List of museums in Kentucky facts for kids
Kentucky is a state in the United States with many interesting museums! A museum is a special place where people collect, care for, and show off objects that teach us about culture, art, science, or history. These places help us learn about the past and understand the world around us. From old houses to cool science centers, Kentucky has a wide variety of museums for everyone to enjoy.
Contents
Awesome Museums to Explore
Science and Nature Adventures
- American Cave Museum in Horse Cave lets you explore caves and learn about groundwater and how to keep it clean. You can even take a tour of Hidden River Cave!
- Big Bone Lick State Park in Big Bone has a visitor center with fossils found right in the park. It also has an outdoor museum with models of ancient animals that used to live there.
- East Kentucky Science Center in Prestonsburg is a great place for science lovers. It has an exhibit hall, a planetarium to see stars, and a laser dome!
- Explorium of Lexington in Lexington is a children's museum with lots of hands-on science exhibits. It's a fun place to learn by doing!
- Kentucky Science Center in Louisville offers many hands-on science exhibits and displays about natural history. It's a fantastic place to discover how things work.
- Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum in Cave City features mounted animal displays that show you different wildlife.
- River Discovery Center in Paducah teaches you all about river transportation, steamboats, and the natural history of rivers.
Journey Through History
- Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Hodgenville protects the places where Abraham Lincoln lived as a child. It's a great spot to learn about one of America's most famous presidents.
- Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate in Lexington is the historic home of Henry Clay, an important Kentucky statesman from the 1800s.
- Bardstown Historical Museum in Bardstown shares the local history of the area. It's located in Spalding Hall.
- Barthell Coal Mining Camp in Whitley City is an open-air museum. You can see a barber shop, a doctor's office, and even take a mine tour!
- Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington tells the story of Northern Kentucky's regional history.
- Big Sandy Heritage Center Museum in Pikeville focuses on the history of the Big Sandy River area, including the famous Hatfield-McCoy Feud.
- Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp in Blue Heron is a restored old company town where you can learn about coal mining history.
- Bluegrass Heritage Museum in Winchester explores the local history of the Bluegrass region.
- Blue Licks Battlefield State Park in Mount Olivet has a Pioneer Museum. It shows exhibits about a battle during the American Revolution and local history.
- Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park in Nicholasville was a Union Army supply depot and a place where African American soldiers were recruited during the Civil War.
- Cane Ridge Meeting House & Barton Warren Stone Museum in Paris shares the history of an important religious camp meeting site.
- Capital City Museum in Frankfort focuses on the local history of Kentucky's capital city.
- Civil War Museum in Bardstown has five attractions, including a museum about the Civil War in the Western Theater and an Old Bardstown Village with log cabins.
- Columbus-Belmont State Park in Columbus teaches about the Civil War history of the area and local nature.
- Constitution Square Historic Site in Danville is an open-air museum. It has replicas of an old courthouse, jail, and a 1792 post office.
- Coal Miners' Museum in Van Lear tells the story of local coal mining history.
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near Middlesboro has a Visitor Center with exhibits about the area's natural and cultural history. It also includes the Hensley Settlement, an old mountain community.
- Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum at Fort Campbell covers the history of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, known as the "Screaming Eagles."
- Ephraim McDowell House in Danville was the home and office of an early 19th-century doctor.
- Fort Boonesborough State Park in Boonesborough has a reconstructed pioneer fort where you can see artisans at work.
- Frazier History Museum in Louisville is all about Kentucky's history, culture, and people. It's where the world meets Kentucky!
- Garrard County Jail Museum in Lancaster is located in an old jail, offering a glimpse into the past.
- Harland Sanders Café and Museum in Corbin is the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken! You can learn about Colonel Sanders here.
- Highlands Museum and Discovery Center in Ashland has local history and special science displays.
- Historic Locust Grove in Louisville is an 18th-century farm homestead covering 55 acres.
- Kentucky Coal Mining Museum in Benham teaches about coal mining and the lives of coal miners and their families.
- Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville has regional history displays, an art gallery, and a collection of miniatures.
- Kentucky Military History Museum in Frankfort is run by the Kentucky Historical Society and focuses on military history.
- Kentucky Museum in Bowling Green, located at Western Kentucky University, covers Kentucky and U.S. cultural history.
