Southeast USA Museums and Culture

    Museum of Southern History, The, Florida

  4304 Herschel St. - Jacksonville, FL           
Established to maintain and perpetuate an educational facility for those who are interested in the history of the United States, its early problems and difficulties in becoming the Nation it is today. The museum is dedicated to historical accuracy in presenting the lifestyle and culture of the Antebellum South, a unique civilization, misunderstood by many, belittled and misrepresented by some, but deeply revered by the grateful descendants of the brave men and women whose sacrifices and dedication to a cause that created a chapter in our nation’s history that is unmatched. Special attention is given to the education of young people as groups of school children are given basic education in our nation’s history in the hope that they will better understand and perhaps develop an interest in learning more about their history.
    Weatherspoon Art Museum, North Carolina
  UNC Greensboro - Greensboro, NC           
The Weatherspoon Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has one of the foremost collections of modern and contemporary art in the Southeast. Through a dynamic annual calendar of exhibitions and educational programs, the Weatherspoon provides an opportunity for audiences to consider artistic, cultural, and social issues of the times, and enriches the life of the university and community.
    The Gibbes Museum, South Carolina
  135 Meeting Street - Charleston, SC           
The mission of the Carolina Art Association (the Gibbes Museum of Art) is to offer through collection, exhibition and interpretation a thorough knowledge of the visual culture of Charleston, the Lowcountry and the American South from the colonial era through today.
    Orlando Museum of Art, Florida
  2416 North Mills Avenue - Orlando, FL            
Nestled in picturesque Orlando Loch Haven Park, the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) is one of Florida's cultural gems and a popular destination for visitors from all over the world. The collection focuses on American art from the 19th century to the present, African art and art of the ancient Americas. Outstanding temporary exhibitions are drawn from private collections and those of the world's great museums.
    Carolinas Aviation Museum, North Carolina
  4108 Minuteman Way - Charlotte, NC           
The Carolinas Historic Aviation Commission was founded in 1992 with the purpose of preserving the aviation heritage of North and South Carolina. The Commission operates the Carolinas Aviation Museum , the Carolinas Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Dolph Overton Aviation Library as part of it mission.
The Museum and the Library are located at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
    Children’s Museum of Wilmington, North Carolina
  116 Orange St - Wilmington, NC            
The Children’s Museum of Wilmington stimulates children’s imagination, curiosity and love of learning.
The Children’s Museum of Wilmington celebrates the joys of childhood by providing magical and playful experiences for children of all ages. The Museum serves children ages 1-8 and their adult company. Learn amazing things about themselves and the world where we live, through informal, playful hands-on and child-directed experiences. In our warm and inviting environment, children and the adults who bring them find ample opportunities to explore and better understand the arts, sciences, culture and more, through engaging exhibits and programs.
    Union County Museum, South Carolina
  127 West Main Street - Union, SC           
The Mission of the Union County Museum is: To discover, identify and collect the archives, and genealogical and historical materials which may help to establish and illustrate the history of Union County, South Carolina. To provide for the preservation of such material and for its accessibility, as far as may be feasible, to all who wish to examine or study it. To serve as a focal point for the dissemination of information regarding Union County, South Carolina and its history.
    Orange County Historical Museum, North Carolina
  201 N. Churton St. - Hillsborough, NC           
A valuable resource for education and enjoyment for Orange County residents, and a tourist destination for visitors to Hillsborough and Orange County.
    Jacksonville Maritime Museum, Florida
  1015 Museum Circle, Unit 2 - Jacksonville, FL           
A non-profit, educational association and collects books, documents, artifacts, and other historical objects significant to General Maritime History of Jacksonville and Florida's First Coast; preserves their historical value; and interprets their meaning to the public by means of museum displays, educational programs, lectures and publications.
The founders of the JMMS have declared preserving the history of Jacksonville has laid the groundwork for establishing a rich collection of artifacts and manuscripts that relate to Jacksonville’s past, present, and future. The strength of the JMMS collection lies in its connections between artifacts and the people who owned, used, and learned from them.
    The South Carolina Cotton Museum, South Carolina
  121 West Cedar Lane - Bishopville, NY           
At the South Carolina Cotton Museum, we currently offer educational programs that both entertain and inform. Our programs are interactive: the student becomes involved!
Our educational programs are geared to various age levels. Teachers may also select from our library of video presentations to enhance the educational experience. Our younger visitors participate in the "From Seeds to Shirts" program, in which our staff describes how a cotton seed is magically transformed into a t-shirt.
    Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina
  P.O. Box 2068 - Columbia, SC           
The Columbia Museum of Art seeks to inspire, educate and enrich the lives of the community, South Carolinians, tourists and visitors by collecting and preserving fine and decorative art from around the world, exhibiting highly regarded work from a broad range of cultures and providing dynamic educational and cultural programs.
    Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, Florida
  829 N. Davis Street - Jacksonville, FL           
The Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum Celebrates the rich legacy of the African-American community that thrived in LaVilla for more than 100 years. The theatre and museum are revered as the premiere cultural institution in Jacksonville, Florida, showcasing art, music, drama, poetry, and African American history.
