Name |
Image |
Location |
Region |
Area of study |
Summary |
1817 Saddle Factory Museum | | Russellville | South Central Kentucky | Industry | website, history of the saddle factory, its workers and products |
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park | | Hodgenville | Derby Region | Biographical | Preserves two farm sites where Abraham Lincoln lived as a child. |
Adsmore | | Princeton | Western Waterlands | Living | Victorian home with "living" tours by season |
African American Heritage Center | | Franklin | South Central Kentucky | African American | website, African American achievements in Simpson County and Kentucky |
American Cave Museum | | Horse Cave | South Central Kentucky | Natural history | website, caves, groundwater, pollution and tour of Hidden River Cave |
American Saddlebred Museum | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Natural history | website, part of Kentucky Horse Park |
Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Historic house | |
Auburn Museum | | Auburn | South Central Kentucky | Local history | website, operated by the Auburn Historical Society |
Aviation Heritage Park | | Bowling Green | South Central Kentucky | Aviation | website, park display of a F-4 Phantom II, planned display of other aircraft |
Aviation Museum of Kentucky | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Aviation | |
Bardstown Historical Museum | | Bardstown | Derby Region | Local history | Located in Spalding Hall along with the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History |
Barlow House Museum | | Barlow | Western Waterlands | Historic house | website |
Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science | | Bowling Green | South Central Kentucky | Science | website |
Barthell Coal Mining Camp | | Whitley City | South Central Kentucky | Mining | Open 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 | Northern Kentucky | Local history | website, regional history of Northern Kentucky |
Bell County Coal Mine and Museum | | Middlesboro | Daniel Boone Country | Mining | information, local coal mines |
Bell County Historical Society Museum | | Middlesboro | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | website |
Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum | | Marion | Western Waterlands | Natural history | website, minerals including large collection of fluorite specimens |
Bibb House Museum | | Russellville | South Central Kentucky | Historic house | information, operated by Historic Russellville |
Big Bone Lick State Park | | Big Bone | Northern Kentucky | Natural history | Visitor center includes fossils found in the park, and the Outdoor Museum features a recreated bog diorama with extinct animals |
Big Sandy Heritage Center | | Pikeville | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | Housed in a former railroad station |
Bill Monroe Museum | | Rosine | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Biographical | Life of Bill Monroe and the early foundations of bluegrass music |
BitterSweet Cabin Museum | | Renfro Valley | Daniel Boone Country | Open air | website, log cabin museum village and stores |
Black History Gallery | | Elizabethtown | Derby Region | African American | website, display of photos, articles and biographies of black Americans |
Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp | | Blue Heron | South Central Kentucky | Mining | Restored former company town |
Bluegrass Heritage Museum | | Winchester | Bluegrass | Local history | |
Bluegrass Motorcycle Museum | | Rosine | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Transportation | information, private collection of over 20 vintage, American made motorcycles and memorabilia |
Bluegrass Railroad and Museum | | Versailles | Bluegrass | Railroad | |
Blue Licks Battlefield State Park | | Mount Olivet | Northern Kentucky | Local history | Pioneer Museum includes exhibits about the battle during the American Revolution, local natural and cultural history |
Bobby Davis Museum and Park | | Hazard | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | website |
Breathitt County Museum | | Jackson | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | information |
Breckinridge County Historical Society Museum | | Hardinsburg | Derby Region | Local history | information, information |
Brennan House & Medical Office Museum | | Louisville | Derby Region | Historic house | Victorian mansion |
Brown-Pusey House | | Elizabethtown | Derby Region | Historic house | website, includes 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 | Derby Region | Local history | website, operated by the Bullitt County Genealogical Society |
Butler-Turpin State Historic House | | Carrollton | | Historic house | Located in General Butler State Resort Park, mid 19th century period house |
Caldwell County Railroad Museum | | Princeton | Western Waterlands | Railroad | website |
Callahan Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind | | Louisville | Derby Region | Cultural | |
Camp Breckinridge Museum & Arts Center | | Morganfield | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Historic site | website, former officer's club, features murals painted by a German POW |
Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park | | Nicholasville | Bluegrass | Civil War | |
Cane Ridge Meeting House & Barton Warren Stone Museum | | Paris | Bluegrass | Religious | |
Capital City Museum | | Frankfort | Bluegrass | Local history | website, operated by the City of Frankfort's Department of Parks & Recreation |
