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Courtesy of Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Exploring Museums
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, is topped by an enormous basketball.
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Courtesy of Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Exploring Museums
Galleries at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame present uniforms celebrating women’s achievements in basketball from the past.
The Smoky Mountain region is known for its natural abundance of beauty. According to the National Park Service, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park welcomed 14.1 million visitors in 2021, while the Blue Ridge Parkway saw 15.9 million visitors. However, our area is also rich with history, science, and the arts, and these are celebrated at museums that are treasured by locals and visitors alike. Here is a sampling of museums to explore.
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
700 Hall of Fame Drive • Knoxville, Tennessee
865.633.9000 • wbhof.com
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, is housed in a cannot-miss structure topped by an enormous basketball ready to fall into the net. The first thing visitors encounter inside the Pat Summitt Rotunda, named for the late and longtime coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team, is the impressive Elizabeth MacQueen statue that represents the hall’s mission statement to “honor the past, celebrate the present, and promote the future” of women’s basketball.
Some 17 feet high, the Eastman statue is named after the Eastman company, which is headquartered in Kingsport. Those inducted into the Hall of Fame receive a miniature of the beautiful sculpture.
Step further inside to discover galleries with uniforms, images and artifacts celebrating women’s achievements in basketball from the past through to the present. Interactive opportunities are in abundance. Tryout your basketball skills on three courts, a timed dribbling course, or test your passing skills. Before you leave, strike a pose in the photo area where you can pretend to be different players throughout the history of this sport. You’ll feel like a winner with a visit to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Asheville Radio Museum
315 Elm Building, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College • Asheville, North Carolina
504.256.5796 • avlradiomuseum.org
The Asheville Radio Museum will help you better appreciate the technology involved the next time you tune in to your favorite talk radio program. Located on the campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, the museum celebrates all things radio waves. Cell phones, GPS, remote card door openers, Bluetooth and of course, radios, all depend on radio wave technology to work. This teaching museum explores how radio was discovered and made practical, and includes a large collection of vintage home and ham radio equipment. Hundreds of radios are displayed. If you’re of a certain age, you might recognize a few.
Visitors learn how Heinrich Hertz proved that invisible radio waves existed, and then they watch a spark transmitter alert a Marconi device to detect a radio wave. See how the radio helped save lives when the Titanic sank, observe a live ham radio station, and learn about how ham radio volunteers help others around the world. What else will you learn? Stay tuned.
Exploring Museums
The Kentucky Coal Museum
231 Main Street • Benham, Kentucky
606.848.1530 • kycoalmuseum.southeast.kctcs.edu
Benham, Kentucky, is home to The Kentucky Coal Museum. The museum is the place to go to learn more about coal mining and its impact on the community, land, and economy. It is located in the lovely mining community of Benham, near the U.S. Steel coal camp of Lynch, both of which offer unique opportunities to learn more about coal mining history.
The museum has an extensive and comprehensive collection of mining artifacts and memorabilia on display to educate visitors as well as family members of those who once worked in Appalachian mines. The artifacts connect with the stories one hears to create a broader understanding of the industry. The collection is housed in the lovingly restored Benham company store.
Courtesy of Hands On! Discovery Center
Exploring Museums
The Hands On! Discovery Center in Gray, Tennessee, offers interactive experiences that immerse visitors in all things science.
The Hands On! Discovery Center
1212 Suncrest Drive • Gray, Tennessee
423.434.4263 • visithandson.org
Does science sometimes leave you scratching your head? “How did that happen” and “wow” are a few words you’ll likely say on a visit to The Hands On! Discovery Center in Gray, Tennessee. This is an all-ages science center with fun interactive experiences that immerse visitors in all things science.
You’ll find a musical Tesla coil, giant building blocks, a 3-story Paleo Tower and an art studio. Visitors can create works of art, learn about engineering and more. 2022 marks the Discovery Center’s 35th year of bringing science and history to everybody. Get close to an active fossil dig site dating back 5 million years, with programs and exhibitions—including plant and animal fossils—that have been unearthed at the Gray Fossil Site, including a rhinoceros, red panda and a 10-ton mastodon. Articulated replicas of specimens found on site are on view and visitors can explore deeper with computer-animated games and challenges, and can even dig in a faux dig pit.
Outdoors in the Discover Garden, visitors can explore a variety of native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers that were found in the region 5 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch when the fossil site was a watering hole. What will you discover?
The Tennessee Museum of Aviation
135 Air Museum Way • Sevierville, Tennessee
865.908.0171 • tnairmuseum.com
Fans of aviation and history take note, The Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville is a true hidden treasure in the Great Smoky Mountains. This 50,000-square-foot facility is located at the Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Airport and this prime spot helps bring aviation history to life.
The museum has a collection of military vehicles, trainers, fighters, jets, helicopters, amphibious aircraft and exhibitions sure to delight any “Warbird” fan. Among the displays are a Link Aviation C-11B Instrument Trainer, an Army officer’s field desk, and the Skycycle that belonged to Evel Knievel, used in his attempt to fly over the Snake River Canyon in 1974.
In the hanger, you’ll see numerous aircraft exhibited, including a Lockheed T-33 Silver Star, a full-scale replica of the 1902 Wright glider, and a North American P-51D Mustang. Even if you’re not a fan of aviation, your imagination will be flying high after a visit.
