List of museums in Kentucky

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This list of museums in Kentucky is a list of museums, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

Contents

Museums

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

NameImageLocationCountyRegionArea of studySummary
1817 Saddle Factory Museum Russellville Logan South Central KentuckyIndustryHistory of the saddle factory, its workers and products, operated by Historic Russellville [1] [2]
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Abe-Lincoln-Birthplace-1.jpg Hodgenville LaRue Derby RegionBiographicalPreserves two farm sites where Abraham Lincoln lived as a child.
Adsmore Adsmore01.jpg Princeton Caldwell Western WaterlandsLivingVictorian home with "living" tours by season
African American Heritage Center Franklin Simpson South Central KentuckyAfrican American website, African American achievements in Simpson County and Kentucky
Alexander Arthur Museum Middlesboro Bell Daniel Boone CountryBiographicalDisplay of personal items owned by Alexander Arthur and his family [3]
American Cave Museum Horse Cave Hart South Central KentuckyNatural history website, caves, groundwater, pollution and tour of Hidden River Cave
American Saddlebred Museum Lexington Fayette Bluegrass Natural history website, part of Kentucky Horse Park, history of the American Saddlebred, art, trophies, photographs, tack
Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate Ashland HC.JPG LexingtonFayetteBluegrassHistoric housePlantation of the 19th-century Kentucky statesman Henry Clay
Atkinson-Griffin Log House Campbellsville Taylor Daniel Boone CountryHistoric houseServed as a Confederate hospital after the Battle of Tebbs Bend [4]
Auburn Museum Auburn LoganSouth Central KentuckyLocal history website, operated by the Auburn Historical Society
Aviation Heritage Park Bowling Green Warren South Central KentuckyAviation website, park display of an F-4 Phantom II, planned display of other aircraft
Aviation Museum of Kentucky Aviation Museum P6160299.JPG LexingtonFayetteBluegrassAviationHistoric airplanes, photos, documents and training equipment
Bardstown Historical Museum Spalding Hall.jpg Bardstown Nelson Derby RegionLocal historyLocated in Spalding Hall along with the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History
Barlow House Museum Barlow Ballard Western WaterlandsHistoric houseLate 19th-century period house
Barthell Coal Mining Camp Whitley City McCreary South Central KentuckyMiningOpen-air museum includes museum, barber shop, bath house, doctor's office, machine shop, mining motor displays, school/church house, 1890s reconstructed log cabin and mine tour
Behringer-Crawford Museum Covington Kenton Northern Kentucky Local history website, regional history of Northern Kentucky
Bell County Coal House and MuseumMiddlesboroBellDaniel Boone CountryMiningHouse made of coal and outdoor display on local coal mines [5]
Bell County Historical Society Museum MiddlesboroBellDaniel Boone CountryLocal history website, operated by the Bell County Historical Society
Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum Marion Crittenden Western WaterlandsNatural history website, minerals including large collection of fluorite specimens
Bibb House MuseumRussellvilleLoganSouth Central KentuckyHistoric houseOpen by appointment with Historic Russellville [2]
Big Bone Lick State Park Bigbonelick.jpg Big Bone Boone Northern KentuckyNatural historyVisitor center includes fossils found in the park, and the Outdoor Museum features a recreated bog diorama with extinct animals
Big Sandy Heritage Center Pikeville C&O depot from southeast.jpg Pikeville Pike Kentucky's AppalachiansLocal historyHoused in a former railroad station
Bill Monroe Museum Rosine OhioBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionBiographicalLife of Bill Monroe and the early foundations of bluegrass music
BitterSweet Cabin Museum Renfro Valley Rockcastle Daniel Boone CountryOpen-air website, log cabin museum village and stores
Black History Gallery Elizabethtown Hardin Derby RegionAfrican AmericanDisplay of photos, articles and biographies of black Americans [6]
Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp Blue-heron-tipple-ky1.jpg Blue Heron McCrearySouth Central KentuckyMiningRestored former company town
Bluegrass Heritage Museum Winchester Clark BluegrassLocal history
Bluegrass Motorcycle Museum Rosine OhioBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionTransportationPrivate collection of over 20 vintage, American made motorcycles and memorabilia, open by appointment [7]
