Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center

Discovered that the Alex Haley Museum, the author of Roots, was only 1 hour away from the Memphis airport area where we were staying on vacation. The hotel we were staying in did not have the brochure, but the Tennessee Visitor's Center did, which confirmed their hours and admission price of $10 adults and $9 for 60 & over. Learned that even though the state of Tennessee built the interpretive center in 2010 and owns it, the 501(c)3 board operates the facility, which includes paying the utilities. Thus, there is a need to charge admission. A gift shop and a donation box are also on-site. More importantly, history needs to be preserved and not lost to the next generation. A warm greeting was had as we put our hometown pin on the map and signed the guestbook. A 15-minute introduction movie was shown, and then you walked into the interpretive center to browse the displays. Lots of reading, but there are artifacts & and visuals, too. A guided tour of the home via the back door with period pieces to set the time period before plumbing. Learned Alex Haley: was in the Coast Guard, his parents were well educated, his mother died young, Roots was based on his maternal side (mother's side), the book and screenplay were both written at the same time, that this home was built by his maternal grandfather, where, as a young boy, he would hear the oral stories on the porch of this very home and that he is buried here. Every nationality will learn something here. I remember watching Roots as a child and learning about genealogy because of the mini-series. Would like to see more hands-on experiences that kids would be able to relate to that would help them relate to the experiences of history. Gave my suggestions on new ideas to promote awareness. Come and learn! Modern interpretive center with clean restrooms. Credit cards accepted.

They say the tour guide makes all the difference- Richard did not disappoint! Even the documentary was well done. My hope is this information does not get lost on the younger generation. Made me want to see the series again. Don’t miss this gem

A wonderful experience due mostly in part to the Site Manager Mr. Richard Griffin. He was personable, knowledgeable and humorous! My mother and I visited on a Monday afternoon. We drove from Medina, TN and it was well worth the trip! I highly recommend you pay a visit!

My family and I had a great time. The curator was a walking history book he was actually really talented and entertaining. My aunt has not stopped talking about the tour she was not excited about going at all but was so glad she went. She thought it would make her sad but she actually had a great time. I hope the gentleman I think his name is Richard is well compensated for the service he provides. Next time I will bring my mom I am she will enjoy it as well.

Mr. Griffin was a fantastic guide during our visit to the Alex Haley Museum. He has a wealth of knowledge about the Murray/Haley family and made our group feel just as if we were a part of the family. Definitely worth the visit!

This is one of the hidden gems with the most amazing educational , full of information museums that I've visited recently.

Now that's a trip worth visiting. Alex Haley Museum was always on our bucket list and we finally made a trip to experience and explore this amazing place. There is nothing that comes close to how well it is managed, the professionalism and friendliness of the staff and the quality of knowledge gained. The house is very well preserved with all original items. I must admit it is well worth the visit when you are in this area. People from all over the united states and other parts of the world have visited this museum. Side note: you must watch roots and roots the next generation to understand further and how Alex traced his roots all the way to Gambia, Africa and how the Old African Kunta Kinte who was captured and sold as a slave into the USA. Kunta Kinte was one of Haley's ancestors, a Gambian Muslim man who was born in 1750, enslaved, and taken to America where he died in 1822. There is no picture which can truly describe the real experience. Must Visit, Highly Recommend ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Learned a lot about Haley’s early formative years and what led to the writing of the book Roots. Great tour! The house has many family photos and is period correct with items that the Parker family would have used. The house sits in the neighborhood where towns people drive and there are different informational markers around the house. His parents first courted here and eventually married. It is also the burial site for Alex. The entrance and interpretive center is behind the house.

I admired Alex Haley's work. I desired to meet him before he passed. I love how the movie Roots was received by the world, and was not produced from an African-American's point-of-view. Staff were knowledgeable about Alex Haley's professional work and family lineage. They presented facts in an enthusiastic and welcoming manner. Mr. Richard, Mr. Lawrence, and Ms. Elaura were super. They gave me nuggets of knowledge to share with others. I recommend this museum. It is a local gem on a back road in the small, dated town of Henning, TN. I drove through heavy rain and flooded roads to tour the museum. The experience was worth the drive! I am still in awe of Alex Haley's Boyhood home. This museum is to be praised. "Find the good, and praise it!"-Alex Haley

I called a week prior to arrival and had a fun exchange with the associate/volunteer on the other end of the line. He was witty and animated. I was surprised to find this little museum tucked in a tree covered are off an unpaved road in Henney, TN. The museum is chalked full of history of Alex Haley that includes a movie and a well stocked souvenir shop. Tours of his childhood home are provided @ $10. The museum is free. You'll want to give yourself 1-2 hours to take it all in. There are clean restrooms and you'll be asked to grab a push pin to mark your city/state on the US map displayed near the flag poles. Doors are locked so push the buzzer to be greeted by some of the friendliest associates/volunteers I've had the pleasure of meeting. Absolutely worth the visit.

Mr. Griffin was a fantastic guide during our visit to the Alex Haley Museum. He has a wealth of knowledge about the Murray/Haley family and made our group feel just as if we were a part of the family. Definitely worth the visit! Just to see where Alex Haley and his ancestors sat to discuss their genealogy was quite the experience.

This was a very informative tour about Alex Haley and the evolution of Roots. The museum includes a tour of his childhood home, a 15 minute film and a small exhibit in the interpretive center. The staff was friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth a short road trip and you pass by the original Gus's Chicken, which adds some incentive.

Alex Haley was the author of Roots and the co-author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. When he died in 1992, his body was buried at the home that was once his grandfather's, where he had lived at for several years during his childhood. It was on the porch of this home that he would first hear stories about his roots from relatives, which would later inspire him to write Roots and Queen. Visiting the musuem, you get to pay your respects to his grave and sit at the porch where he began his research on Roots. Additionally, there is a brief video about Roots, and then a room filled with exhibitions about Haley's life, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Roots, Queen, and Haley's family. If you want to visit his church growing up, or the lumberyard owned by Haley's grandfather, or the cemetery where Haley's ancestors are buried, they can assist you. Visiting Henning is also inspirational, because it shows how a man or woman of greatness can come from anywhere.

Visiting Alex Haley's house was a remarkable experience that brings Alex Haley's entire novel and other autobiographies to life. I visited all the places he mentioned in Roots one year. The next year, I visited all the locations in Alex Haley's autobiography on Malcolm X. Then I took a box of Haley's books to Prague, Czech, to share with my teachers and students at the Academy of Economics where I taught. My boy is eight years old now, and scared of the violence on the TV show Roots, but when my son is old enough, I will make sure he travels to Alex Haley's Museum after reading Roots with him so that he can learn the untold history that surrounds us. The museum near Memphis, the house, the ranch where Chicken George raised his chickens, the Tennessee heat and humidity between Memphis as well as Mississippi all the way south to New Orleans brings the stories to life in the same way that visiting the Holy Lands brings religious books to reality for the reader traveling to Israel. I will continue to promote Alex Haley's books by shipping boxes with me to Europe when I travel.