Tour the Museums of Knoxville

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Museums of Knoxville brochure (PDF): Side 1, Side 2, and Side 3.

Armstrong-Lockett House (Crescent Bend)
Built in 1834 by Drury Paine Armstrong, this historic home accommodates 18th century American and English furniture, decorative arts, and an outstanding collection of English silver (circa 1610-1830). Nine formal, Italian terraced gardens overlook the Tennessee River.

Beck Cultural Exchange Center
Beck Center is dedicated to the research, collection, conservation, and exhibition of achievements of African-Americans. The various collections include photography, sketches, fine art, newspapers, and books.

Blount Mansion
Blount Mansion, built in 1792, was the home and territorial capitol of Governor William Blount, a signer of the U.S. Constitution. Guided tours and programs lead visitors into Knoxville’s only National Historic landmark as well as the workings and intrigues of America’s early frontier government.

Confederate Memorial Hall (Bleak House)
Bleak House was completed in 1858 for Robert and Louise Franklin Armstrong. It served as headquarters of General James Longstreet, C.S.A., during the Siege of Knoxville in 1863. Offers visible reminders of the war and a Confederate Museum.

East Tennessee Historical Society
Home of a regional history museum, a premier genealogy research library, and an award-winning research archives, the East Tennessee History Center brings visitors face to face with our region’s history makers.

Emporium Center for Arts & Culture
In the heart of downtown Knoxville and one block from the Visitors Center, the Emporium includes two expansive galleries and numerous artist studios. Its spaces celebrate East Tennessee’s unique world-view with regular openings, poetry slams, and eclectic performances.

Ewing Gallery
The Ewing Gallery serves as a cultural resource in the regional community by coordinating exhibitions that illustrate current attitudes in art and architecture.

Farragut Folklife Museum
Located in Farragut Town Hall and housing an extensive collection of documents, photographs, letters, and personal items of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, first Admiral of the United States Navy and Civil War hero. Other exhibits include the Battle of Campbell’s Station, Early Tools, Railroads, Local Marble Industry, Churches, Schools, People, and Events.

Girl Scout Museum at Daisy’s Place
Owned and operated by Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council, Inc., the Museum’s collection of memorabilia represents 80 years of Girl Scouting in Tennessee. Holdings include early Girl Scout uniforms, badges, international Girl Scout and Girl Guide items, and a one-of-a-kind Girl Scout doll once shown at the Smithsonian. The library offers vintage Girl Scout handbooks, songbooks, craft books, camping and nature guides as well as scrapbooks.

Historic Rugby
This would-be Utopia survives today as both a living community and a fascinating historic site, unspoiled by modern development.  Twenty original buildings still stand at the southern edge of the Big South Fork National Park, surrounded by rugged river gorges.

Ijams Nature Center
Ijams Nature Center is a nonprofit nature and wildlife sanctuary and environmental education center with over 160 acres of protected woodlands and meadows, five miles of nature trails, and a boardwalk on the river. Ijams’ Visitor Center houses an Exhibit Hall and shop and hosts public programs, live animal presentations, and naturalist-led tours.

James White’s Fort
The home of James White who settled in Knoxville with a 1,000-acre land grant from the state of North Carolina. Includes White’s first home, furnished with original tools and artifacts from the period.

Joseph B. Wolffe Gallery
The Joseph B. Wolffe Collection features over 100 sculptural works of R. Tait McKenzie (1867-1938), internationally recognized as “the sculptor of athletes”. The collection consists of McKenzie-created statuettes, bas-relief, medals, portrait medallions, and plaques that celebrate athletic achievement.  Located on the University of Tennessee campus.

Knoxville Museum of Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art is a dynamic center for the exhibition and exploration of the visual arts. The four galleries in the museum are dedicated to design, emerging artists, the permanent collection, and thematic group exhibitions. Educational programs include film series, gallery talks, family days, live music almost every Friday night, and more.

Knoxville Zoo
Discover a world of wonder at Knoxville Zoo, home to more than 800 animals and world-class naturalistic habitats. Visit Kids Cove, a children’s play place that opened in April 2005.

Mabry-Hazen House Museum
The stately, elegant home of the Victorian and Civil War periods showcases one of the largest collections of original artifacts including china, silver, crystal, and antique furnishings. Housing three generations of the same family from 1858-1987, the Mabry-Hazen House served as headquarters for the Confederate and Union troops.

Marble Springs State Historic Site
The 18th century home of Tennessee’s first governor, John Sevier, accommodates various events, tours, and crafts demonstrating the lifestyle of East Tennessee during John Sevier’s time.

Frank H. McClung Museum
A general museum featuring both permanent exhibitions on Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee, Ancient Egypt, Decorative Arts, Geology and Fossils, Human Origins, and Freshwater Mussels as well as special temporary exhibits.  Located on the campus of the University of Tennessee.

Museum of Appalachia
The Museum opened in the late 1960s with one log building on a two-acre plot.  It has grown to 65 acres, including dozens of authentic log structures, a large Display Building, and extensive Craft and Gift (and Antique) Shop, a Restaurant, the Mountain Heritage Room, the popular Appalachian Hall of Fame Building, the People's Building, and over a quarter million items.

Old Gray Cemetery
Take a walk through Knoxville history at Old Gray Cemetery. Established in 1850 as part of the Rural Cemetery Movement, the thirteen acres contain many examples of Victorian art and architecture. Named for the English poet Thomas Gray, author of Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, the cemetery is a place of serenity and beauty.

Ramsey House Plantation
Completed in 1797 by Knoxville’s first builder, Thomas Hope, for Colonel Francis Alexander Ramsey, a pioneer settler of Knoxville. Built of local limestone and marble, this Georgian-style house is furnished with period antiques reflecting the life of Ramsey and his family.

Sequoyah Birthplace Museum
The mission of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, a property of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is to promote the understanding and appreciation of the history and culture of the Cherokee Indians in Eastern Tennessee, particularly the life and contributions of Sequoyah.  The Museum collects, preserves, interprets, and exhibits objects and data that support this mission.

South Knoxville Arts and Heritage Center
The South Knoxville Arts and Heritage Center is a nonprofit organization with a mission to strengthen Vestal and surrounding South Knoxville through education in the arts, crafts, and skills of their cultural heritage and thereby stimulating the area's economic opportunities for development.

University of Tennessee Downtown Gallery
The University of Tennessee Downtown Gallery is located next to the historic Emporium Center, home to numerous area arts organizations. The decision to locate an auxiliary gallery in a replenished urban area supports the University’s commitment to enhance Knoxville’s cultural environment.

Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Anything but your typical milling-around, reading-displays type of Hall of Fame experience, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is literally bouncing off the wall with lots of fun and interactive things to do!