Bluegrass Railroad and Museum Versailles Woodford BluegrassRailroadHeritage railroad and museum
Blue Licks Battlefield State Park Blue Licks Cedar Glade.JPG Mount Olivet Robertson Northern Kentucky Local historyPioneer Museum includes exhibits about the battle during the American Revolution, local natural and cultural history
Bobby Davis Museum and Park Hazard Perry Daniel Boone CountryLocal history [8]
Breathitt County Museum Jackson Breathitt Daniel Boone CountryLocal history
Breckinridge County Historical Society Museum Hardinsburg Breckinridge Derby RegionLocal history website [9]
Brennan House & Medical Office Museum Louisville Jefferson Derby RegionHistoric houseVictorian mansion
Brown-Pusey House ElizabethtownHardinDerby RegionHistoric houseIncludes the Pusey Room Museum with a replica of a late 19th-century medical office, a genealogical library, and meeting rooms
Bullitt County History Museum Shepherdsville Bullitt Derby RegionLocal history website, operated by the Bullitt County Genealogical Society
Butler-Turpin State Historic House Carrollton Carroll Northern KentuckyHistoric houseLocated in General Butler State Resort Park, mid 19th century period house
Caldwell County Railroad MuseumPrincetonCaldwellWestern WaterlandsRailroad website, railroad artifacts and memorabilia.
Camp Breckinridge Museum & Arts Center Morganfield Union Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionHistoric site website, former officer's club, features murals painted by a German POW
Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park Camp Nelson cabin display.JPG Nicholasville Jessamine BluegrassCivil WarUnion Army supply depot and recruiting station for African American soldiers
Cane Ridge Meeting House & Barton Warren Stone Museum Cane Ridge Meeting House Memorial Building.JPG Paris Bourbon BluegrassReligiousHistory of the former camp meeting site
Capital City Museum Frankfort Franklin BluegrassLocal history website
The Carnegie CovingtonKentonNorthern KentuckyArt website, multidisciplinary arts venue with galleries
C.B. Caudill Store & History Center Blackey Letcher Daniel Boone CountryLocal history website
Civil War Museum Bardstown Civil War Museum.jpg BardstownNelsonDerby RegionMultipleFive attractions, including Civil War Museum of the Western Theater, Old Bardstown Village Village with 10 log cabins, Women's Civil War Museum, Wildlife Museum and War Memorial of Mid America
Cloverfork Museum Evarts Harlan Daniel Boone CountryLocal history website, located in Highsplint, a former coal town
Cloverport Depot Museum Cloverport BreckinridgeDerby RegionLocal history [9]
Columbus-Belmont State Park Columbus-Belmont State Park Anchor.JPG Columbus Hickman Western WaterlandsCivil WarCivil War history of the area and local natural and cultural history
Conrad-Caldwell House Conrad Historic Home, Old Louisville KY.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionHistoric houseLate 19th-century period mansion
Constitution Square Historic Site The Governor's Circle at Constitution Square.jpg Danville Boyle BluegrassOpen-airIncludes replica of 1785 log courthouse, jail and meetinghouse, 1792 post office
Coal Miners' Museum Van Lear Johnson Kentucky's AppalachiansMiningLocal coal mining history
Creation Museum Petersburg BooneNorthern KentuckyReligious
Crittenden County Historical MuseumMarionCrittendenWestern WaterlandsLocal history website
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Pinnacle overlook.jpg MiddlesboroBellDaniel Boone CountryHistoryIncludes the Visitor Center with museum exhibits about the area's natural and cultural history, and Hensley Settlement, an open-air mountain community
Cumberland Inn & Museum Williamsburg Whitley Daniel Boone CountryMultipleNatural history, collections of crosses, coins, stamps, arrowheads and nutcrackers
Cynthiana Museum Cynthiana Harrison BluegrassLocal history website
David A. Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum Jenkins LetcherDaniel Boone CountryMiningCoal mining and railroad history
Dawson Springs Museum and Art Center Dawson Springs Hopkins Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionLocal historyLocal history and art [10]
Dinsmore Homestead Burlington BooneNorthern KentuckyHistoric house1840s house on 30 acres (120,000 m2)
Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum Fort Campbell Christian Western WaterlandsMilitaryHistory of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault the "Screaming Eagles"
Duncan Tavern DuncanTavern.JPG ParisBourbonBluegrassHistoric site website, state headquarters of the Kentucky Society, NSDAR; 18th century tavern