Exploring Museums
Blowing Rock Art and History Museum
Blowing Rock Art and History Museum
159 Ginny Stevens Lane • Blowing Rock, North Carolina
828.295.9099 • blowingrockmuseum.org
The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum has been promoting the arts, Southern Appalachian history and heritage from its location in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, since 2011. BRAHM builds relationships with visitors and artists, while connecting people to the community with enriching exhibits and programs for all ages. Highlighted programs include hands-on workshops and weekly programs for kids including the Doodlebug Club for preschoolers.
As a cultural center, visitors have the opportunity to explore art in a relaxing setting; a place to learn, reflect and rest. With exhibitions that change three times a year, there is something new to discover with each visit. A permanent collection allows guests to come again and again to see favorite works of art and artifacts.
Sarah Houser photo
Exploring Museums
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, in Bristol, Virginia, tells the story of country music.
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum
101 Country Music Way • Bristol, Virginia
423.573.1927 • birthplaceofcountrymusic.org
Are you a little bit country or a little bit rock ‘n’ roll? It really doesn’t matter because after a trip to The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, in Bristol, Virginia, you’ll like to be a country music fan. In affiliation with the Smithsonian Institute, the museum tells the story of country music heritage via films, exhibitions, artifacts, costumes, instruments, and interactive opportunities. The Bristol region has long influenced music around the world, and the museum examines this history, from the 1927 Bristol Sessions and beyond.
What were the Bristol Sessions? In the summer of 1927, the Victor Talking Machine Company came to Bristol with a field unit to record musicians from the region. Held at 408 State Street, on the state border, Ralph Peer and engineers recorded various instruments, soloists and bands in sessions that produced the recordings of country music legends Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, as well as artists who had recorded for other labels prior. A selection of styles of music present in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian regions was captured on 78 RPM discs.
Opened in 2014, the museum offers special exhibits, online events, educational and entertainment programming, and more. Plan ahead in order to catch a live radio show from the 100-seat Performance Theatre where WBCM radio Bristol operates.
Little River Railroad and Lumber Museum
7747 East Lamar Alexander Pkwy. • Townsend Tennessee
865.661.0170 • littleriverrailroad.org
The Little River Railroad and Lumber Museum in Townsend, Tennessee, was founded in 1982 to preserve the history and heritage of the Little River Lumber Company and the Little River Railroad. The museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of these companies and the people of the region via exhibitions and rail equipment.
Lovers of both history and railroads will enjoy exploring the artifacts, which, in this case, are quite large, including a Shay 2147 locomotive engine, a vintage caboose, flatcars, a portable Frick steam engine, a wooden water tank, and one of the original houses, called “setoff” houses, which were used by logging families in the mountains.
The original Walland Depot building was moved to the museum in 1983 from the tiny community of Walland, in Blount County. The 1901 circa building contains the main collection of papers, tools, photographs and smaller artifacts on display. Along the depot platform, a replica of the Elkmont Post Office houses the gift shop. All aboard for history!
Muse Knoxville
516 North Beaman St. • Knoxville, Tennessee
865.594.1494 • themuseknoxville.org
Muse Knoxville, a children’s museum in Knoxville, has grown over the years, just like its young visitors, and offers transformative learning experiences through a variety of hands-on exhibits for children aged 6 months to 10 years old. It is located in Chilhowee Park, in East Knoxville, which is also home to the Tennessee Valley Fair and various expositions.
The emphasis on STEAM education—Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics—allows guests to explore a planetarium; an augmented reality sandbox where they can form volcanoes and create oceans; a calming sensory exhibit with gentle, rainbow-colored lights; and a music garden, complete with the sounds of xylophone and steel drums. These areas and so much more await young minds to consider what is and what can be.
Courtesy of The Museum of the Cherokee Indian
Exploring Museums
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina, celebrates 13,000 years of Cherokee history.
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
589 Tsali Blvd. • Cherokee, North Carolina
828.497.3481 • mci.org
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee says its mission is “to preserve and perpetuate the history, culture, and stories of the Cherokee people.” It does this by maintaining exhibits and extensive collections of artifacts, educational programming, artist series and more. It also publishes the Journal of Cherokee Studies.
Founded in 1948, the museum has been in its current location since 1976. Additions came later, including an education wing in 2010. Today’s visitors can experience 13,000 years of Cherokee history to the present day. Stories are told through computer generation animation and special effects, life-sized figures, artwork and artifacts.
The museum is a rich source of information for members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a place for members to research genealogy, archives and participate in programs. A visit to the museum will engage and educate everyone of the importance of the Cherokee.
Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas
21 East Main Street • Brevard, North Carolina
828.884.2141 • theveteransmuseum.org
The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas tells the stories of America’s modern wars through the eyes of veterans. Visitors to the Brevard, North Carolina, museum go room to room, encountering battlefield artifacts donated by veterans, learning first-hand stories of the men and women who served. The journey encompasses conflicts from World War I to Afghanistan, including the Cold War and the response to September 11, 2001.
The role of women in the military is showcased throughout the museum.
Displays include one-of-a kind artifacts, uniforms and weaponry, original newspapers, vintage photographs, video documentaries and more.
The mission of the museum is to honor all veterans, and it is run by a volunteer board.