Tennessee State Museum Officially Open

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee State Museum has officially opened at the northwest corner of Rosa L. Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.

Housed in a 137,000-square-foot facility, the new location is built with ample room to engage with history and the museum’s vast collection of art and artifacts.

The Museum’s Grand Opening Weekend hours are 1:30-8 p.m. Oct. 4; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 5; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 6; 1-5 p.m. Oct. 7; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 8.

The permanent and temporary exhibitions tell a variety of stories ranging from the First Tennesseans to the present day. There will be no admission charge for any of the museum's new exhibitions.

In the permanent galleries, Natural History introduces visitors to the origins of Tennessee’s amazing landscapes as well as its diverse animal and plant life and fossils. First Peoples (13,000 BCE to 1760 CE) tells the story of how the First Peoples of Tennessee lived, about their culture, and how they defended their homelands. Forging a Nation (1760-1860) tells the stories of Southeastern Indians and Overmountain People, enslaved and free African Americans, the Creek War and War of 1812, Andrew Jackson, the Trail of Tears, President Polk, westward expansion, and more. In The Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1870), visitors will learn how Tennesseans determined to secede from the Union and how the state remained divided on the issue throughout the war. Major battles and personalities are featured, including the experiences of common soldiers. African Americans are highlighted as they sought their own freedom, and some eventually fought for the Union. Also examined is how Tennesseans struggled without slavery during the era of Reconstruction.

Change and Challenge (1870 to 1945) explores how Tennesseans found economic upheavals, social changes, and international conflicts. Visitors will learn how Tennessee women fought for the right to vote, how Tennesseans shared the nation’s challenges in World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, and see artifacts such as World War I hero Alvin C. York’s Medal of Honor. Tennessee Transforms (1945 to present) highlight the impacts of post-war innovations on Tennesseans, the struggle of African-Americans to share in the new prosperity, the development of Tennessee’s music industries, and Tennessee today.

The Tennessee Time Tunnel serves as the backbone for the permanent gallery experience, combining content-rich artifacts, exhibits and stories from the permanent collection with engaging media and thought-provoking interactives for a multi-layered experience.

Five additional galleries include The State of Sound: Tennessee’s Musical Heritage using artifacts, images, performance costumes and audio-visual media to introduce the people, places and events that transformed Tennessee into an internationally celebrated music center. Tennessee and the Great War: A Centennial Exhibition explores the state’s role in World War I. Also opening are Early Expressions: Art in Tennessee Before 1900, In Search of the New: Art in Tennessee Since 1900, and Red Grooms: A Retrospective (through Jan. 13, 2019).

For more information, visit www.tnmuseum.org. 

About the Tennessee State Museum

For over 35 years, the Tennessee State Museum, one of the oldest and largest state museums in the nation, has been confined to the lower levels of the James K. Polk State Office Building.

In 2015, Gov. Bill Haslam proposed and the Tennessee General Assembly appropriated $120 million to build a new home for the museum with the additional funding to complete the project to be raised in private contributions. To date, more than $30 million in private donations have been raised, and the construction of the new museum is running on time and on budget.

The former Tennessee State Museum hosted approximately 115,000 visitors each year.  The new Museum, which is located on the northwest corner of the Bicentennial Mall in Nashville, is expected to host more than 220,000 visitors annually, adding to the growing menu of memorable and educational opportunities Tennessee has to offer. For more information, visit www.tnmuseum2018.org.

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Media contact:

Joe Pagetta

Director of Communications

615-741-5134

Joseph.Pagetta@tn.gov