East Kentucky Science Center Prestonsburg Floyd Kentucky's AppalachiansScienceIncludes exhibit hall, planetarium and laser dome
Elkhorn City Railroad Museum Elkhorn City PikeKentucky's AppalachiansRailroadHistory of railroads in Kentucky's Eastern Mountain Coal Fields region
Embroidery Museum and Resource Center LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionTextileOperated by the Embroiderer's Guild of America, exhibits of embroidered items
Ephraim McDowell House Dr. Ephraim McDowell House, 125 South Second Street, Danville (Boyle County, Kentucky).jpg Danville BoyleBluegrassHistoric houseEarly 19th-century doctor's office, house and apothecary shop
Explorium of LexingtonLexingtonFayetteBluegrassChildren's website, formerly known as the Lexington Children's Museum
Fairholme (John Street Home) Cadiz Trigg Western WaterlandsHistoric house website, tours by appointment, also known as the John L. Street Home
Farmington Historic Home Farmington.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionHistoric houseEarly 19th century plantation home
Federal Hill MOKH Mansion.jpg BardstownNelsonDerby RegionHistoric houseAlso known as My Old Kentucky Home, early 19th-century mansion, part of My Old Kentucky Home State Park
The Filson Historical Society Filson club 2.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionLocal historyIncludes a museum of local history and art exhibits
Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum Flemingsburg Fleming BluegrassLocal history [11]
Fordsville Depot Museum Fordsville OhioBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionMultiple website, includes local history, railroad and rural life displays
Forkland Community Center Lincoln Museum Forkland BoyleBluegrassLocal history website, community heritage, including local connections to Lucey Shipley Hanks Sparrow, who was the grandmother of Abraham Lincoln
Fort Boonesborough State Park Fort Boonesborough.2001a.JPG Boonesborough Madison BluegrassFortReconstructed pioneer fort with artisans
Francis M. Stafford House Paintsville JohnsonKentucky's AppalachiansHistoric house19th-century house, open by appointment
Frazier History Museum Frazier Museum Exhibit.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonMuseum RowKentucky HistoryWhere the World meets Kentucky Kentucky history, culture and people.
Friendship SchoolCampbellsvilleTaylorDaniel Boone CountryEducation1918 one room schoolhouse [4]
Garrard County Jail Museum The Old Garrard County Jail, Lancaster, Kentucky.jpg Lancaster Garrard BluegrassPrison
General George Patton Museum of Leadership T28 Front Quarter.jpg Fort Knox HardinDerby RegionBiographical
Georgetown & Scott County Museum Georgetown Scott BluegrassLocal history website
Georgetown College Fine Art GalleriesGeorgetownScottBluegrassArt website, includes the Jacobs Gallery, Cochenour Gallery, Anne Wright Wilson Fine Art Gallery, and Live. Learn. Believe. Sculpture Exhibition
Glema Mahr Center for the Arts Madisonville Hopkins Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionArt website, part of Madisonville Community College, features the Anne P. Baker Gallery of fine art
Governor William Owsley House Pleasant Retreat, Gov. William Owsley House, 2.jpg Lancaster GarrardBluegrassHistoric houseAlso known as Pleasant Retreat
Great American Dollhouse Museum Danville BoyleBluegrassToy website, over 200 dollhouses, miniature buildings and room boxes
Green River Female Academy Elkton Todd Western WaterlandsEducation19th century female seminary
Hancock County Museum Hawesville Hancock Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionLocal history website, housed in the old railroad station
Hardin County History Museum ElizabethtownHardinDerby RegionLocal history website
Harland Sanders Café and Museum SandersCafeKFC.jpg Corbin Laurel South Central KentuckyFoodBirthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken
Harriet Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum Maysville Mason Northern Kentucky BiographicalLocated in the Marshall Key House, said to be where author Harriet Beecher Stowe got some of the ideas for her book Uncle Tom's Cabin [12]
Hart County Historical Museum Munfordville HartSouth Central KentuckyLocal history website, operated by the Hart County Historical Society
Headley-Whitney Museum LexingtonFayetteBluegrassArt website, decorative arts including jewelry, bibelots and mounted semi-precious stones, doll houses, shell grotto, changing exhibits
Hickman County Museum Clinton Hickman Western WaterlandsLocal history [13]
Hiestand House Museum CampbellsvilleTaylorDaniel Boone CountryHistoric house1823 German stone house with exhibits about county history [4] House was hit by 1863 Morgan's Raid.