C.B. Caudill Store & History Center | | Blackey | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | website |
Civil War Museum of the Western Theater | | Bardstown | Derby Region | Multiple | Five 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 | | Highsplint | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | website |
Cloverport Depot Museum | | Cloverport | Derby Region | Local history | information |
Columbus-Belmont State Park | | Columbus | Western Waterlands | Civil War | |
Conrad-Caldwell House | | Louisville | Derby Region | Historic house | |
Constitution Square State Historic Site | | Danville | Bluegrass | Open air | Includes replica of 1785 log courthouse, jail and meetinghouse, 1792 post office |
Coal Miners' Museum | | Van Lear | Kentucky's Appalachians | Mining | Local coal mining history |
Creation Museum | | Petersburg | Northern Kentucky | Religious | |
Crittenden County Historical Museum | | Marion | Western Waterlands | Local history | website |
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park | | Middlesboro | Daniel Boone Country | History | Includes 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 | Daniel Boone Country | Multiple | Natural history, collections of crosses, coins, stamps, arrowheads and nutcrackers |
Cynthiana-Harrison County Museum | | Cynthiana | Bluegrass | Local history | website |
David A. Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum | | Jenkins | Daniel Boone Country | Mining | Coal mining and railroad history |
Dawson Springs Museum and Art Center | | Dawson Springs | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | information |
Dinsmore Homestead | | Burlington | Northern Kentucky | Historic house | 1840s house on 30 acres (120,000 m2) |
Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum | | Fort Campbell | Western Waterlands | Military | History of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault the "Screaming Eagles" |
Duncan Center | | Greenville | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Multiple | website, includes coal museum. local history museum and art gallery |
Duncan Tavern Historical Center | | Paris | Bluegrass | Historic site | website, state headquarters of the Kentucky Society, NSDAR; 1788 tavern |
East Kentucky Science Center | | Prestonsburg | Kentucky's Appalachians | Science | Includes exhibit hall, planetarium and laser dome |
Elkhorn City Railroad Museum | | Elkhorn City | Kentucky's Appalachians | Railroad | History of railroads in Kentucky's Eastern Mountain Coal Fields region |
Embroidery Museum and Resource Center | | Louisville | Derby Region | Textile | Operated by the Embroiderer's Guild of America |
Ephraim McDowell House | | Danville | Bluegrass | Historic house | |
Explorium of Lexington | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Children's | website, formerly known as the Lexington Children's Museum |
Fairholme (John Street Home) | | Cadiz | Western Waterlands | Historic house | website, tours by appointment, also known as the John L. Street Home |
Farmington Historic Plantation | | Louisville | Derby Region | Historic house | Early 19th century plantation home |
Federal Hill | | Bardstown | Derby Region | Historic house | Also known as My Old Kentucky Home, part of My Old Kentucky Home State Park |
The Filson Historical Society | | Louisville | Derby Region | Local history | Includes a museum of local history and art exhibits |
Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum | | Flemingsburg | Bluegrass | Local history | information |
Floyd Collins Museum | | Cave City | South Central Kentucky | Biographical | website, information |
Fordsville Depot Museum | | Fordsville | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Multiple | website, includes local history, railroad and rural life displays |
Forkland Abraham Lincoln and Community Center Museum | | Forkland | Bluegrass | Local history | website |
Fort Boonesborough State Park | | Boonesborough | Bluegrass | Fort | Reconstructed pioneer fort with artisans |
Frazier History Museum | | Louisville | Derby Region | Military | U.S. and UK arms, armor and historic weaponry |
Friendship School | | Campbellsville | Daniel Boone Country | School | website, 1918 one room schoolhouse |
Garrard County Jail Museum | | Lancaster | Bluegrass | Prison | |
General George Patton Museum of Leadership | | Fort Knox | Derby Region | Biographical | |
Georgetown & Scott County Museum | | Georgetown | Bluegrass | Local history | website |
Glema Mahr Center for the Arts | | Madisonville | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Art | website, part of Madisonville Community College, features the Anne P. Baker Gallery of fine art |
Governor William Owsley House | | Lancaster | Bluegrass | Historic house | Also known as Pleasant Retreat |
Great American Dollhouse Museum | | Danville | Bluegrass | Toy | website, dollhouses and miniatures |
Green River Female Academy | | Elkton | | History | 19th century female seminary |
Hancock County Museum | | Hawesville | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | website, housed in the old railroad station |
Hardin County History Museum | | Elizabethtown | Derby Region | Local history | website |
Harland Sanders Café and Museum | | Corbin | South Central Kentucky | Food | Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken |
Harriet Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum | | Maysville | Northern Kentucky | Biographical | information |
