Explore the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville

Being a native of Utah, I don’t know a lot about the history of Tennessee. I know it’s also known as Music City, USA. President Andrew Jackson is a Tennessee native. But that’s about where my knowledge stopped. At least that’s what it was before I spent some time at the Tennessee State Musuem in Nashville during a business trip.

I enjoyed walking through the museum and learning about different eras in the state’s history. From the early Native Americans who called that area home, through the 2000s when a Tennessee native traveled to space, there’s a lot of history to learn. I recommend spending some time at the Tennessee State Museum so you can learn more about the 16th state of the United States of America.

Directions and Parking at the Tennessee State Museum

The Tennessee State Museum is located north of downtown Nashville, on the other side of the state Capitol building. It is walkable from downtown – meaning that’s how I got to and from the museum. I really enjoyed the walk, especially the section through the Bicentennial Park. There are some fantastic monuments and memorials there, but I’ll try to cover those in a future post.

If you’re driving to the Tennessee State Museum, it’s located on the corner of Rosa Parks Blvd and Jefferson Street. The free parking area is located south of the museum, between the museum and the Nashville Farmer’s Market.

Luckily, there is no cost – and thus no tickets to purchase – for the Tennessee State Museum. I’m a big fan of FREE. With all the exhibits and kids’ activities, I think it’s a great place to go on a rainy day. But I also recommend it for those visiting from other areas of the world so you can learn about the history of the nation’s 16th state.

Do NOT try to visit the Tennessee State Museum on a Monday. It’s closed that day of the week. As for the rest of the week, it’s open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, it’s open from 1-5 p.m.

After entering the museum building, head to the information desk. Be sure and grab a guidebook, as it will help you learn a little more about some of the things you’ll see in the museum. Then venture up the large staircase and head to the second floor. This is where the majority of the exhibits are.

Natural History and the First People of Tennessee

When you reach the top of the grand stairway, enter the Time Tunnel area. It’s from this hallway that all of the other historical exhibit areas connect. The first two are on your left – Natural History and the First Peoples.

The natural history area is what you’d expect. There are displays on the early and current animal and plant life found in Tennessee. Stepping back a little further, there are also fossils on display, which were recovered right here in Tennessee. As you’ll see in the photo above, there’s a mastodon jawbone fossil on display.

You’ll also notice a number on the floor and a guidebook in my hand. Each number is associated with a short paragraph in a guidebook you should pick up at the entrance (hopefully you grabbed one). The numbers were also helpful to guide me through the museum in the right order. 😉

The next exhibit area highlights the first peoples of the Tennessee area. It’s a pretty big timespan, stretching from 13,000 BC to 1760 AD. In fact, the first people arrived in the area at the end of the Ice Age. Learn about what the people were like in that era, all the way up to when the Europeans arrived.

Forging a Nation, the Civil War and Reconstruction

As you travel through time to the next exhibit area, you’ll find it to be much larger than the last two areas combined. Forging a Nation is one of the more interesting areas of the museum – at least for me. I’m always intrigued by the men and women who stood up for what they believed and fought for the independence of what became the United States of America.

I was intrigued by the displays about Andrew Jackson. You may recognize his name, because he was the seventh president of the United States. He’s a Tennessee native, and if you’re looking to learn more him, you can venture to the outskirts of the city and tour Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.

But once the nation was formed, it wasn’t long before the Civil War struck home. That’s the next largest exhibit area in the museum, covering 1860-1870. The Civil War began shortly after the presidential election of 1860 when President Abraham Lincoln took the office of President. As for those in Tennessee, they had to take sides – Union or Confederate? The eastern side was Pro-Union, but despite that, Tennessee was the last of the states to officially secede from the United States.

The Civil War officially ended in May 1865, but the exhibit continues for the next five years to highlight the efforts of reconstruction in Tennessee.

Change and Challenges Exhibit

The next stop through the time tunnel is 1870 to 1945. If you know your U.S. history, you’re probably aware of some major events that happened during those years. Like a world war, Great Depression and another world war. But scattered throughout the global and national conflicts are the things that made life fun. One exhibit area shows the growth of bicycles, the invention of the telephone and the growing game of baseball.

In Tennessee, social changes were also taking place with regards to race, segregation and equality. You’ll see exhibits showing how African Americans resisted segregation and disenfranchisement, and how Tennessee women fought for the right to vote. The late 1800s and early 1900s were riddled with changes around the world, but it’s interesting to see how things were changing in the state of Tennessee.

Tennessee Transforms

The more recent exhibit area focuses on 1945 to the present. The fight for equality continued, and several exhibits and artifacts show that struggle from within the borders of Tennessee. Take a moment to read about the Sit-Ins that occurred in an effort for African Americans to demand equal rights. It’s still baffling to me to see how a group of people were denied rights just because the color of their skin wasn’t white.

Tennessee is known for its music. Nashville’s known as Music City, U.S.A., so you bet there’s an exhibit about the early artists who called Tennessee home, and those who came to Tennessee to hit the bigtime. You can dive deeper into this history at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, or even the National Museum of African American Music. All three museums are right here in Nashville.

Even though the great world wars were over, there were still wars occurring overseas. And those from Tennessee continued serving their country in the Korean War and Vietnam. On display is William Franklin “Frank” Lyell’s posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Korean War.

And for me, I couldn’t let the article go by without acknowledging the Tennessean native who went into space in 2000. Because as you know, I’m all about space and astronauts. 😉

Activities for Kids at the Tennessee State Museum

When I first arrived at the Tennessee State Museum, I stopped by the information desk to gather a few tips about my visit. I saw a Sleuth booklet, which is available for free to help kids engage a little more with the exhibits and areas within the museum. It’s a great way for them to learn about the history of Tennessee and having some fun doing it.

If you have young children (ages 3-8), you’ll want to check out the Children’s Gallery on the first floor. The Children’s Gallery is open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, from 10:00 a.m.- to 4:00 p.m. On Sundays, it’s open from 1-4 p.m.

The Children’s Gallery has colorful and whimsical decor, along with several hands-on exhibits that allow young children to learn about Tennessee. Kids can walk across the giant map of the state, or try on clothing from earlier eras or even some rock and roll costumes. There are lots of ways for kids to enjoy learning through fun and games.

The Details

Address: 1000 Rosa L Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208

How long to spend: 60-120 minutes

Cost: There is no admission fee for the Tennessee State Museum

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays, along with New Years Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Website: https://tnmuseum.org/

Phone: (615) 741-2692

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