Highlands Museum and Discovery Center Kentucky Highlands Museum.jpg Ashland Boyd Kentucky's AppalachiansHistoryLocal history and specialized science displays
Historical Society of Hopkins County MuseumMadisonvilleHopkinsBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionLocal history website, includes Ruby Laffoon cabin
Historic Locust Grove Locust Grove closeup.JPG LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionHistoric house55 acre 18th-century farm homestead
Historic Railpark and Train Museum L&N Bowling Green.jpg Bowling GreenWarrenSouth Central KentuckyRailroadHistoric railroad station, locomotives and railroad equipment
Homeplace on Green RiverCampbellsvilleTaylorDaniel Boone CountryFarm website, 19th-century period demonstration farm on 227 acres [4]
Hopewell MuseumParisBourbonBluegrassLocal history website, history and culture of Bourbon County and Central Kentucky
Hunt-Morgan House Hunt-Morgan House, Lexington Kentucky 2.jpg LexingtonFayetteBluegrassHistoric house18th century home, includes Alexander T. Hunt Civil War Museum
International Bluegrass Music Museum Owensboro Daviess Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionMusicHistory of bluegrass music
Irvinton House Museum Richmond Madision BluegrassLocal historyLocated in Irvine-McDowell Park [14]
Jack Jouett House Historic Site Jack Jouett House.jpg Versailles WoodfordBluegrassHistoric house website, late 18th-century home of American Revolutionary hero Jack Jouett
James A. Ramage Civil War Museum JARCWM.jpg Fort Wright Kenton Northern Kentucky HistoryHistory of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky's involvement in the American Civil War
Janice Mason Art Museum Cadiz TriggWestern WaterlandsArt website, part of the Cadiz Community Arts Center, changing exhibits of art in all forms
Jefferson Davis State Historic Site JeffDavisMemorial.jpg Fairview ToddWestern WaterlandsBiographicalMonument and museum about Confederate leader Jefferson Davis
John James Audubon State Park Audubonwildernesslake.JPG Henderson Henderson Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionArtIncludes the Audubon Museum with art by John James Audubon and the John James Audubon Nature Center
Kentucky Coal Mining Museum KY Coal Mining Museum.png Benham Harlan Daniel Boone CountryMiningCoal mining and life of the coal miner and family
Kentucky Derby Museum LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionSportsAmerican Thoroughbred horse racing museum
Kentucky Folk Art Center Morehead Rowan Kentucky's AppalachiansArtPart of Morehead State University, self-taught art, exhibits of folk art, fine art, textiles, photography, and historical content
Kentucky Gateway Museum Center MaysvilleMason Northern Kentucky Multiple website, includes regional history dioramas and artifacts, an art gellery and Kathleen Savage Browning Miniatures Collection
Kentucky Governor's Mansion KY Governors Mansion.png FrankfortFranklinBluegrassHistoric house
Kentucky Museum Bowling GreenWarrenSouth Central KentuckyMultipleOn the campus of Western Kentucky University, Kentucky and US cultural history, decorative arts, Duncan Hines
Kentucky Military History Museum FrankfortFranklinBluegrassMilitaryOperated by the Kentucky Historical Society
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionArtArt and craft heritage of Kentucky
Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Renfro Valley RockcastleDaniel Boone CountryMusic website
Kentucky Railway Museum KY Railway Museum Station.JPG New Haven NelsonDerby RegionRailroadHistory and heritage of Kentucky's railroads and the people who built them, includes model trains, heritage railroad
Kentucky River Museum BoonesboroughMadisonBluegrassTransportationImpact of the river, locks and dams on the area's family and commerce, open on a limited basis
Kentucky Science Center Louisville science center.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionScienceFormerly the Louisville Science Center, hands-on science exhibits, natural history displays
Knox Historical Museum Barbourville Knox Daniel Boone CountryLocal history website
La Grange Railroad Museum and Learning Center La Grange Oldham Derby RegionRailroad website
Laurel Gorge Cultural Heritage Center Sandy Hook Elliott Kentucky's AppalachiansLocal history Facebook site [15]
Lexington History Center Fayette County Kentucky old courthouse.jpg LexingtonFayetteBluegrassMultipleCurrently closed and developing traveling displays; included the Lexington History Museum, Lexington Public Safety Museum, Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum and the Kentucky Renaissance Pharmacy Museum
