans I learned of the horrors of slavery and the slave trade that happened in my own city. As the Underground Railroad was a very secretive society of amazing people - abolitionists and enslaved - all had to protect each other's identities for the system to remain operational. I guess it's for this reason that little is known of the actual homes and people involved. This is a rare chance to personally see a dwelling that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad and hear the stories of many amazing people who took action against the enslavement of human beings. Imagining the suffering souls who passed through on their way to some semblance of peace brought tears. I am humbled by their courage and perseverance. I can't imagine what it took to escape, I don't exactly know how to explain my personal experience. The tour was sobering, deeply sad, and informative. I believe we've come a very long way, and acknowledge we have far to go. read more

Just took an awesome tour of the historic #burkleestate, now called #slavehaven, in #memphis. The home was built in 1849 and was lived in by descendents of John Burke until 1978 when John Burkle's granddaughter passed away. Due to the nature of the #undergroundrailroad there is little hard evidence to support it, but many local historians and local lore suggest this home was used to help hide and support runaway slaves to escape to freedom. John Burkle was a very wealthy landowner and businessman working as a baker and owner of the local stockyards. With the Mississippi River only a couple blocks away as an escape route, and atypical features built into the home it's very apparent this was used as a refuge for runaway slaves. The home was built two feet off the ground to provide an ample crawl space. There's a trap door in the floor of the home that opens into the crawl space. Underneath what used to be a back porch, there is a brick cellar with round holes were built into the walls which open into the crawl space under the home. Also, there's a small hidden staircase in the cellar that has since been walled off which would have led out behind the house. The magnolia trees pictured were the very first magnolia trees ever planted in Memphis, and as an evergreen, were used as a key for runaway slaves to find the home for safety. The home is filled with loads of #history, #antiques, memorabilia, quilts with encoded messages used by slaves to communicate, real slave shackles and chains, and articles and newspaper ads local to the area about the buying and selling of slaves, and the general history of #slavery. This is a fantastic #museum and the guided tour was very informative and made the experience worth it. Definitely a must-see in Memphis, stop by to help support this museum to further educate people to remember the the bad parts of our country's history and the strength and courage of those who overcame it, and to ensure we all do our part to ensure we don't repeat it. read more

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Very interesting to visit a locale with a connection to the resistance to slavery. Just discovered evidence from about 30 years ago makes this place important. The tour is self-led, consisting of displays on various rooms/walls with a pre-recorded accompaniment. The story is told from the start of the voyage across the ocean, and includes displays such as leg irons, shackles, art, brief histories of the philosophy supporting slavery, abolitionists, hidden meanings in spirituals, quilts, etc. You will see a trap door and basement (one of only 2 I've seen in the mid-South). Reasons for not rating this a 5: The evidence for freed slaves beyond the original owners house servants appears thin and wasn't presented. The tour guide was quite late and distracted. This is obviously an organization operating on shoe-string, which could benefit from more professional approaches. read more

Great history tour for my family. My 11 yr old enjoyed it and learned things that are not taught in school. Unfortunately there are no pictures or video recordings allowed inside. If you are in the Memphis area, definitely check this place out. read more

Wow! Learned volumes. Great guides. So thankful we did this! It's only an hour tour but it's packed full of info! read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I was looking forward to this Museum and it did not disappoint. No pictures or videos inside and that's bittersweet. I wish I could share all the things I learned but I'm glad I was able to focus on the tour and my experience can encourage others to visit. This was a great tour. I learned things I had never heard before. I love a small but deep Museum and this checked all the boxes. Great lesson, nostalgic and powerful. I highly recommend this tour. Some parts were heavy but the stories were so intriguing you can take it all in and discuss it over lunch afterwards. read more

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I think everyone should come to this museum and experience an Underground Railroad home. It was deeply impactful, hard to hear and so very important to know so that history never repeats itself. read more

I would give 100 stars if I could. Absolutely amazing experience. The ladies who give the tours really know their stuff and are very good communicators. I highly recommend this to anyone who is visiting Memphis. It is so worth it. I cannot wait to go back! Love this place from the bottom of my heart! read more

Slave Haven is a cool little site that houses an Underground Railroad outpost. Crazy to think this house in the deep south help slaves hide. Amazing story. No start times. You walk in and start. Friendly staff. Free private parking lot. There is a main house and a few outhouses. Very touristy site to see. read more

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It was a truly interesting tour, if your visiting Memphis and have free time. I definitely recommend checking it out

