Slave Haven / Burkle Estate Museum
Slave Haven / Burkle Estate Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Visitors can tour the tunnels used by runaway slaves who stopped at this plantation, one of the stations of the Underground Railroad.
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4.5
756 reviews
Excellent
511
Very good
151
Average
48
Poor
12
Terrible
34
Madison
Cabot, AR3 contributions
July 2021 • Family
I visited this museum with three other people on July 3rd, 2021. We were supposed to receive a senior discount and college student discount but were so rushed through that they didn’t even ask and immediately just took our card for payments. No big deal there, I’m not mad about a $2 discount.
There were about 25 people in our tour, which was very stifling and cramped in such a small house. I struggled to see and hear everything because everyone just stands shoulder to shoulder and squeezes and strains their way to see/hear. There was no time to ask any questions at all or to spend an extra minute in the rooms to look around and learn; you were simply quickly ushered into the next room. Inside of the cellar where the slaves were allegedly hidden whilst waiting for a safe time to continued their journey to freedom, we were actually told to leave because our tour guide “didn’t want to stay down here any longer.” This history is very important and the whole situation just seemed like a very huge rush and money making scheme. Not to mention, there was another guest that almost got into a fight with the manager, because the manager was being rude.
All in all, glad I came and saw this historical site, but sorely disappointed in the way it is being run.
There were about 25 people in our tour, which was very stifling and cramped in such a small house. I struggled to see and hear everything because everyone just stands shoulder to shoulder and squeezes and strains their way to see/hear. There was no time to ask any questions at all or to spend an extra minute in the rooms to look around and learn; you were simply quickly ushered into the next room. Inside of the cellar where the slaves were allegedly hidden whilst waiting for a safe time to continued their journey to freedom, we were actually told to leave because our tour guide “didn’t want to stay down here any longer.” This history is very important and the whole situation just seemed like a very huge rush and money making scheme. Not to mention, there was another guest that almost got into a fight with the manager, because the manager was being rude.
All in all, glad I came and saw this historical site, but sorely disappointed in the way it is being run.
Written 5 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
trn81
Montana459 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
I am not sure how to review this place. I still am in shock and awe that they actually call this place a museum. They say they take credit cards but they said they do not and want cash. It is truly the most disjointed unorganized waste of time and money I have seen. The tour guides throw out so many half truths I was almost laughing. It is basically an old house filled with random antiques that have nothing to do with anything. The alleged tunnels is actually just a house crawl space. It is too weird. Strange strange. I got no meaningful information out of this place at all.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are a Slave History museum and any information you received is verified and true. The furniture in the house is just examples of what would be used from the time the family lived here. 1856-1978.
We absolutely take credit cards however when you came we may have had several visitors paying that way which takes longer to check in so we offer cash as a quicker option. Also there are times we aren’t getting a signal so we can’t process a card.
Aside from that we are glad to came out to get a fully guided tour from one of our very capable guides. Sorry you didn’t have the awesome experience 99% of our guests have posted to this exact site.
Many happy returns!
Written 14 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lisa S
Hummelstown, PA10,168 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
This is my first Underground Railroad experience and I didn’t know what to expect. Listening to the narrator while seeing photos, real and enacted was impactful. I teared up listening to her sing Sweet Low, Sweet Chariot but when she told us what the words referenced, wow. So many secrets surrounding the venture of securing a life I can’t put into words the many emotions I felt here, in such a small house.
It doesn’t take long to see this and parking is free so it’s worth your time IF you arrive at the right time to begin the narrated tour from the beginning. The entry is actually in the back of the house rather than the front.
It doesn’t take long to see this and parking is free so it’s worth your time IF you arrive at the right time to begin the narrated tour from the beginning. The entry is actually in the back of the house rather than the front.
Written 4 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LAMMER13
Rochester Hills, MI333 contributions
Nov 2020 • Solo
Very small venue and advance reservations are recommended. However, I just showed up and was able to get a ticket. The narration at the beginning is recorded and very informative. The tour guide also added a lot of other interesting details. The hiding places made you aware of what the slaves seeking freedom went through and experienced. Very educational and interesting. Tours are every hour on the hour. Free parking.
Written 19 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gordon A
Paducah KY253 contributions
Feb 2020
We visited here on a Saturday. The museum tour is a guided tour with excellent docents who know the story well. They can also answer questions that are "off script", and do so gladly. There is a continuous tour, about an hour long, and you may join the tour when you arrive, and drop out whenever you wish. No wait to get started!
The insights to the slave trade and how some were able to escape was astounding! Seeing their living conditions - for safety - really opened my eyes to how badly they wanted freedom.
All around, an excellent presentation!
The insights to the slave trade and how some were able to escape was astounding! Seeing their living conditions - for safety - really opened my eyes to how badly they wanted freedom.
All around, an excellent presentation!
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MSR99
Memphis, TN13 contributions
June 2021
Our first Juneteenth Day as a Federal holiday was spent in one of the most momentous locations for Black history. Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum in Memphis, TN pays homage to our ancestors who lived the words of the song… “and before I’ll be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.” Housed on the Burkle Estate, located near the banks of the Mississippi River, this is more than a museum. This is a place where people can visit and get a taste of the experiences and emotions of runaway slaves, who spent an undetermined amount of time in its below ground, tight, dark, dank places while waiting for their next run toward freedom!
The Lee sisters and their family have done a phenomenal job in restoring the rooms in the house, filled with items and furniture passed down through generations, many hand-made by slaves, donated by individuals from around the country. Walking through the house, there are displays of quilts whose patterns were secret signs and symbols for the runaway slaves. There are pictures and posters, accompanied by recorded and live narrative, that take you all the way back to the deadly and inhuman conditions of the Middle Passage to the dehumanizing slave trading blocks, and then along the risky, inventive journey to freedom which led fleeing slaves through the crawl spaces and hidden passages of homes like this actual stop on the Underground Railroad. I encourage anyone interested in this history to not miss this genuine, authentic experience!