Liberty Hall Historic Site Liberty Hall, Main & Wilkinson Streets, Frankfort (Franklin County, Kentucky).jpg FrankfortFranklinBluegrassHistoric houseIncludes both Liberty Hall and Orlando Brown House
Lincoln Heritage HouseElizabethtownHardinDerby RegionHistoric houseLog home of Thomas Lincoln [16]
Lincoln Homestead State Park Springfield Washington Derby RegionHistoric houseIncludes the home of Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln, the replica log house of his grandmother, and the restored home of his uncle, Mordecai Lincoln
Lincoln Museum of Kentucky Hodgenville LaRueDerby RegionBiographical website, features dioramas with wax figures depicting important events in Lincoln's life and Lincoln artwork
Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum Tilghman House Street.JPG Paducah McCracken Western WaterlandsHistoryFocuses on Kentucky and the western theater of the American Civil War
Lone Oak House Museum Hopkinsville ChristianWestern WaterlandsHistoric houseOpen by appointment [17]
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory LouisvilleSluggerMusem.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionSportsBaseball and the history of the baseball bat
Louisville Visual Art AssociationLouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionArt website, changing art exhibits, located in the Louisville Water Tower
Ludlow Heritage Museum Ludlow KentonNorthern KentuckyLocal history [18] [19]
Lyon County Museum Eddyville Lyon Western WaterlandsLocal history website, also known as Rose Hill Museum
Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum.JPG Salyersville Magoffin Kentucky's AppalachiansOpen-airReconstructed log buildings, operated by the Magoffin County Historical Society
Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum Cave City BarrenSouth Central KentuckyNatural history website, mounted animal dioramas
Marie Stewart Museum & Craft Shop Hindman Knott Daniel Boone CountryLocal historyHistory of the Hindman Settlement School
Mary Todd Lincoln House Mary Todd Lincoln House, Lexington Kentucky 3.jpg LexingtonFayetteBluegrassHistoric house1840s period family home of Mary Todd Lincoln
McCreary County Museum Stearns Coal Company Offices.jpg Stearns McCrearySouth Central KentuckyLocal historyAdjacent to Big South Fork Scenic Railway, history and culture of McCreary County and the Stearns Coal & Lumber Company
McLean County History & Genealogy Museum Calhoun McLean Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionLocal history website, housed in the old railroad station
Mill Springs Battlefield Visitors Center and Museum Mill Springs Battlefield Visitor Center.JPG Nancy Pulaski South Central KentuckyCivil WarCommemorates the January 1862 Battle of Mill Springs
Morgan County History Museum West Liberty Morgan Kentucky's AppalachiansLocal history [20]
Mountain Homeplace Mountain Homeplace.jpg Staffordsville JohnsonKentucky's AppalachiansLivingMid-19th century working farm with Museum Of Appalachian History, includes farmstead, church, school, and blacksmith shop.
Mountain Life Museum London LaurelDaniel Boone CountryOpen-airPart of Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park, recreated pioneer village and a restored McHargue's Mill
Muhammad Ali Center AliCenter.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionBiographicalLife and ideals of boxer Muhammad Ali
Museum of Physical Security Nicholasville JessamineBluegrassCommodity website, operated by Lockmasters Security Institute, collection of safe locks
Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionHistoryHistory of the education of people who are blind, and how the American Printing House for the Blind has contributed to that history
National Corvette Museum National Corvette Museum, KY.JPG Bowling GreenWarrenSouth Central KentuckyAutomotiveShowcases the Chevrolet Corvette
National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Walton BooneNorthern KentuckySportsAmerican drivers of dirt late model racecars
National Quilt Museum PaducahMcCrackenWestern WaterlandsTextileQuilts and fiber art
National Underground Railroad MuseumMaysvilleMason Northern Kentucky Historic house website, located in the Bierbower House, a safe house for the Underground Railroad [21]
Northeastern Kentucky Museum Olive Hill Carter Kentucky's AppalachiansLocal history [22]
NKU Museum of Anthropology Highland Heights Campbell Northern Kentucky Anthropology website, part of Northern Kentucky University, display cases on the second floor of Landrum Academic Center
Octagon Hall Museum FranklinSimpsonSouth Central KentuckyHistoric house website