The stories and legends of LaVilla, known as the "Harlem of the South," live on within the walls of the refurbished museum and theatre. Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum is committed to reclaiming the past, celebrating the present, and embracing the future.
    Mississippi Museum of Art, Mississippi
  201 East Pascagoula Street - Jackson, MS           
    Lane Motor Museum, Tennessee
  702 Murfreesboro Pike - Nashville, TN           
In 2002, Jeff and Susan Lane established Lane Motor Museum. Jeff has been an automotive enthusiast since an early age. He began restoring his first car—a 1955 MG TF—when he was a teen. His personal collection was the donation that began the foundation. Lane Motor Museum unveiled its collection to the public in October of 2003. As director, Jeff Lane continues to search out cars for the collection that are technically significant or uniquely different. The goal of Lane Motor Museum is to share in the mission of collection and preserving automotive history for future generations.
The Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
    Booth Western Art Museum, Georgia
  501 Museum Drive - Downtown Cartersville - Cartersville, GA           
This 80,000 square foot Museum opened in August 2003 with main galleries featuring contemporary Western American art. Other galleries feature Civil War art, Presidential portraits and letters, Western movie posters, and Western illustration. Sagebrush Ranch is an interactive gallery where children of all ages can learn about art and Western America. The Museum’s Special Exhibit Gallery hosts three to five temporary exhibits per year.
The Museum Store offers books on art and the West, as well as prints and other items featuring Western American art images. The Café offers light lunches to guests and members visiting the Museum. A multimedia theatre, with seating for 60, shows the orientation film “The American West” every 20 minutes.
    Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Georgia
  767 Clifton Road, N.E. - Atlanta, GA           
Only at Fernbank Museum can you come face-to-face with the world’s largest dinosaurs, explore the development of life on Earth through the landscapes of present-day Georgia, connect with cultures from around the globe, engage in a variety of hands-on exhibitions and more! And you won’t want to miss stunning rotating special exhibitions or the incredible 5-story experience of an IMAX® film.
    Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Alabama
  P.O. Box 727 - Calera, AL           
    New World of Coca­Cola, Georgia
  121 Baker Street NW - Atlanta, GA           
"The NEW World of Coca­Cola is the only place where visitors can explore the complete story—past, present and future—of the world's best-known brand! For over 120 years, we've been putting our secret formula into bottles. Now, we've put it all in one amazing place—the NEW World of Coca­Cola.
With 62,000 square feet of guest areas, the NEW World of Coca­Cola is approximately twice the size of the previous World of Coca­Cola.
We will feature more than 1,200 artifacts from around the world that have never been displayed to the public before. In fact, only about 50 artifacts from the previous World of Coca­Cola will be showcased at the NEW World of Coca­Cola.
A visit of the entire facility lasts an average of 90 minutes."
    High Museum of Art, Georgia
  1280 Peachtree Street, NE - Atlanta, GA           
From a stately home on Peachtree Street to its current award-winning buildings in a spectacular setting, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta has grown to become the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States with its renowned collection of classic and contemporary art and renowned architecture by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano.
    Frank H. McClung Museum, Tennessee
  1327 Circle Park Drive - Knoxville, TN           
The museum is an important component of The University of Tennessee, and participates in the implementation of the University's mission. The University of Tennessee is committed to the development of individuals and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. This is to be accomplished through teaching, scholarship, artistic creation, public service, and professional practice.
The complementary mission of the Frank H. McClung Museum is to advance understanding and appreciation of the earth and its peoples through the collection, preservation, study, interpretation, and exhibition of objects and data. The Museum is dedicated to the support of the academic programs of The University and to the attraction and education of the broadest spectrum of participants.
    Delta Blues Museum, Mississippi
  #1 Blues Alley - P.O. Box 459 - Clarksdale, MS           
    Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama
  2000 Eighth Avenue Nort - Birmingham, AL           
    Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee
  1050 World’s Fair Park - Knoxville, TN           
The KMA’s predecessor, the Dulin Gallery of Art, opened in 1961 in a beaux-arts mansion in West Knoxville. By the middle 1980s the Dulin had outgrown its quarters, and a major community effort raised $11 million for a new museum in downtown Knoxville at the site of the 1982 World’s Fair. The Knoxville Museum of Art opened in March 1990 in a state-of-the-art, 53,200 square-foot facility designed by renowned museum architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. The building, clad in Tennessee marble, is named in honor of local philanthropist Jim Clayton, the largest donor to the building fund.
    Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee
  505 Deaderick Street - Nashville, TN           
The beginnings of the Tennessee State Museum can be traced back to a museum opened on the Nashville public square in 1817 by a portrait artist, Ralph E.W. Earl. A young boy who visited that museum in 1823 wrote home that he had seen a life-size painting of then General Andrew Jackson. That same painting hangs today in the State Museum, now located at the corner of Fifth and Deaderick streets.
In 1937 the General Assembly created a state museum to house World War I mementoes and other collections from the state, the Tennessee Historical Society and other groups. This museum was located in the lower level of the War Memorial Building until it was moved into the new James K. Polk Center in 1981. The Tennessee State Museum currently occupies three floors, covering approximately 120,000 square feet with more than 60,000 square feet devoted to exhibits.
    Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Mississippi
  510 Washington Avenue - Ocean Springs, MS