- Lexington History Center in Lexington is currently closed but used to include several museums like the Lexington History Museum and the Public Safety Museum.
- Lincoln Museum of Kentucky in Hodgenville features dioramas with wax figures showing important events in Abraham Lincoln's life.
- Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum in Paducah focuses on Kentucky and the western part of the American Civil War.
- Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum in Salyersville is an open-air museum with reconstructed log buildings.
- McCreary County Museum in Stearns shares the history and culture of McCreary County and the Stearns Coal & Lumber Company.
- Mill Springs Battlefield Visitors Center and Museum in Nancy remembers the Battle of Mill Springs from January 1862 during the Civil War.
- Mountain Homeplace in Staffordsville is a mid-19th century working farm with a Museum of Appalachian History. It includes a farmstead, church, and blacksmith shop.
- Mountain Life Museum in London is part of Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park. It's a recreated pioneer village with an old mill.
- Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville tells the history of educating people who are blind.
- National Underground Railroad Museum in Maysville is located in the Bierbower House, which was a safe house for the Underground Railroad.
- Old Fort Harrod State Park in Harrodsburg has a reconstructed fort and museum.
- Old Washington Historic Village in Washington is a frontier village from the 1780s. It has historic houses, log cabins, and a Slavery to Freedom Museum.
- Old State Capitol in Frankfort is operated by the Kentucky Historical Society and was once the state's capitol building.
- Pennyroyal Area Museum in Hopkinsville has exhibits about Edgar Cayce, African American history, and a pioneer living set.
- Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site in Perryville is where the Battle of Perryville took place during the Civil War.
- Portland Museum in Louisville focuses on the history of Portland, a riverside community in Louisville.
- Samuel May House Living History Museum in Prestonsburg is an early 19th-century house.
- Shaker Museum at South Union in Auburn teaches about the history of the South Union Shaker Village and the Shakers' way of life.
- Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Pleasant Hill is a living history museum of a 19th-century Shaker village.
- South Central Kentucky Cultural Center in Glasgow is also known as the Museum of the Barrens and covers local history.
- Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort, run by the Kentucky Historical Society, explores over 12,000 years of Kentucky history.
- Wickliffe Mounds in Wickliffe is an archaeological site where you can learn about ancient cultures.
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Historic Homes and Estates
- Adsmore in Princeton is a Victorian home that offers "living" tours, changing with the seasons.
- Conrad-Caldwell House in Louisville is a beautiful late 19th-century mansion.
- Dinsmore Homestead in Burlington is an 1840s house located on 30 acres.
- Duncan Tavern in Paris is an 18th-century tavern that serves as the headquarters for the Kentucky Society, NSDAR.
- Farmington Historic Home in Louisville is an early 19th-century plantation home.
- Federal Hill in Bardstown, also known as My Old Kentucky Home, is an early 19th-century mansion.
- Governor William Owsley House in Lancaster is also known as Pleasant Retreat.
- Hunt-Morgan House in Lexington is an 18th-century home that includes the Alexander T. Hunt Civil War Museum.
- Jack Jouett House Historic Site in Versailles is the late 18th-century home of American Revolutionary hero Jack Jouett.
- Kentucky Governor's Mansion in Frankfort is the official residence of Kentucky's governor.
- Liberty Hall Historic Site in Frankfort includes both Liberty Hall and the Orlando Brown House.
- Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington was the 1840s family home of Mary Todd Lincoln.
- Riverview at Hobson Grove in Bowling Green is a mid-19th century home.
- Thomas Edison House in Louisville is a biographical museum about the famous inventor.
- Waveland State Historic Site in Lexington is a 19th-century plantation home.
- White Hall State Historic Site in Richmond is an 1860s period mansion.
- Wickland in Bardstown is an early 19th-century house that was home to three state governors.
- William Whitley House State Historic Site in Stanford is a late 18th-century pioneer brick home.
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Art and Creativity
- The Carnegie in Covington is an arts venue with galleries that show different types of art.
- Georgetown College Fine Art Galleries in Georgetown include several galleries like the Jacobs Gallery and the Anne Wright Wilson Fine Art Gallery.
- Glema Mahr Center for the Arts in Madisonville features the Anne P. Baker Gallery of fine art.