Hart County Historical Museum | | Munfordville | South Central Kentucky | Local history | website, operated by the Hart County Historical Society |
Headley-Whitney Museum | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Art | website, decorative arts including jewelry, bibelots and mounted semi-precious stones, doll houses, shell grotto, changing exhibits |
Hickman County Museum | | Clinton | Western Waterlands | Local history | website |
Hiestand House Museum | | Campbellsville | Daniel Boone Country | Historic house | website, 1823 German stone house |
Highlands Museum and Discovery Center | | Ashland | Kentucky's Appalachians | History | Local history and specialized science displays |
Historic Washington, Kentucky | | Washington | Northern Kentucky | Open air | website, includes historic houses, log cabins, churches, Slavery to Freedom Museum, carriage museum, |
Historical Society of Hopkins County Museum | | Madisonville | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | website, includes Ruby Laffoon cabin |
Historic Locust Grove | | Louisville | Derby Region | Historic house | 55 acre 18th-century farm homestead |
Historic Railpark and Train Museum | | Bowling Green | South Central Kentucky | Railroad | |
Hopewell Museum | | Paris | Bluegrass | Multiple | website, art and history of Bourbon County and Central Kentucky |
Hunt-Morgan House | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Historic house | 18th century home, includes Alexander T. Hunt Civil War Museum |
International Bluegrass Music Museum | | Owensboro | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Cultural | |
Irvinton House Museum | | Richmond | Bluegrass | Local history | website |
Jack Jouett House Historic Site | | Versailles | Bluegrass | Historic house | website, home of American Revolutionary hero Jack Jouett |
James A. Ramage Civil War Museum | | Fort Wright | Northern Kentucky | History | |
Janice Mason Art Museum | | Cadiz | Western Waterlands | Art | website, part of the Cadiz Community Arts Center |
Jefferson Davis State Historic Site | | Fairview | Western Waterlands | Biographical | Monument and museum about Confederate leader Jefferson Davis |
JFC Museum | | Danville | Bluegrass | Commodity | website, collections include fossils, rocks, Native American artifacts and antiques |
John James Audubon State Park | | Henderson | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Art | Includes the Audubon Museum with art by John James Audubon and the John James Audubon Nature Center |
Kentucky Coal Mining Museum | | Benham | Daniel Boone Country | Mining | Coal mining and life of the coal miner and family |
Kentucky Derby Museum | | Louisville | Derby Region | Sports | American Thoroughbred horse racing museum |
Kentucky Folk Art Center | | Morehead | Kentucky's Appalachians | Art | Part of Morehead State University |
Kentucky Gateway Museum Center | | Maysville | Northern Kentucky | Local history | website, includes regional history dioramas and artifacts, art and miniatures |
Kentucky Governor's Mansion | | Frankfort | Bluegrass | Historic house | |
Kentucky Museum | | Bowling Green | South Central Kentucky | History | On the campus of Western Kentucky University, Kentucky and US cultural history |
Kentucky Military History Museum | | Frankfort | Bluegrass | Military | Operated by the Kentucky Historical Society |
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft | | Louisville | Derby Region | Art | Art and craft heritage of Kentucky |
Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum | | Renfro Valley | Daniel Boone Country | Music | website |
Kentucky Railway Museum | | New Haven | Derby Region | Railroad | |
Kentucky River Museum | | Boonesborough | Bluegrass | Transportation | Impact of the river, locks and dams on the area's family and commerce |
Kentucky Science Center | | Louisville | Derby Region | Science | Formerly the Louisville Science Center, hands-on science exhibits, natural history displays |
Knox Historical Museum | | Barbourville | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | information |
Laurel Gorge Cultural Heritage Center | | Sandy Hook | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | information, Facebook site |
Lexington History Center | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Multiple | Includes the Lexington History Museum, Lexington Public Safety Museum, Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum and the Kentucky Renaissance Pharmacy Museum |
Liberty Hall Historic Site | | Frankfort | Bluegrass | Historic house | Includes both Liberty Hall and Orlando Brown House |
Lincoln Heritage House | | Elizabethtown | Derby Region | Historic house | website, log home of Thomas Lincoln |
Lincoln Homestead State Park | | Springfield | Derby Region | Historic house | Includes 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 | Derby Region | Biographical | website, features dioramas with wax figures depicting important events in Lincoln's life and Lincoln artwork |
Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum | | Paducah | Western Waterlands | History | Focuses on Kentucky and the western theater of the American Civil War |
Lone Oak House Museum | | Hopkinsville | Western Waterlands | Historic house | information, open by appointment |
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory | | Louisville | Derby Region | Sports | Baseball and the history of the baseball bat |
Louisville Visual Art Association | | Louisville | Derby Region | Art | website, changing art exhibits, located in the Louisville Water Tower |