The Lee sisters and their family have done a phenomenal job in restoring the rooms in the house, filled with items and furniture passed down through generations, many hand-made by slaves, donated by individuals from around the country. Walking through the house, there are displays of quilts whose patterns were secret signs and symbols for the runaway slaves. There are pictures and posters, accompanied by recorded and live narrative, that take you all the way back to the deadly and inhuman conditions of the Middle Passage to the dehumanizing slave trading blocks, and then along the risky, inventive journey to freedom which led fleeing slaves through the crawl spaces and hidden passages of homes like this actual stop on the Underground Railroad. I encourage anyone interested in this history to not miss this genuine, authentic experience!
Written 20 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adam T
York, UK909 contributions
Mar 2023
When planning our trip, some of the reviews suggested that you needed reservations for this museum, as did their website. The email address bounced on the first attempt and I received no reply on the second. When I tried calling the phone numbers, there was no answer. Our hotel concierge managed to get through, and was told that we didn’t need a reservation. In reality, what this meant was you had to be there early for your slot otherwise you would be turned away if/when it filled up. They only accept cash which was annoying, and they still required mask wearing, though they did provide these thankfully. The whole organisation was just a bit all over the place. There were too many people allowed through on one tour, and the guide spent so long trying to push people together so they could all see it wasted a lot of time, and one of the visitors passed out from being too hot. People would have sorted themselves out to see the things that were being discussed without all that faff. He also stood in front of us all and played a recording from a speaker as a kind of an accompanied audioguide. Though it was harder to hear than a normal audioguide, couldn’t adapt to its group audience and he could just as easily have spoken all of it himself, as he clearly knew the script because he was pointing things out on the walls and talked over it frequently! Very weird, and could have easily been improved. The second half of the tour where he was properly guiding us was much better. The story and the history was very interesting, and still made it a place worth visiting, but I can’t help thinking they make it harder for themselves than necessary. There’s plenty of parking but it wasn’t too bad a walk from our hotel.
Written 17 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FanseeNansee
Los Angeles, CA55 contributions
June 2021
I did not know much about the underground railroad but learned a great deal visiting this home/museum. The tour starts out with a recorded narration in a few of the rooms. Learn about the secret codes used by the slaves to find their way to freedom - just amazing! The second half of the tour is led by the guide and describing more about how the slaves found their way to the different havens on their way north and how they hid, even how the estate owners made it appear that they were slave owners and not part of an underground movement. We had the absolute good fortune of learning that our guide had been an active participant in the civil rights movement in the 60s and actually marched in Selma with Dr. King!! We learned so much from her about the underground railroad and the civil rights movement. It is a small house - although it is larger than it appears - and the tour takes about an hour, but be sure to visit the gift shop and talk to the guide. It was an incredible experience!!
Written 5 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TexanSavedByGrace
Houston, TX20 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
My sister and I recently traveled to Memphis on a road trip. We LOVE history, but were absolutely disappointed. We arrived early to make sure that we were on time for our previously scheduled tour. No one was there. Eventually other guests arrived one by one. We all tried calling the number on the door no one answered. I left a message and no one returned my call. Finally someone with the museum answered for one of the other guests and was told someone would be there in 5 minutes. 15-20 minutes later a lady shows up with a less than welcoming attitude. By this time it was 40 minutes past our appointment time. We had driven over 9 hours to get to Memphis only to be treated as an after thought??? The southern hospitality was lacking... to say the least.
Written 13 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob L
North Wales, PA127 contributions
July 2021
This is an excellent museum, one of the best I've visited. It tells the story of the slave trade and the Underground Railroad in a very graphic and informative way. It's both an educational and sobering experience. We actually went into a basement space where runaway slaves hid. A must visit in the Memphis area.
Written 17 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are well behaved and leashes dogs allowed?
Written 14 September 2019
Service animals are always welcome. However I do ask my guests if any one had an issue with a dog joining and they were not all on board.
However I do remember this issues and did everything to accommodate you.i allowed you in the parts of the museum where no one was offended. Hope you enjoyed your stay.
Thankyou
Written 26 September 2019
How do I get tickets for this museum? Do I need reserved tickets, or can I just show up and take a tour? All I can find on TripAdvisor is $55 tickets to a Memphis Slave History tour and I will not be there in time to take that tour on Saturday, but wondering if I can just drive to The Underground Railroad Museum and take a tour once there?
Written 21 March 2019
Do any of the local tours include this museum?
Written 25 January 2019
Yes Heritage Tours does black history in the area. We also manage Slave Haven. Ours is the only one with access to the museum.
Written 26 September 2019
Actually wonderful for children, my girls were 7 and 9 at the time and it really impacted them. We went last summer and they both have chosen projects for their seminar type classes based on what they learned here. They still talk about being in the basement and how the slaves must have been so scared. They are interested in travel though and very attentive listeners.
The house is smaller so if you have a toddler who runs around or younger children who would be distracting to those trying to listen and learn, I would maybe skip it.
Written 1 July 2019
They said to allow 90 minutes. However, with several groups or a large number of people I would allow 2 hours.
Written 2 October 2017
chadwickdarbonne
Ville Platte, Louisiana
Why does it seem like white visitors get treated so very rude It's not our fault slavery existed. We were not even alive when slaves existed
Written 16 April 2017
I did not notice this at all. Were you being rude?
Written 22 July 2019
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