In my opinion, this is a must when visiting Memphis! The history of the home used in the Underground Railroad is rich, and the guides do a great job of sharing the history of both the home and the Underground Railroad in general. Seeing the area in the home where slaves would hide was eye opening. Learning about the role of the quilt in the Railroad, singing songs together, even learning more about the trip from Africa to the States was enlightening. read more

Love history. Problem with this place is organization. 1 - the website doesn't tell you that yours are ever hour only. 2 - website has no way to reserve a time. 3 - website also doesn't tell you that if you have a time you reserve you might end up getting bumped for a reservation from the prior day. It's 2022, this should not be difficult. Needless to say, today got here at 9:45am. It opens at 10am. The person was late. A group ended up getting all the slots for 10am. Which forced people to choose another time. Return for 11am tour and get told that the tour which we signed up on was booked and need to find another time. Possibly 2pm or 3pm. Don't know how they have 4 plus stars. Because if this is how they run their business no way would this be good. read more

Great place to learn some history - the kind you don't read about in school. Excellent selection of hard- to- find books, personal accounts, interviews of slaves and little known facts. Nothing fancy, and tours are on the hour, so you may have to wait. For the size of attraction, it was well done, if a bit pricey. We considered it a contribution for a good cause. This generation needs to remember these things, so we don't repeat the mistakes of our firefath read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Main house/tour - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Small house packs big punch! Elaine was the tour guide that filled us with so much more information than I thought was possible in one hour. The tours start every hour and we went on a Saturday for the first tour. After that it got pretty crowded. This was a unique stop for me as they offered incite into how one might have hid on the grounds. We've read about it but to actually experience it and see it in real life was thought provoking in a much different way. The house also has art on display that aids in understanding the emotions of both the abolitionists and the slaves seeking freedom. A good place for history and Elaine really speaks to the kiddos if you have them. read more

Great tour very informative. Guide was pleasant & attentive. Will come back & bring our youth group. Highly recommend read more

I wish I could give this place rounded numbers. It is between a 3.4 and 3.7 experience, but overall it is a very informative little museum. Due to the history of the home and the fact that the walkthrough is only an hour long with a very tight schedule, I do wish there was more time to talk to the guides and ask questions. Unfortunately, the nature of this tour is that the guide pushes play on an audio recording (amazing narrator), walks you through the house, points at historical artifacts and in an hour you are gone. It felt rushed, and given the rich history of this era and personality of the home, I wish there was a personal touch with the tour guides. read more

You have be in the mood for an education before you step foot into this historic home. No, it's not fancy, high-tech or modern. It's a place of reverence, relevance and importance, so come to listen. My cousin got a recommendation to visit the Slave Haven, and we stopped by to pass time before checking into our AirBnB. We walked out inspired by the oral history provided by the knowledgeable docent of the Middle Passage Slave Trade, the establishment and growth of slavery as a global business, and the struggle that ensued to end it. More than anything, she shared how inventive, creative, persistent and cunning Africans were in their constant bid for freedom, and how they could not have done it without the help of abolitionists -- one of whom lived in the home where we stood. An incredible stop, complete with trap doors, hidden basements and crawl spaces where runaway Africans hid. read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - My aunt, me and my cousin outside the Slave Haven, 10.8.20 - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I highly recommend this tour. The information that they provided and the artifacts that they showed were authentic. No pictures or videos allowed inside, but that helped us focus on the information and really absorb it. read more

FYI get there early for a tour. Seems like there isn't a definite time they start. The pamphlet said one thing. The people there said another. It's not as organized as one would hope. Otherwise, great tour, very informative and interesting. I loved getting to see the house and hearing more about how it worked as a part of the Underground Railroad to help slaves. If you love history I recommend checking this place out! read more

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Wealth of knowledge present and shared in the building. A must visit for all Americans and history buffs.

It says online open until 4 and every tour is on the hour. we arrived at 2:30 and were turned away saying that we'd missed the last tour already. Seems like they run on their own time schedule, so arrive extra early as their tour times are wonky. Can't connect on the tour content read more

I highly recommend going to Slave Haven first before going to the National Civil Rights Museum. This little location does a marvelous job of introducing you to the history of slavery, and then the resistance and escape through the Underground Railroad. The story of the stockyard owner Jacob Burkle, and how he supported the Underground Railroad is inspiring, and shockingly, was hidden until 1991. The National Civil Rights Museum is amazing, of course, but it's got so much content it's actually hard to absorb it all. Start here, get a great introduction, and then you'll be able to focus on the more modern history of the Civil Rights era at the National Civil Rights Museum. Thank you to the folks running the organization here, preserving the history for us to understand and learn. A few tips: 1) there is a parking lot but not enormous (no RVs!). 2) Photography is not permitted inside at all, so I literally only have one photo from outside. 3) There is a great local BBQ place nearby, walking distance. (You can see it easily on your phone map.) read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Front view of Slave Haven. - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

