Tennessee State Museum

Love this museum! I enjoyed the videos. hope to visit the museum again and join the guided tour! The exhibition in Time Tunnel was organized chronologically, and narrated clearly with some videos, which made the visit more interesting. The exhibit on music was fabulous too. It exhibited how Nashville has developed as a music city and Elvis started his career in Nashville! The lady with short hair at the reception welcomed everyone with big smiles. she was very friendly and helpful, which made the visit even more pleasant. I appreciated her recommendations to visit the beautiful falls in the surrounding and i did, that added more memories in the trip!!

Love this place!!! Different from other museums I have been too. The staff is super friendly and helpful. And free to get in and explore. They do have a donation box if you want to donate...I did. They also have a gift shop. A kids area for those with small children and handicap accessible restrooms. They have both stairs and elevators for anyone who is able to walk and for handicap.

I dont think I've been to a museum I enjoyed this much. My husband and children split into groups reading and seeing all the amazing items they had on display. The way everything was layed out flowed so well and told the story of events in a way that was easy to follow. I can go on and on about this experience. We eventually left because the museum was closing =( but would absolutely go back. Anyone could easily spent a few hours here.

Great place to learn a lot about TN's history. Brought my 5th grader and he loved it. Plus it's totally free! Can't beat that these days!

One of the best state museum that I ever visited. There is a playground for kids on the first floor. The exhibitions are on the second floor. There are a lot of informative and interesting display, from the history of country music, also history of civilization, wars, and others. Recommended for family.

Don't just pass through Nashville—take an afternoon to understand its foundation. This museum is a beautiful tribute to history, organized into thoughtful, digestible sections that prioritize storytelling over mere display. It’s rare to find a place that honors the past with such care. For locals, it’s a point of pride; for visitors, it’s a top-tier Nashville destination. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates the weight and wonder of history. It’s free99. Follow me on Instagram - @thecannyadventurist for a deeper dive into my reviews.

Enjoyed the museum. The flow was a little awkward, so following the story the museum is trying to tell was not exactly intuitive. I wish there were more exhibits. The stories of the acquisition of land and the wars fought here are important to know, but so sad.

This is a lovely spot to stop while you’re in Nashville! I really loved the music part of the museum! They had lots of great things to see. The gift shop is lovely, too! Definitely recommend stopping here.

Don't just pass through Nashville--take an afternoon to understand its foundation. This museum is a beautiful tribute to history, organized into thoughtful, digestible sections that prioritize storytelling over mere display. It's rare to find a place that honors the past with such care. For locals, it's a point of pride; for visitors, it's a top-tier Nashville destination. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates the weight and wonder of history. Follow me on Instagram - @thecannyadventurist for a deeper dive into my reviews.

The Tennessee State Museum is free for the public along with parking. I spent so many hours here just reading on the state's history. I especially enjoyed browsing the state's influence on music genre's we all enjoy today. It really is fascinating. Especially with how far back history goes. Did you know Tennessee is an archeologist's dream?

This was my favorite museum in all of Nashville! I went to many museums in my time here. I prefer history museums, and this one was one of the best that I've been to. And the best part- its free! You can easily spend like two hours in here. It had a lot of great history about Andrew Jackson, American revolution, the Confederacy, etc. Very cool and interesting. Exhibits are beautiful.. This is a must if you are in Nashville! Great for families, couples, anybody really.

This was a great place to visit with the kiddos! It had a wide range of different "themes" and some were a little more fun than others LOL, especially with littles that are tagging along, but we had a blast! The music part was soo cool and they had interactive games they could play mixing in history and music, and picture parts, and downstairs they had an interactive room for them to play and earthquake simulator table, it was so cool!

Such a fabulous museum!! Honestly you could spend an entire day here and then maybe see everything they have. I love that it is free and I learned so much. The space is so clean and the exhibits are really interested. The location by the farmers market is also great and it's perfect for a rainy day activity!