Ohio County Museum Hartford OhioBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionOpen-airIncludes a historic log cabin, one-room school house, historic home [23]
Ohio County Veterans' MuseumHartfordOhioBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionMilitary [24]
Old Fort Harrod State Park Old Fort Harrod State Park.jpg Harrodsburg Mercer Derby RegionOpen-airReconstructed fort and museum
Old Washington Historic Village Washington Mason Northern Kentucky Open-air website, 1780s frontier village, includes the Paxton House, a restored 1810 historical residence, historic houses, log cabins, churches, Slavery to Freedom Museum, carriage museum [25] [26]
Oldham County History Center La Grange Oldham Derby RegionLocal history website, operated by the Oldham County Historical Society, includes the Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum, J.C. Barnett Archives and Library, and the Robb Morris Chapel
Old State Capitol Old state house KY.png FrankfortFranklinBluegrassHistoric siteOperated by the Kentucky Historical Society
Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History Bardstown Whiskey Museum.jpg BardstownNelsonDerby RegionFoodHistory of American whiskey from Colonial days through the 1960s; located in Spalding Hall along with the Bardstown Historical Museum
Owen County Historical Museum Owenton Owen Northern KentuckyLocal history website, operated by the Owen County Historical Society
Owensboro Area Museum of Science & History OwensboroDaviessBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionMultiple website, natural history, science, local history, motor sports, children's area and government
Owensboro Museum of Fine Art Owensboro DaviessBluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionArt website, collection features American, European and Asian fine and decorative arts dating from the 15th century to the present
Paducah Railway MuseumPaducahMcCrackenWestern WaterlandsRailroad website
Paradise Park Museum Complex Powderly Muhlenberg Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionOpen-airIncludes Merle Travis birthplace, Coal Mines Shotgun House, a replica of a 1920s coal mining town and a two-room schoolhouse [27]
Parker Warner Historic Museum Providence Webster Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionLocal history website
Pennyroyal Area MuseumHopkinsvilleChristianWestern WaterlandsLocal history website, includes exhibits about Edgar Cayce, area African American history, a pioneer living set, and a military exhibit [28]
Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site Perryville Parsons Battery.jpg Perryville BoyleBluegrassCivil WarSite of the Battle of Perryville
Portland Museum PortlandLouMuseum.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionLocal historyHistory of Portland, Louisville's riverside community
Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati CovingtonKentonNorthern KentuckyRailroadFeatures over 80 historic railroad equipment located on a 4-acre (16,000 m2) site
Red River Museum Clay City Powell Daniel Boone CountryLocal history website, local mining, logging and railroad industries, operated by the Red River Historical Society
River Discovery Center PaducahMcCrackenWestern WaterlandsMaritime website, river transportation, steamboats, captains, locks and dams, natural history and habitats
Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing FarnsleyMoremenHouse.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionHistoric house1840s house, archaeological excavations, gardens
Riverview at Hobson Grove HobsonGrove.JPG Bowling GreenWarrenSouth Central KentuckyHistoric houseMid-19th century home
Rob Morris Home La Grange OldhamDerby RegionHistoric houseHome of Rob Morris, the second and last poet laureate of Freemasonry and the founder of the Order of the Eastern Star
Robert Penn Warren Birthplace Museum Guthrie ToddWestern WaterlandsBiographical website, birthplace of poet Robert Penn Warren
Rosemary Clooney Museum Augusta Bracken Northern Kentucky BiographicalHome of singer Rosemary Clooney
Royal Spring Park Royal Spring2.jpg GeorgetownScottBluegrassHistoric housePark that includes 1874 log cabin
Rowan County Historical Veterans MuseumMoreheadRowanKentucky's AppalachiansMilitary website
Samuel May House Living History Museum Samuel May House.jpg PrestonsburgFloydKentucky's AppalachiansHistoric houseEarly 19th-century house
Shaker Museum at South Union South Union Shaker Center Dwelling House.jpg Auburn LoganSouth Central KentuckyReligiousHistory of the South Union Shaker Village and Shaker folklife and material culture
