There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

From milestone anniversaries to major museums getting brand-new digs, 2026 is a massive year for Memphis arts and culture.

Memphis Art Museum

In late-2026, you’ll get to explore the brand-new Memphis Art Museum overlooking the riverfront in Downtown Memphis. Currently known as the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, it is one of the biggest art museums in the region, with 29 galleries. The 9,000-piece collection will move to a newly constructed space, featuring flexible galleries, classrooms, a theater, the large Community Courtyard at the center of the museum, a 50,0000-square-foot rooftop sculpture garden and the shaded River Window with unbeatable views of the Mississippi River. Until then, stopover at the Brooks’ spot in Overton Park to see the collections and current exhibits. 

The Metal Museum

The Metal Museum, the nation’s only museum exclusively dedicated to metalwork, is opening a new renovated space in midtown’s Overton Park. Six times larger than its current location, this metal arts center will include classrooms, studios, a cafe, a 350-seat auditorium, gathering spaces, a rooftop terrace, a library, a sculpture grove, the museum’s permanent collection and two floors of rotating exhibits. The museum’s new location is expected to open in mid-2026.

National Civil Rights Museum 

With the recent opening of Founders Park and the ongoing renovation of the Legacy Experience, 2026 is an exciting year to visit the National Civil Rights Museum. Founders Park is a free outdoor space just outside the museum, featuring gathering spaces, a reflective plaza, educational signage, walking paths and the Legacy Terrace, which overlooks the area from which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin fired. The park opened in October 2025. 

The new-look Legacy Experience, which is planned to open this spring, focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s book “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” Explore galleries on societal inequalities, including education, nonviolence, poverty, gender equity and housing, as well as exhibits on the evolution of civil rights since King’s death and the investigation and conspiracy theories surrounding his assassination. 

New Spots & New Digs

Must-try new eats are popping up all over town. Brizia is bringing the best of land, sushi and sea to Crosstown Concourse, with woodfired seafood dishes, creative sushi rolls and USDA Prime steaks. Go for craft cocktails and shared bites at The Dame, an upscale, intimate restaurant and bar beneath the newly renovated Hotel Pontotoc. Tonica recently opened its second location in downtown Memphis. Make reservations for a night of tapas, paella and a selection of cocktails, sangria, and gin and tonics. Kuya is bringing authentic Filipino recipes to South Main St. in 2026. Another South Main newbie: Ritual: bistro, coffee & sips will offer artisanal coffee and tea, breakfast, lunch, cocktails and local brews, plus a gourmet food and beverage market. 

Local-favorite Cajun-Creole spot The Second Line, by renowned chef Kelly English, is moving from its long-time midtown location to East Memphis in early 2026. The new digs will be next door to English’s popular fine dining concept, Restaurant Iris. Catherine & Mary’s downtown just got a new look. Inside, you’ll spot a new color scheme, an expanded cocktail lounge, new rooms for private and semi-private dining and a divider to separate the bar and dining area.

Michelin Memphis 

Memphis’ culinary scene isn’t just excited about its new spots, though. The inaugural MICHELIN Guide American South recently recognized five Memphis restaurants. Hog & Hominy received a Bib Gourmand honor, which is awarded to restaurants that offer great food at great value. Four other Memphis restaurants — The Lobbyist, Petals of Peony, Felicia Suzanne’s and Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen — made the guide’s recommended restaurants list for 2025. Learn more about Memphis’ MICHELIN honorees.

Milestones & Anniversaries

2026 marks a big year in Memphis anniversaries. Some of the city’s biggest and most beloved institutions are celebrating major milestones, and you’re invited to join in all the festivities throughout the year.

The South’s Grand Hotel just got grander as The Peabody recently completed a $19 million renovation to its 464 guestrooms. Enjoy new beds, furniture, TVs, curtains, carpet and decor, as well as upgraded bathrooms with Carrara marble tub surrounds and floor tiles, brighter lighting, Quartz countertops and new shelving. These modern styles and upgrades add to the luxury experience expected at the property.  

With a lively past as a hotel, bathhouse, bordello, nightclub and recording studio, Hotel Pontotoc recently began a new era. The restored property plays up its historic charm but adds modern amenities to provide guests with a relaxing yet memorable experience. Stop into the hotel’s basement bar, The Dame, for craft cocktails and live music or a romantic evening sipping wine on the garden patio. 

Hotel Napoleon’s new restaurant, The Archives Bar & Bistro, is a must. Spend a relaxing evening as a guest at the hotel, then wake up to creative Southern breakfast recipes, from the BBQ pulled-pork breakfast slider to the Elvis banana-peanut butter overnight oats. Add a cocktail pick-me-up (mimosas, bloody marys or peach bellinis, anyone?) to your order.

New Exhibits

Memphis museums are bringing in a collection of new exhibits. See what’s in store for 2026: 

A new soccer club is taking the pitch in Memphis in 2026, as the Memphis Football Club is set to join the United Soccer League’s League Two. Catch a match at Mike Rose Soccer Complex this summer. Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is undergoing a major renovation. The upgraded stadium is on schedule to be ready in time for kickoff of the Memphis Tigers’ 2026 football season in August. Planning your next golf trip? Multiple Memphis golf courses were recently renovated, making Memphis the perfect place to hit the greens. 

Two new music venues are opening in the Bluff City this year: Grind City Amp, a 4,500-person outdoor concert venue on the riverfront at Grind City Brewing Company, is planned to open in spring. Get tickets to the new venue's first show, when Alabama Shakes performs with Mon Rovîa opening on April 22, 2026. Or, make plans to attend the 2026 Grind City Music Festival. Live Nation is developing a 1,300-capacity concert venue, Satellite Music Hall, across from Crosstown Concourse. The brand-new venue will open this fall with plans to host 100 shows per year. 

An immersive, interactive experience is coming to Mud Island in March. Inside the former Mississippi River Museum, BVO is building the River of Time, a playground of “portals” that transports guests to different realms through imaginative sculptures, projections, art, sound and light. 

Ready for a brand-new way to experience the Mighty Mississippi? A free and accessible canopy boardwalk and observation deck, the Memphis Flyway, will open on the riverfront at Tom Lee Park in 2026. The new Mississippi River attraction gives visitors one-of-a-kind views of the river and its habitats. 

Don’t miss the first-ever Memphis Zoo Lantern Festival at Memphis Zoo. Walk through the award-winning zoo aglow with 60 lantern fixtures, glowing walkways and tunnels — now through Feb. 1, 2026.