The Tennessee State Museum is very comprehensive, with many different exhibits walking through the history of the state and its people, geography, war, economy, and social change. It was larger than expected and best of all, it's a free museum. Well worth the time to explore and take a walk through the bicentennial park and farmers market nearby

Goooo Tennessee! Wow, you lucky people who live there get this awesome museum for free?! I've been to many state museums in my day and I gotta say this one is pretty high up there on my list of amazing museums! And did I say free?! We got to join in on a tour mid way and the tour guide was so knowledgeable and friendly. (Sad I forgot her name)

Can you believe this museum is absolutely free! In the lobby they provide free lockers to store your bags if you don't feel like lugging them around. We saw a huge USA and Tennessee specific history section as well as some music history section. It was all so interesting and I learned a lot. I would suggest to take atleast 2 hours to view and read everything. I would love to come back as we got tired and didn't get to finish the American history section. We visited right before hopping on our flight home and thankfully there was food available nearby. When you exit, there is an indoor farmers market / food hall right next door for a quick bite! Take a picture out on the balcony of the second floor was suggested by the security officer - nice Tennessee skyline!

History Geeks! This place is a Mecca. I am now inspired to research family history and genealogy. You can use their resources for full access to ancestry.com as well as other such sites. It is also a gorgeous building with the latest in robotic and touch screen technology. I highly recommend a tour!

Wow, one of the best museums I've been to in a while. I was really impressed by the Tennessee State Museum. It's not just the building itself that's modern, all the exhibits had some impressive interactive content and very well put together short films. The content is diverse and very well articulated, making it accessible to a wider range of people and ages. To top it off, it's free entry! I will definitely be coming back the next time I'm in town.

Fun day. Great displays and history of Tennessee. And free, you can't beat that. Worth your time for sure.

this place is free, large, and has a lot of relics that mainly contribute to the wars in America. There's also a music exhibit here. The staff is friendly and there's even loads of parking

Entrance is free which is always a plus! Since it's right next to the farmers market, parking can be limited. Regardless, it's a good place to learn a little bit about Tennessee's history!

First off, the Tennessee State Museum is surprisingly one of the most interesting, well designed and thought out museums I've been to. Its also FREE as well. You start off on the second floor where it essentially guides you through the different periods of geological development and early indigenous people. The way you walk through each exhibit allows you to really just delve into the history of the land that Tennessee is on and what has transpired back in the furthest reaches of history. As others have mentioned, you can spend all day here and still be entertained. I only had a few hours but honestly, I could have spent another day here. It was also a hot day so spending a relaxing day here to cool off and learn about history is a very well spent day. Especially when its free. They do have some donation boxes scattered about. Another nice thing is that the museum is next to the Bicentennial Park and close to the Farmer's Market so plenty to do around the area.

Very extensive and diverse museum. When we were there they had a photography exhibit with lots of pictures from along time ago. Also some old cameras too. Exhibits from music, wars, Indians, etc. you could easily spend 3 plus hours here and it's all free. The worst part is the parking, but well worth it.

Excellent museum, I'll definitely return if I'm ever in Nashville again. The entire collection is on the second floor, and it was as if you were going through a time tunnel. Start with the natural history of the state, then first people, civil war, reconstruction phase, then to modern/present Tennessee. I stopped by the information desk that's located right in the center on the first floor, and while grabbing some maps, a very sweet employee gave me some helpful tips on how to navigate the museum, which was very nice of her.

Good way to spend a few hours, especially during a wild rain/thunderstorm. Employees at the front desk and in the gift shop were very friendly. We found a free parking space nearby easily. It's a little confusing the way the time tunnel is laid out. I never saw the natural history area. The civil war displays were my favorites. I liked the paintings.

Fabulous! I ended up having to leave because we stayed for so long but I'll be back. Beautiful building, great displays, so interesting and it is free with free parking . What a gem

I am a Nashville Native, but this was my first visit to the museum. I was very impressed. All of the exhibits are located on the second floor but there is plenty to see. The interior of the museum is very elegant and modern. We went there to get out of the heat of summer and get out of the house. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours and we only got through about half of the museum. There is history of Nashville, but there is alot more than that. There are fossils , info on the civil war, the history of some of Tennessee mayors and Governors. The history of our early music and influential musicians. The American Indians plight and the trial of tears. African American exhibits and much more. If your looking to spend some time learning about the history of this great state. Then this is it. They share parking with the Nashville Farmers Market next door so it's tough to find a spot on the weekends. Also- The museum is 100% FREE. Between the museum and the farmer's market you can easily spend a half day. There is also the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park to explore.

