Famous Museums in Knoxville

The museums in Knoxville give the very essence of its citizens and rich culture. If you are looking for something deeper and more meaningful, head to the museums in city. Explore the cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical side of Knoxville with these museums.
We have curated a variety of the best and free museums in city, besides the usual arts or historical ones. Explore and engage yourself with the wonders of science at the museum of science in Knoxville. Get fascinated by the exceptional stories of heroes at war museums or memorials. You can go wow with your kids at the Natural history museums or enjoy some time at children's museums in Knoxville.
Check out this list for an entertaining and enlightening trip to the museums in Knoxville.

Let's explore the finest collection of museums in Knoxville:

  1. East Tennessee History Center

    Museum, History Museum

    The East Tennessee History Center breathes the city’s past into its modern day and you can see everything from pottery, art, textiles, and Civil War items among other historic pieces. The museum is home to over 13,000 items which forms its Permanent collection. Other trending collections include fine-art prices, paintings and historic stories that showcase the art-life and culture of Tenn...Read more
  2. McClung Museum Of Natural History And Culture

    Museum, History Museum

    McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture explores the history of human culture across the world and its evolution along with other trending exhibits. The permanent collection includes ancient Egyptian relics, ancient artefacts of the native people of Tennessee, ceramics, textiles, rare dinosaur fossils, Tennessee’s war history and other objects from around the world. The museum pays ...Read more
  3. Women's Basketball Hall Of Fame Image
    ©

    Museum

    The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame pays tribute to women’s basketball and all the women who have pushed the game beyond its gender-specific popularity. See old photographs, club rings, historic stories and other iconic items of the game belonging to the women who shaped the game’s pro-feminism status. If you love basketball, history or simply want to see a one-of-a-kind, inspiring ...Read more
  4. White's Fort

    4.4 (40 Votes)
    White's Fort

    Museum

    The James White Fort was built for James White as he led an expedition into the upper Tennessee Valley to reach the land of what we know as Knoxville. The fort was chosen as the capital of the Southwest Territory in 1790 and was donated in 1791. In 1970, the place was converted to a museum and since then the place holds the tools of wars, houses and other facets of the frontier life.
  5. Marble Springs State Historic Site

    Museum, Historical Site

    The Marble Springs State Historic Site is the last remaining home of John Sevier- A War Hero of the Battle of King’s Mountain that took place in the late 18th century. John Sevier named the 350 acre site as Marble Springs due to the Tennessee Rose Marble that was quarried here and the beautiful springs that flowed through the land. Today, the museum showcases a rare collection of books, g...Read more
  6. Beck Cultural Exchange Center

    Library, Museum

    The Beck Cultural Exchange Center is loved for its permanent collection including The Pioneer Stairway (which includes the names and history of the earliest black achievers), The Hastie Room (includes reminders and personal items of William H. Hastie) and the United States Postal Stamps. The exhibitions pay tribute to some of the individuals in Knoxville’s past which helped shape the worl...Read more
  7. Knoxville Museum Of Art

    4.7 (237 Votes)
    Knoxville Museum Of Art

    Art Museum, Museum

    The Knoxville Museum of Art is loved for its variety of visual arts of all kinds- from paintings, sculptures, metal displays, lights, glass to everything which oozes the art-pulse of Knoxville. The museum also arranges regular events, workshops and seminars that cover all the aspects of art and even Knoxville’s rich nature and culture. If art is what you are looking for when in the city, ...Read more
  8. Mabry Hazen House

    4.5 (126 Votes)
    Mabry Hazen House

    Museum, Architecture

    Built around the mid 19th century, the Mabry Hazen House served as the headquarters for both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War and its historic collection along with its classic Victorian architecture all swoop you back to the 1800’s. From the gunfight on Gay Street in 1882, to the Civil wars and its many stories, all take shape at the house and if you love history, be sur...Read more
  9. Old Smoky Railway Museum

    Museum, Specialty Museum

    The Old Smoky Railway Museum holds railway history in its rails and is a pleasure to walk through and give yourself a self-guided tour. The place gives you a booklet that has all the information and you can take your own time exploring the different engines and getting familiar with just how important the railways were in Knoxville’s growth and history. Highlights include: Seeing old eng...Read more