- Headley-Whitney Museum in Lexington displays decorative arts, including jewelry, dollhouses, and changing exhibits.
- John James Audubon State Park in Henderson has the Audubon Museum, which features art by John James Audubon, a famous bird artist.
- Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead, part of Morehead State University, shows self-taught art, folk art, and photography.
- Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville celebrates Kentucky's art and craft heritage.
- Louisville Visual Art Association in Louisville has changing art exhibits and is located in the Louisville Water Tower.
- National Quilt Museum in Paducah displays beautiful quilts and fiber art.
- Owensboro Museum of Fine Art in Owensboro has a collection of American, European, and Asian fine and decorative arts from different centuries.
- Speed Art Museum in Louisville features European and American artwork, from old masters to modern art.
- University of Kentucky Art Museum in Lexington has European and American artwork, as well as non-Western objects.
- Yeiser Art Center in Paducah is another great place to see art.
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Transportation and Machines
- American Saddlebred Museum in Lexington, part of Kentucky Horse Park, tells the history of the American Saddlebred horse.
- Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green displays aircraft like an F-4 Phantom II.
- Aviation Museum of Kentucky in Lexington has historic airplanes, photos, and training equipment.
- Bluegrass Motorcycle Museum in Rosine has a private collection of vintage American motorcycles.
- Bluegrass Railroad and Museum in Versailles is a heritage railroad and museum.
- Caldwell County Railroad Museum in Princeton has railroad artifacts and memorabilia.
- Cloverport Depot Museum in Cloverport focuses on local history.
- Elkhorn City Railroad Museum in Elkhorn City explores the history of railroads in Kentucky's Eastern Mountain Coal Fields.
- Fordsville Depot Museum in Fordsville has local history, railroad, and rural life displays.
- Historic Railpark and Train Museum in Bowling Green is located in a historic railroad station and displays locomotives and railroad equipment.
- Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven shares the history of Kentucky's railroads and offers heritage train rides.
- Kentucky River Museum in Boonesborough shows how the river, locks, and dams affected the area.
- La Grange Railroad Museum and Learning Center in La Grange is dedicated to railroad history.
- Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in Louisville is all about baseball and the history of the baseball bat. You can even see how they're made!
- Paducah Railway Museum in Paducah is another museum for railroad enthusiasts.
- Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati in Covington features over 80 historic railroad equipment pieces on a 4-acre site.
- Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum in Elizabethtown displays historic automobiles.
- WaterWorks Museum at Louisville Water Tower Park in Louisville is a restored 19th-century pumping station with steam engines and exhibits about its technology.
- Woody Winfree Fire-Transportation Museum in Hopkinsville has fire trucks, old cars, wagons, and fire memorabilia.
Music and Sports Fun
- Bill Monroe Museum in Rosine tells the story of Bill Monroe and the beginnings of bluegrass music.
- International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro is dedicated to the history of bluegrass music.
- Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville is a museum all about American Thoroughbred horse racing, especially the famous Kentucky Derby.
- Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Renfro Valley celebrates famous musicians from Kentucky.
- Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville explores the life and ideals of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.
- National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green showcases the amazing Chevrolet Corvette cars.
- National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in Walton honors American drivers of dirt late model racecars.
- U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum in Paintsville has exhibits on the country music entertainers who grew up near U.S. Route 23.
Unique and Interesting Museums
- Great American Dollhouse Museum in Danville has over 200 dollhouses, miniature buildings, and room boxes.
- Museum of Physical Security in Nicholasville has a collection of safe locks.
- Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell is the only museum in the world dedicated to the art of ventriloquism (using puppets to make them seem like they are talking!).
Defunct museums
Some museums in Kentucky have closed over the years. Their collections might have moved to other museums or been stored.
- Charles Jackson Circus Museum, Hopkinsville (collections now at the Pennyroyal Area Museum)
- Alben W. Barkley Museum, Paducah
- Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science, Bowling Green (closed in 2012)
- Floyd Collins Museum, Cave City (closed in 2013)
- Morris Toy Museum, Carrsville
- Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, Elizabethtown (closed in 2012)
See also
- Aquaria in Kentucky (category)
- List of historical societies in Kentucky
- Nature Centers in Kentucky
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List of museums in Kentucky Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.