Johnny Cash Museum

The Johnny Cash Museum opened in April 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee, to honor the life and music of the country superstar often referred to as the “Man in Black”. It houses the world’s largest collection of Johnny Cash memorabilia and artifacts, including a stone wall taken from his lake house in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and is officially authorized by Cash’s estate. Born in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, Johnny Cash is one of the bestselling recording artists of all time. Throughout his lifetime, he wrote and recorded music in a lot of different styles, including country, rockabilly, gospel, blues, and rock and roll, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. His trademark nickname – Man in Black – came from the signature all-black wardrobe he wore for performances.

The original museum honoring the star – known as House of Cash – was in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and although Cash lived in the same town for over thirty years, he did not live in the museum. The House of Cash had been closed for many years and had fallen into a state of disrepair, and appeared in Cash’s music video “Hurt”. Cash’s lakeside home in Hendersonville, that he lived in from 1968 until his death, burned in an accidental fire during renovations in 2007. Shannon and Bill Miller – personal friends of Cash – donated their personal collection of memorabilia to found the current Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. The museum opened to the public in 2013 with the restored original House of Cash sign as one of its exhibits.

The 18,000-square-foot museum is located in the busy South of Broadway (SoBro) neighborhood, near 4th Avenue North and the Broadway Avenue SB bus station and at Stop 3 on the Old Town Trolley Tour. It is open daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas) and charges admission for anyone 6 years and older. Besides exhibits, the museum site has a gift shop stocked with Johnny Cash souvenirs and collectibles, a café and coffee shop, and event space for hosting parties, meetings, banquets, weddings, corporate events, and more. The space is large enough for 200 standing guests or 114 seated guests. Cash’s personal chili recipe is served at the onsite café. A museum expansion took place in 2016 to add interactive exhibits, such as technology centers to create mixes of Cash’s songs and listen to covers of his music by dozens of artists. Visitors can also pose in front of a green screen to take photos with Cash to take home. The site is wheelchair accessible but does not have its own private parking reserved for museum visitors. Limited street parking is available in the area.

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