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill Shakertown Trustees House 2005-05-27.jpeg Pleasant Hill MercerBluegrassLiving19th century Shaker village
Scott County Arts & Cultural Center GeorgetownScottBluegrassArtLocated in the Scott County Jail Complex
Simpson County Archives and MuseumFranklinSimpsonSouth Central KentuckyLocal history website, operated by the Simpson County Historical Society, housed in an old jail and jailer's residence; also known as Old Stone Jail - Simpson County Archives
Sons of the American Revolution LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionMilitaryDisplays on the early history of the United States and the American Revolution in its library
South Central Kentucky Cultural Center Glasgow BarrenSouth Central KentuckyLocal history website, also known as Museum of the Barrens
Speed Art Museum Louisville Speed Museum.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionArt
Swamp Valley Museum Frenchburg Menifee Daniel Boone CountryLocal history [29] [30]
Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum ElizabethtownHardinDerby RegionAutomotive website, historic automobiles
Thistle Cottage Greenville Muhlenberg Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue regionMultiple website, formerly the Duncan Center Museum & Art Gallery, operated by the Muhlenberg County Public Library, art exhibits and area coal history displays
Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History FrankfortFranklinBluegrassHistoryOperated by the Kentucky Historical Society, over 12,000 years of Kentucky history
Thomas Edison House Thomas Edison House Louisville.jpg LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionBiographical
Thomas Merton Center LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionBiographicalWorks and memorabilia of Thomas Merton, an American Catholic monk, writer and mystic
Three Forks Historical Center Beattyville Lee Daniel Boone CountryLocal history [31]
University of Kentucky Art Museum Fine Arts Building (U.K.).jpg LexingtonFayetteBluegrassArtEuropean and American artwork ranging from Old Masters to contemporary, and a selection of Non-Western objects
U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum.jpg Paintsville JohnsonKentucky's AppalachiansMusicExhibits on the country music entertainers who grew up near U.S. Route 23.
Vent Haven Museum Fort Mitchell KentonNorthern KentuckyPuppetOnly museum devoted to the art of ventriloquism
Ward Hall GeorgetownScottBluegrassHistoric house19th-century Greek Revival mansion
WaterWorks Museum at Louisville Water Tower Park LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionTechnologyRestored 19th-century pumping station with steam engines, exhibits about its technology
Waveland State Historic Site Waveland winter.jpg LexingtonFayetteBluegrassHistoric house19th century plantation home
Wayne County Museum Monticello WayneDaniel Boone CountryLocal history website, also known as the William Crenshaw Kennedy, Jr. Memorial Museum, operated by the Wayne County Historical Society
Whitehall House & Gardens LouisvilleJeffersonDerby RegionHistoric house website
White Hall State Historic Site Richmond MadisonBluegrassHistoric house1860s period mansion
Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum Whitney M. Young, Jr. Birthplace.jpg Simpsonville ShelbyDerby RegionBiographicalHome of civil rights leader Whitney Young, open by request
Wickland Wickland 1.JPG BardstownNelsonDerby RegionHistoric houseEarly 19th-century house that was home to three state governors, two for Kentucky and one in Louisiana
Wickliffe Mounds Wickliffe Mounds Entrance.JPG Wickliffe BallardWestern WaterlandsArchaeology
William Clark Market House Museum PaducahMcCrackenWestern WaterlandsLocal history website
William Arnold Log Home Williamstown Grant Northern KentuckyHistoric house1811 log house, operated by the Grant County Historical Society [32]
William S. Webb Museum of AnthropologyLexingtonFayetteBluegrassAnthropology website, research collection of the University of Kentucky
William Whitley House State Historic Site Stanford LincolnBluegrassHistoric houseLate 18th-century pioneer brick home
Wolfe County Historical Museum Campton WolfeDaniel Boone CountryLocal history [33]
Woody Winfree Fire-Transportation MuseumHopkinsvilleChristianWestern WaterlandsTransportation website, includes fire trucks, automobiles, wagons, buggies, a sleigh, license plates and local fire memorabilia
Wrather West Kentucky Museum Murray Calloway Western WaterlandsLocal history website, part of Murray State University, history of West Kentucky and the Jackson Purchase
Yeiser Art CenterPaducahMcCrackenWestern WaterlandsArt website