Interesting museum that features the history of TN from pre-historic times through the modern era. The displays seem new and modern and there's lots of space for everything. The flow between exhibits can be a little confusing so you might wonder into an unrelated area once or twice. It's free and a great thing to do if it's raining or you're looking to get out of the cold or heat for awhile. Worth checking out if you're in the area.

it's free & basically 1 large floor to check out. make sure to hit up the back area and head outside to see the park. i spent a little over an hour here and could have stayed longer, but i had other things on the itinerary. its not 1 theme, its a mixed bag of items and things to learn about. kid & adult friendly. it's also a good way to cool off from the heat.

The free parking between this place and the farmers market was nice (walkable through the park to the downtown area, and while signs say you're not supposed to do that there was plenty of parking and no one stopped me from walking a long way and then coming back here). Free and easy parking is no small thing; I remember someone once asking me where the Smithsonian parking garage was and thinking "Oh, you poor sweet child". Anyway, I wasn't really sure the museum would be worth my time, but it was free so I figured I'd drop in and give it a look. I was pretty impressed by it. For anyone not from Tennessee (and Nashville is a tourist town so there are a lot of us), this does not seem like a particularly interesting state. However, the museum's frame is a chronological journey through history with mostly familiar events being told from a "But now, in Tennessee" perspective. The colonial and civil war history is expected, but little tidbits came up. After all, the Manhattan project and the Scopes Monkey Trial are interesting, but not particularly tied to geography in my mind. The museum offers high production values, with a lot of lively display screens and some well-produced short movies. The narration mixes perspectives, including several native American speakers discussing their own history in context. I've never seen an unbiased exhibit on the history of anything, but here they are relatively good about being modern, incorporating diverse perspectives, and giving some sense of nuance and context. There's not a ton of depth, and it's not a huge museum, but it would be a good educational experience for children (and adults). There were very clean bathroom facilities, a fountain with a bottle filler, and an outdoor deck with rocking chairs looking over the park. It's definitely a convenient place to visit, but in addition to that it's certainly worth an hour or two.

Wow! This museum is one of the best I've visited and it's FREE! So much history in this building. We spent maybe two hours walking around and still didn't get to everything. This is a must visit when in town, especially if you have kids who want to learn more about history.

I would have given this 5 stars but the flow of museum is not visitor friendly. It seem my wife and I found ourselves back tracking on many occasions while visiting. The content and history is on point, the layout is not and thank you for making this a free place to visit.

The best museum experience I've had, free or paid. The Tennessee State Museum building is a behemoth itself worth gawking at if you're an architecture geek. The inside is so.... grand and comfortable with tall (and I mean TALL) ceilings. It is quiet, clean, with friendly onsite staff. One can really spend all day here. The only reason I didn't was because the lighting was a tad too dim for my dry eyes. So, bring your eye drops, get out to walk around and come back in. It is worth every minute of your time!

Check this museum out. It's fascinating and educational. They did a really good job of presenting information. I love this place. Mera's Tip: get educated

A raw, sober, yet comprehensive presentation of TN history given within a stunning venue. The museum has a rather grand entrance from the outside. Massive columns support monolithic slabs of glass in forming a unique blueprint to showcase a near-Smithsonian level exhibit on the history of TN, from first peoples to today. Paintings, arrowheads, tools, and other artifacts of the times are available to view consummate with era. Being self-guided allows you to progress through chapters in TN's history at your own pace. Especially loved how they broke down the eras in history with decidedly epic, yet succinct titles! Staff were pleasant and went the extra mile to explain the museum. Stop by for a crash course on TN! I'm glad I did!

