The National Museum of Funeral History is an impressive tourist attraction and offers a wealth of authentic artifacts and documentation.

Capturing the attention of history buffs, science junkies and classic car fanatics to art lovers, pop culture enthusiasts and political aficionados - this fascinating destination has something for everyone. With 18 permanent exhibits, the museum offers an unrivaled, educational and historical experience. It's history, culture and science.

The Most Famous Burial of All Time: The Shroud of Turin

This newest exhibit features a certified copy of the Shroud from the Archdiocese of Turin as well as displays discussing the established history and scientific studies of the Shroud. It presents the facts about the Shroud and allows visitors to draw their own conclusions about the identity of the “man of the Shroud". The Funeral Museum is a secular setting that provides the opportunity to share the facts and information about the Shroud with a broad cross-section of museum visitors.

Jazz Funerals of New Orleans

Jazz Funerals of New Orleans focuses on how a common way to bid farewell to a loved one originated with a jazz funeral or a funeral with music that is now a tradition unique to the city of New Orleans. This exhibit highlights the history and culture of jazz funerals unique to New Orleans. They celebrated with black brass bands after a loved one’s death to please the spirits who protect the dead. From all of this, a new style of music emerged – jazz. The funeral bands quickly adopted jazz, and New Orleans jazz funerals were born.

Presidential Funerals

Connect with key moments in U.S. history by exploring the Museum’s extensive display of artifacts and original items used in the state funerals and burials of some of America’s great presidents. In Presidential Funerals, see the authentic bill from President George Washington’s funeral, the original eternal flame from President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery, the hearse used to carry the bodies of President Ronald Reagan and President Gerald R. Ford in California and the ammo case from the 21-cannon salutes rendered during the ascend and descend of Air Force One while it carried the body of President Gerald R. Ford in 2006.

Historic Hearses

The Museum’s collection of rare funeral service vehicles traces the evolution of funerary customs, from the elegant horse-drawn carriages of the 19th century to the actual hearses used in the funeral of Grace Kelly. Don’t miss the elaborate glass-paneled funeral carriage made in Germany in 1850; the 1916 Packard funeral bus, large enough to hold the coffin, pallbearers and up to 20 mourners; and the 1921 motorized hearse, with opulent, hand-carved wooden panels that typify the extravagance of craftsmanship among hearse manufacturers of the era.

The History of Cremation

Even as cremation has soared in popularity, a significant lack of understanding about the process and possibilities of cremation exists. That’s why The History of Cremation exhibit is so important. The National Museum of Funeral History (NMFH) has opened The History of Cremation, a joint project developed with CANA, Cremation Association of North America, to tell the full-circle story of cremation in America: from chronicling its birth in Pennsylvania to demonstrating a step-by-step modern cremation process and illuminating the seemingly endless possibilities for memorialization. Visitors will walk away with a new respect and appreciation for this widely misunderstood industry.

Thanks for the Memories

Celebrity funerals capture public attention around the globe—from the magnificent to the truly outrageous. Thanks for the Memories provides an up-close and personal look at the grand farewells for some of the world’s most iconic figures. See authentic printed memorial folders and memorabilia used in the funeral services and burials of Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Frank Sinatra, Jim Henson, Whitney Houston, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne and others, along with tributes to more recently deceased personalities, such as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Walker and Robin Williams.

Tour the 30,500 square feet of exhibit space of these and the other exhibits of funeral service memorabilia. Open 7 Days a Week! Plan Your Visit Today! NMFH also offers a virtual museum tour experience like no other. Guests can explore the museum on a self-guided 360 tour. Find out more here.

National Museum of Funeral History
415 Barren Springs Drive, Houston TX 77090
www.nmfh.org