A+ for effort, y'all! The museum says this antebellum home was a stop on the Underground Railroad! There was a trapdoor that lead to the cellar with tunnels under the house. The guide goes into the history of the house a bit but the tour is mainly the history of slavery...which is obviously heart breaking. The stories leave you with your mouth literally hanging open, so be prepared. I definitely teared up more than once. For $10 ticket, you get an hour long (little over, actually) tour with stops in different rooms before ending up in the cellar for the finale. Frankly, I felt like it was a little long winded with certain things being repeated or the tour guide asking the tourists questions, but our guide was certainly knowledgeable and had her history down. I had no idea that Memphis even had anything like this! It is a punch to the gut but we need to hear the history. read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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This place is amazing I learned so much that I didn't kno but should've known. The rooms the pictures the basement amazing. The staff was very impressive and informative. I recommend this place for everyone to see. I cried about the treatment of my people and how the struggle continues. I still don't understand why why why have my people been treated so horrible because of the color of their skin. I'm so glad I went here read more

Hands down the best, most unexpected treat of my trip to Tennessee. I would say that it was the best part of the trip overall, but it is tied with watching my New England Patriots triumph over the Titans at LP Field. Sorry, Titans fans. If we had lost, it would be a different story :P While paying for tickets at the STAX Museum, I saw a nondescript flyer for the "underground railroad" tour. My attention was grabbed immediately - since my sister and I used to play a game called "underground railroad" when we were kids growing up, pretending that we were slaves trying to escape the South and hiding out via the underground railroad. Yeah, I know.. we were a bit precocious... I asked about the tour and the guy at the STAX counter said that it was definitely worth visiting, but to call ahead and make sure they were open and giving tours, because the hours listed on the flyer weren't exactly right. So, we called ahead, and they seemed to think it was weird we were asking if they were open.... so I don't know if it's really necessary to call ahead, but you might want to. We had a hard time finding the house and drove up and down the street a few times before we saw it. It's a bit hidden and, like the flyer, nondescript... so keep your eyes open and make sure you have the exact address with you to help you find it. It's located in a neighborhood with other houses, and looks like just another house. There's lots of parking on the street. We asked if there was a AAA discount, and they said that it would be $6 instead of $7 for having AAA. In retrospect, I feel bad having asked for the discount... I may have to send in an extra donation to make sure this place keeps running. We were told to wait in a small room with some others waiting for a tour. I think they only have one person running the tour at a time, so how long you have to wait depends on when you arrive. We must have arrived at the perfect time, because we were on a tour with 6 other people and didn't wait any longer then 5 minutes. A woman came in the room and sat us all down and basically told stories... even sang... it was quite moving. My sister and I were the only non African Americans there, and I could tell that the others were connecting to the stories in a way that we couldn't. Regardless, I was deeply moved by the experience. After the story-telling, we were shown around the house, explained a little bit about life at that time, and shown where the slaves entered the house and hid while part of the railroad. I can't say enough about this experience... read more

My sisters and really enjoyed our visit to this little gem. It was located walking distance from the Airbnb we stayed at in Memphis and so we arrived early in the morning on a Monday and had the place entirely to ourselves for a tour with I believe her name was Elaine (if memory serves me correctly). This young woman was passionate and knowledgeable about the slave trade and ensuing strive for freedom (and she had a wonderful singing voice). We learned a lot that we hadn't known before about the secret escape network, such as using quilts for sending messages in code, singing gospel songs (which also contained inspirational messages in code) which helped so many gain their freedom from slavery. Standing in the cold cellar, looking at the tiny holes people would have had to squeeze through to get from outside into the cellar, it's very easy to imagine the fear of discovery those who stayed there must have felt. Definitely worth the $10 entrance fee read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Pretty easy to miss it! - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Employees of this so called Museum are rude and unprofessional. How do you talk to customers with food in your mouth and then walk away? you are told to wait outside until the tour starts. There are no pictures allowed inside the building, but there are no exhibits which are unique to history, most of the portraits on the walls are very bad copies. Employees of the house do not know what any of the rooms were used for and are furnished with items only representing the time period. You must all squeeze into the hallway and listen to a recorder about the poorly put together "exhibits". They state the owner of the house donated the house to the organization, however the recorded deeds show otherwise. So far from my research the only item i found to be true was this "foundation" bought the house in 1996 and subsequently opened the "museum". They try to tell you the cellar vents were how the Slaves made their way into the cellar. Visit at your own risk, almost all of the information given is all "believed to happen" there are no historical records. read more