Awesome museum in Nashville. It's a lovely place to spend a few hours in the hustle and bustle of the city. Nice artifacts. Easy to view. Great childrens area which we were pleasantly surprised about. Parking is also super easy. Highly recommend to families.

Not huge. A nice and free state museum that could definitely eat up an hour or two of your time. Shows the history of Tennessee over the last few hundred years. All set up in order and done classy. If you're around with the family and like history it would be a shame to miss.

They have great exhibits and it is 100% free to visit. They also have a free child area to bring the kiddos and story times. I work here but whenever my family comes from out of state I insist on bringing them for a visit.

One of the best museums I've been to in the United States! And guess what? It's absolutely free!! When comparing only museums that are free, this is definitely the best and fanciest outside DC! Hands down!! It definitely seemed like the State spared no expense when it came to building it! Unless you have a super long attention span, you're probably not going to be able to see all the exhibits in a single visit. The museum covers all of Tennessee history from the formation of its geography to present day. Even the gift shop on the first floor has cool local products and souvenirs! Afterwards, walk across to the Farmer's Market to grab a bite!

I always recommend the TN state museum to everyone visiting Nashville. The museum is free and located right my the Farmers Market and Bicentennial Mall. It's the perfect rainy day activity as well. The exhibits are informative and the building still feels new since it was only completed a few years ago. This is a great place for people of all ages, and they have a small interactive section for kids. Parking can be limited if you visit on the weekend since it's a shared lot with the Farmers Market, so plan for that.

We discovered this gem while part of a tour group and was surprised when we heard admission was free so we decided to check it out.. so glad we did. There were lots of history shared within the space. History takes you as far back to Cherokee Indians up until the current time in history. Lots of artifacts, background stories and there are mini area to sit and watch videos. They also had a room full of quilts on display as well as a space dedicated to the history of music.. soul, country, rhythm and blues along with music trivia and cool interactive areas where you could listen to music. Highly recommend this as a space to visit and learn more about Tennessee's history. Across the way, you will find a food court as well as a farmer's market which is pretty sweet!

This was my first time visiting the museum. I loved the fact it was free. I really enjoyed and recommend that you visit.

Excellent free museum that is chocked full of information. Very educational and did I mention free? If you read everything you'd be there for many hours - it is dense and a bit overwhelming. We learned a lot about the history of the state though we were curious if we just missed the display on the assassination of MLK or if they skipped that sad bit of Tennessee history. Free parking in the Farmer's Market lot nearby if you get there early on a weekend. Finally we were wondering why there was so much open "wasted" space in the lobby area unless that was designed for holding events and galas...

This is not a bad museum and best of all, it is FREE! I didn't enjoy it as much as the state museums in WV or NY or NC, but it's really worth a visit if you have it in you to walk down all the steps from the capitol building down through the Farmer's Market and to the museum. Very clean, not crowded at all, and thoughtful displays. I didn't spend much time there, but if you watched all of the videos and visited each section more thoroughly, you could easily spend a couple hours here.

Great free museum to learn more about the state, they are conveniently located on the 22 bus route so getting there is a breeze and you don't have to worry about paying to park. It's a must see for anyone new to the area and those who live learning.

What a great find! We came here after stopping by the Nashville Farmers Market. Best part is it's free! Couldn't believe they didn't charge for this museum. The place itself is massive and beautiful - like others have said, the exhibits aren't clearly marked so you don't really know what is in each one until you go through the doors. But really, the museum is very clean and well put together and was a great find. The exhibits we saw were very interesting - one woman we saw was OVERLY excited about the quilts, lol. She was actually still in there when we exited. Def make a stop here. We went to the Farmers Market, toured the WWII Memorial in the park and then walked over to the museum - nice way to spend a few hours.

