Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson made an unannounced stop at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel Friday, standing on the balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
"It was very touching, emotionally, to see some of the things that I saw there," the only African-American candidate in the presidential field told reporters.
Walking through the museum's exhibits for about an hour on a guided tour, Carson and his wife Candy asked questions and paused for pictures with other visitors along the way.
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"I wish more people would have more appreciation for what people went through to gain their rights for education and so many things," Carson said, adding that if they did, people would take advantage of the benefits of the era.
Carson stopped at the historic Memphis museum on his way to a rally in Arkansas, his last public campaign event before he completes his book tour next week in Florida.
His trip comes on the same day an NBC News online poll conducted by SurveyMonkey showed Carson tied for first place in the Republican race with fellow political outsider Donald Trump.