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Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN

Photo: Tennessee State Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Museums

Tennessee State Museum

Nashville museum presenting the history, art, and culture of Tennessee across many eras.

1000 Rosa L. Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208 · Nashville, TN

About Tennessee State Museum

The museum sits beside the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park and the Nashville Farmers Market. Its galleries trace the state from its natural history through the present day, with permanent exhibits on First Peoples, the Civil War and Reconstruction, and later change. A Tennessee Time Tunnel guides visitors through the collection, and a children's gallery offers hands-on play. Rotating shows feature artifacts, furniture, textiles, photography, and art made by Tennesseans. Free lockers and wheelchairs are available at the front desk.

  • #history
  • #art
  • #natural history
  • #Civil War
  • #children's gallery

What's around here?

The closest stops to Tennessee State Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Family Favorite

    Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

    No admission fee

    Walk a 200-foot granite map of Tennessee, splash in the river fountains and hear the 95-bell carillon below the State Capitol in Nashville.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Theater & Events
    Iconic

    Ryman Auditorium

    $25–$50

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    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Theater & Events

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Frist Art Museum

    Under $25

    See rotating art exhibitions and hands-on art making inside Nashville's former main post office, an Art Deco landmark on Broadway.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Nightlife
    Iconic

    Honky Tonk Highway

    No admission fee

    Walk from one honky tonk to the next on Lower Broadway, where bands play live country music from morning until late at night.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Nightlife

  • Museums
    Iconic

    Johnny Cash Museum

    $25–$50

    Walk through more than 1,000 artifacts from Johnny Cash's life, from stage costumes and gold records to handwritten lyrics.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Iconic

    Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

    $25–$50

    See instruments, stage wear and recordings that trace country music from its folk roots to today, then stand in the Hall of Fame Rotunda.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.2 mi awayMore like this

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