The South's Top Museums - Art, History, Science, Children's + More
The South is filled with a rich history that has shaped America forever. Whether you’re interested in colonial masterworks, or modern masterpieces, whether you want to explore past life on the great American frontier or our future in the vast expanse of space, the South offers world-class museums and discovery centers you can’t miss. Be ready to boogie on the dance floor, sing like Elvis, drive like Earnhardt, and dig for dinosaurs. Bring your sense of wonder as we discover some of the best museums and historical experiences the South has to offer.
Crystal Bridges Arkansas
Crystal Museum of American Art unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Home to a brilliant collection of American art located on arguably the best grounds of any art museum in the country, Crystal Bridges takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building. The Museum is a series of pavilions nestled around two beautiful spring-fed ponds with galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Crystal Bridges houses a permanent collection of American art masterworks from the colonial era to the modern-day and touring collections from national art institutions. The acclaimed collection includes such masterpieces as Charles Wilson Peale's and Gilbert Stuart's portraits of George Washington; Asher Brown Durand's Kindred Spirits; and Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter. If you want to get outside and enjoy the beautiful nature around you, the museum's 120-acre park boasts miles of sculpture and walking trails that link to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.
crystalbridges.org
High Museum of Art Atlanta
Located in one of America’s most bustling metropolitan centers, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions, and engaging community-focused programs. The High is one of the largest museums of the South and is housed within a stunning modern building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano. The High features a collection of more than 17,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from pre-history through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. By visiting the High Museum of Art you are participating in the museum's mission and dedication to reflecting the diversity of its communities.
high.org
Booth Western Art Museum
The world’s largest permanent exhibition space for Western art is in Cartersville, Georgia at the Booth Western Art Museum. Open since 2003 and located just north of Atlanta along I-75, the Booth is the largest museum of its kind in the Southeast and an Affiliate to the Smithsonian Institution. At 120,000 square feet, the Booth is an architectural wonder – designed to resemble a modern pueblo and constructed from Bulgarian limestone. The Booth’s permanent collection of Western art, Presidential portraits and letters, and Civil War art allows visitors to “See America’s Story” – the land, people, struggles, dreams, and legends – in paintings, sculpture, photography, and artifacts. If your bringing the kids don't miss Sagebrush Ranch, an award-winning, hands-on experience and interactive children’s gallery the whole family will love!
boothmuseum.org
Cherokee Heritage Center
Discovering the history of the American West wouldn’t be complete without stopping at the Cherokee Heritage Center. Resting on 44 heavily wooded acres tucked away in the Oklahoma foothills of the Ozark Mountains, is the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah. The center honors the rich Cherokee history and culture of the region. Experience early 18th-century life through interpretive stations, residential sites, and more. Walk through 14 stations that detail the historic landscape in 1710 and demonstrate a range of cultural practices like stickball, basket making, flintknapping, and blowgun making. Inside the center, visit the Trail of Tears exhibit to witness life-size sculptures in an emotional portrayal of the Cherokee removal to Indian Territory and a timeline of the events. The Cherokee Heritage Center is devoted to the preservation and promotion of Cherokee history and culture through several annual events and two competitive art shows.
cherokeeheritage.org
Space Center Houston
From the American frontier to the great last frontier of space, embark on out-of-this-world experiences at the Space Center Houston. Space Center Houston, the Official Visitor Center of NASA Johnson Space Center, is Houston’s No. 1 attraction for international visitors and the first Smithsonian Affiliate in the greater Houston area. Discover the exciting future and remarkable past of America's human spaceflight program set among the largest collection of space artifacts in the southwestern United States. There is always something new to see and do. With more than 400 space artifacts including flown spacecraft, the largest collection of moon rocks on public display, and at multiple major seasonal exhibits a year, Space Center Houston offers an array of exciting attractions for people of all ages. Feel the texture of the rocky cliffs found on Mars, experience a virtual Martian sunset, enter a spaceship shuttle and step into the historic Mission Control from which NASA led our first lunar landing. The Space Center Houston is an experience you will never forget.
spacecenter.org
Nascar Hall of Fame, Charlotte, North Carolina
For one of the most exhilarating museum experiences rush to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It’s where the sport’s biggest names are enshrined in the Hall of Honor. There is a lot to see, with some of the best interactive experiences a museum can offer. Begin your visit at Glory Road, an exhibit that uses racing machines – past and present – to trace the evolution of the motorsports car. The pitch of the exhibit changes through its length, each degree of banking marked and matched to that of an actual track. In the Heritage Speedway exhibit, you can trace NASCAR’s more than 60 years of history through trophies, uniforms, car parts, and even pieces of pavement cut from different tracks. But looking is one thing, and trying is another. You'll find interactive exhibits in the Inside NASCAR portion of the hall. You can build your own race car at the virtual painting booth, explore celebrated racetracks through photos and projections, and try out your skills as a NASCAR reporter.
nascarhall.com
STAX Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis
STAX Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee is a can't miss for music lovers. Visit the Stax Records studio, the recording home of Soul Music Icons Otis Redding and Issac Hayes, and learn about its deeply influential history. The legacy of Stax Records is a unique one that spans more than half a century. Stax Records is critical in American music history as it's one of the most popular soul music record labels of all time. In 15 years, Stax placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 on the pop charts, and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts. The museum opens in a real, circa-1906 Mississippi Delta church that has been carefully reassembled inside of our building to represent Soul Music's humble beginnings. Continue to the Express Yourself dance floor exhibit where dancing is highly encouraged and then step into Studio A, an exact replica of the legendary converted movie theater where Stax artists cut records. To complete the musical day in Memphis, head over to the legendary Sun Studio, the birthplace of Rock n Roll that brought us Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis, and Johnny Cash.
staxmuseum.com
sunstudio.com
Creative Discovery Museum, Chattanooga Tennessee
If you are looking for an adventure the kids will love, there is no better place than the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. One of the nation’s top children’s museums, the Creative Discovery Museum inspires children’s passion for learning through play. Whether creating a clay sculpture in the Artists' Studio, zooming a message through a pneumatic tube in Inventors' Clubhouse, digging for dinosaur bones in Excavation Station, or creating an ensemble cast of characters in the Back Alley Theatre, this museum is full of hands-on family fun. Children 4 years and younger can spend time exploring the infant garden of the Little Yellow House, while kids of all ages will enjoy RiverPlay's 2-1/2 story high climbing structure. Riverplay also offers an interactive watercourse to sailboats, learn about locks and dams, and shoot jets of water to make whirligigs spin!
cdmfun.org