Defunct museums

See also

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Kentucky Route 80 (KY 80) is a 483.55-mile-long (778.20 km) state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. The route originates on the state's western border at Columbus in Hickman County and stretches across the southern portion of the state, terminating southeast of Elkhorn City on the Virginia state line. It is the longest Kentucky State Highway, though the official distance as listed in route logs is much less due to multiple concurrencies with U.S. Route 68 (US 68) and US 23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Natcher Parkway</span> Highway in Kentucky

The William H. Natcher Green River Parkway was the designation for a 72.3-mile-long (116.4 km) freeway that ran from Bowling Green to Owensboro in the US commonwealth of Kentucky. The Natcher Parkway was one of nine highways that were a part of Kentucky's parkway system. The portion north of Interstate 65 (I-65) was signed as I-165, and the portion south of I-65 as Kentucky Route 9007 on March 6, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Kentucky Parkway</span> Highway in Kentucky

The Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway is a 98.5-mile-long (158.5 km) controlled-access highway running from Elizabethtown, Kentucky to near Nortonville, Kentucky. It intersects with Interstate 65 (I-65) at its eastern terminus, and I-69 at its western terminus. It is one of seven highways that are part of the Kentucky parkway system. The road was renamed for Wendell H. Ford, a former Kentucky governor and United States senator, in 1998. Previously, it was simply the Western Kentucky Parkway, and often called the "WK Parkway" or "the WK" because of the acronym once used on its signs. The parkway carries the unsigned designation Kentucky Route 9001 for its entire length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 31W</span> U.S. Highway in Kentucky and Tennessee

U.S. Route 31W is the westernmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Route 31 from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 65 in Kentucky</span> Interstate Highway in Kentucky, United States

Interstate 65 (I-65) enters the US state of Kentucky from Tennessee, five miles (8.0 km) south of Franklin. It passes by the major cities of Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, and Louisville before exiting the state into Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopkinsville Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Kentucky, United States

The Hopkinsville Commercial Historic District of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 62 in Kentucky</span>

U.S. Route 62 (US 62) in Kentucky runs for a total of 391.207 miles (629.587 km) across 20 counties in western, north-central, and northeastern Kentucky. It enters the state by crossing the Ohio River near Wickliffe, then begins heading eastward at Bardwell, and traversing several cities and towns across the state up to Maysville, where it crosses the Ohio River a second time to enter the state of Ohio.

The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice (KYDJJ) is a state agency of Kentucky headquartered in unincorporated Franklin County, near Frankfort. The agency operates juvenile correctional facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special routes of U.S. Route 68</span>

Several special routes of U.S. Route 68 exist from Kentucky to Ohio. In order from west to east in Kentucky, and south to north in Ohio, these special routes are listed from the beginning of U.S. Route 68 to the end.

The 400-Mile Sale, sometimes referred to as the Highway 68 Yard Sale, is an outdoor second-hand sale held annually for four days, beginning in the first weekend of June. It takes place along U.S. Route 68 (US 68) in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is held in almost all areas along the US 68 corridor from the east side of Paducah through southern and central Kentucky, and ending at Maysville.

Bowling Green, Kentucky is the 182nd largest media market in the United States, with roughly 78,870 homes, 0.069% of all homes in the United States. As of 2022, the Bowling Green DMA comprises Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, and Warren Counties in Kentucky.

References

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