Whenever I'm in Memphis BBQ and good times are always on the agenda. One of my trips out there in late June of 2010, I decided to take up some of the "off the beaten path" sights of Memphis. I came across a listing for this museum and decided to stop by, take a look around and have the tour if it was possible. The cost of visiting was negligible but the experience of being there and hearing about the lives that passed through here, the souls that were touched, about the many stories that transpired in this place was the most touching. The visit almost didn't happen because one element that was visiting with us whom didn't want to see it, she would rather forget it ever happened and shoo it under a rug. Which was fine with me, negative elements can sit in the car but I traveled a long ways to see it and nothing was stopping our visit. Yes, its an ugly element of the past, but its important to understand, from where we climbed up from. The grounds here could use some upkeep but I imagine they try to preserve it this way so that people can have an idea of what some regarded a "safe place" so long ago. Preserving the feel and run down look of the building. Still its a landmark which is located within Memphis, you'd think it'd have some sort of landmark status and some funds to upgrade areas to it for the sake of storing history. The area seems a bit buck and if you have a nice car, you may feel a little fear in parking on the street. However we visited for a couple hours during the day and it was fine. The tour took about 30 to 45 minutes like another reviewer has mentioned. The tour was led by a few different folks that had a ton of information to share with us. In our party were mostly adults and a couple smaller children that were interested throughout the visit. You know thinking back to elementary school days, Black history month came year after year and I remember we were taught a lot about where it came from but it was mostly just stuff in a book. A few pictures about what happened with some details but to walk around this house, look at the bedrooms, try to feel or get an impression for what was felt by those looking for safety, that's the real stuff. Especially for those interested in history, its worth a look. Definitely try to get there as early as possible. During holidays the spaces available for the tour fills up quickly, best to phone ahead. (I've also uploaded a few photos of the exterior) read more

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It's a weird and sad feeling I had. Slavery was such a sad part of our history. The tour includes seeing the cellar where the slaves would hide. The tour guides told stories and we sang songs. Understanding the meaning of the songs drove the messages home. I would strongly suggest this tour. read more

An amazing small museum located at a house believed to be part of the Underground Railroad (which is actually the Mississippi River). We were given a guided tour of the house (the only option) which takes about 30-45 minutes. The house was built by a German immigrant who saw the horrors of slavery when he arrived in the U.S., and decided to do something about it. It contains some amazing artifacts-- historical documents, period furniture, quilts and other artwork, all relevant to slavery and the struggle for freedom. The tour guide was fun and extremely knowledgeable about the museum. And they have a wonderful gift shop with reasonably priced stuff. With so little known and documented about slavery (even in history books), this museum is a treasured resource to teach new generations about this horrifying and hopeful chapter in our nation's history. read more

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I've been agonizing about what to write as a review for this museum to speak with the proper weight and import of visiting, but really the only thing to say is that everyone should visit this museum. It's that important a part of history to know and understand up close and first hand. That's it. read more

Visiting Slave Haven was fascinating and extremely sad. The original owner was dedicated to helping escaped slaves - you will see the crawl space and cellar on the tour. The guides were very knowledgeable and friendly, answering lots of questions and explaining secret codes in songs and quilts. $10 admission is well worth it. Definitely recommend. read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Only a 5 minute drive from Beale Street. If you love history and want to see a house that was part of it -the Burkle estate (Slave Haven) is the place to be. There are 2 Tour guides that are both really good at explaining history of the Underground Railroad and how this place and the people who lived here played a role in abolition. Definitely go support this hidden gem- $10 for adults $9 for students I believe. For 1hr tour read more

Slave Haven Underground Railroad - Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The tour guide who led my tour was very personable, passionate and you could tell she loved her job. The tour was informative and was able to learn interesting history facts. There are a lot of odd items though that have no historical significance like the Cherrywine Soda bottle on the kitchen table- when asked about that and if it meant anything was told no its as just something they added. This does make me worry how much other stuff that looked interesting was really just random items placed in a room. All in all though not a bad experience. They do the tours on a rotating basis so people could join in your tour mid way and others could leave mid way who had already seen the next part- this made it a bit confusing but does make sense logistically for a small business. read more