On the second floor at the Tennessee State Museum you get to see the history of Tennessee from millions of years ago and how the landscape of the state was formed to present day. It is separated by time periods. One thing that I really loved was that each time period started off with a short video which was nice and informative. At the end there were a couple other sections like a music section and a food section although I'm not sure if they are temporary. The best part: the museum is free! How cool is that? It took me about two hours or so to get through the entire museum. I really liked learning about the state and some of the important events that happened in its history such as slavery, the presidents who were from Tennessee. It was 95 degrees outside so it can't get any better than educational, free, and AC indoors. Some notes: -They are closed on Mondays and are only open on Sundays in the afternoon -There are free lockers to put your stuff in while you walk around

Came here when on vacation with my boyfriend. Museums are my boyfriends thing, but its always a plus to learn something new I haven't learned before, so this museum was pretty cool. There is so much history within the walls of the museum and every exhibit is so well put together and catches your eyes. You cant beat this museum because it is free to get in, which is always a good thing. We walked through the museum for about 3 hours just taking our time and making sure not to miss anything. I liked learning about all things Tennessee and about the presidents from the state, I also enjoyed learning about slavery as well.

Entrances not clearly marked. Main entrance had construction going on but no signage to indicate another entrance. Construction crew allowed entrance but then state cop confronted us and we left. Possibly a nice museum but signage leaves a lot to be desired.

Way to go Nashville! I was looking for a place to walk around on a sunny day, and stopped in here for an education filled afternoon. Lots of history, well done displays, friendly staff, great gift shop, beautiful scenery. I'd stop in again for sure!

This museum tells the story of the state of Tennessee. I like visiting the state museums of the states I visit in order to learn about their history. The Tennessee State museum is a good one but not quite as good as other state museums. There is a First Peoples exhibit that acknowledges the native Americans that were the original inhabitants of Tennessee. There are bones from the early animals of the region, but I wish there were more. The state's role in the invention and popularization of country music is a big part of the museum. But the biggest part of the museum seemed to be devoted to Tennessee's role in various wars. The Civil War is the biggest war, but there were others like the Spanish American War. Slavery in Tennessee is covered, although sugarcoated. I learned so much that I never knew about the state. This museum is worth a visit for anyone interested in history.

Ranging from the first indigenous peoples to present Tennessee celebrities, the Tennessee State Museum covers each decade of the state's history. From the most honorable to less proud moments, there are artifacts and detailed descriptions that bring the history to life. The museum is organized into sections as follows: natural history, first peoples, forging a nation, civil war reconstruction, change, and challenge, and Tennessee transforms. Having opened in 2018, the facility is clean, modern, accessible, and pleasing to the eye. Museum admittance is also completely FREE of charge. This is a great opportunity for families, locals, and tourists to learn more hands-on.

Visited this museum while visiting Nashville since it was free. It was a few people there while going on a Sunday. It takes probably an hour to look through everything and learn something. It was pretty cool you learn all the history of Tennessee from the early 1800's till today. They had a kid friendly area but that was closed due to Covid. Also the museum was pretty clean and they did temperature checks upon entering.

The museum is free so you should enjoy a free history lesson. I was worried about the museum being too crowded so I called ahead and tried to reserve a ticked online but was not successful. When I arrived it was not crowded and I was able to do a self guided tour. They look my temp and gave me a map. Start to finish I loved the exhibits. Learned something new about Tennessee and Women's history. This was a nice way to spend a day and I highly recommend stopping in.

Excellent museum Exhibits were authentic , educational, and fun Museum is clean, safe, and filled with something for everyone I the family

The museum was awesome! We went during the week (Thursday) in the late Spring and it wasn't busy at all. They have great displays for all segments of TN history and have A LOT of events and areas of TN represented. It would be difficult to see and read everything here in a day -- it's a bit overwhelming. I spent most of the time in the Civil War display, then had to kind of walk quickly through some of the other areas to be able to at least see everything before closing time. It's definitely worth visiting!! And... it's free!! You don't find that much around Nashville (or anywhere for that matter)!!

This was one of the best museums I've ever been to. It has so many different sections of different types of history. So much to read and learn, also along with areas that had videos, too. It was also free which makes it even better. I enjoyed every second taking in all the knowledge. They did have an area with more recent history...... They had a super NES on display. Thankfully that was only a small wall of things from the 90's. Stunned to see an era I grew up in is in a state museum.