LSI Museum of Physical Security | | Nicholasville | Bluegrass | Commodity | website, operated by Lockmasters Security Institute, collection of safe locks |
Lyon County Museum | | Eddyville | Western Waterlands | Local history | information, also known as Rose Hill Museum |
Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum | | Salyersville | Kentucky's Appalachians | Open air | Reconstructed log buildings, operated by the Magoffin County Historical Society |
Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum | | Cave City | South Central Kentucky | Natural history | website, mounted animal dioramas |
Marie Stewart Museum & Craft Shop | | Hindman | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | |
Mary Todd Lincoln House | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Historic house | 1840s period family home of Mary Todd Lincoln |
McCreary County Museum | | Stearns | South Central Kentucky | Local history | Adjacent to Big South Fork Scenic Railway |
McLean County History & Genealogy Museum | | Calhoun | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | website, housed in the old railroad station |
Mill Springs Battlefield Visitors Center and Museum | | Nancy | South Central Kentucky | Civil War | Commemorates the January 1862 Battle of Mill Springs |
Morgan County History Museum | | West Liberty | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | information |
Morris Toy Museum | | Carrsville | Western Waterlands | Toy | information, information |
Mountain Homeplace | | Staffordsville | Kentucky's Appalachians | Living | Mid-19th century working farm with Museum Of Appalachian History, includes farmstead, church, school, and blacksmith shop. |
Mountain Life Museum | | London | Daniel Boone Country | Open air | Part of Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park, recreated pioneer village and a restored watermill |
Muhammad Ali Center | | Louisville | Derby Region | Biographical | |
National Corvette Museum | | Bowling Green | South Central Kentucky | Automotive | |
National Quilt Museum | | Paducah | Western Waterlands | Textile | Quilts and fiber art |
National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Museum | | Louisville | Derby Region | Military | |
National Underground Railroad Museum | | Maysville | Northern Kentucky | Historic house | website, located in the Bierbower House, a safe house for the Underground Railroad |
Northeastern Kentucky Museum | | Olive Hill | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | information |
NKU Museum of Anthropology | | Highland Heights | Northern Kentucky | Anthropology | website, part of Northern Kentucky University, display cases on the second floor of Landrum Academic Center |
Octagon Hall Museum | | Franklin | South Central Kentucky | Historic house | website |
Ohio County Museum | | Hartford | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Open air | information |
Ohio County Veterans' Museum | | Hartford | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Military | information |
Old Fort Harrod State Park | | Harrodsburg | Derby Region | Open air | Reconstructed fort and museum |
Oldham County History Center | | La Grange | Derby Region | Local history | website, operated by the Oldham County Historical Society, the Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum, J.C. Barnett Archives and Library, and the Robb Morris Chapel |
Old State Capitol | | Frankfort | Bluegrass | Historic site | Operated by the Kentucky Historical Society |
Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History | | Bardstown | Derby Region | Food | History of American whiskey from Colonial days through the 1960s; located in Spalding Hall along with the Bardstown Historical Museum |
Owensboro Area Museum of Science & History | | Owensboro | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Multiple | website, natural history, science, local history, motor sports, children's area and government |
Owensboro Museum of Fine Art | | Owensboro | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Art | website, collection features American, European and Asian fine and decorative arts dating from the 15th century to the present |
Paducah Railway Museum | | Paducah | Western Waterlands | Railroad | website |
Paradise Park Museum Complex | | Powderly | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Open air | information, includes Merle Travis birthplace, Coal Mines Shotgun House, a replica of a 1920s coal mining town and a two-room schoolhouse |
Parker Warner Historic Museum | | Providence | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | website, |
Pennyroyal Area Museum | | Hopkinsville | Western Waterlands | Local history | information |
Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site | | Perryville | Bluegrass | Civil War | |
Portland Museum | | Louisville | Derby Region | Local history | History of Portland, Louisville's riverside community |
Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati | | Covington | Northern Kentucky | Railroad | |
Red River Museum | | Clay City | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | website, local mining, logging and railroad industries, operated by the Red River Historical Society |
River Heritage Museum | | Paducah | Western Waterlands | Maritime | website |
Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing | | Louisville | Derby Region | Historic house | 1840s house, archaeological excavations, gardens |
Riverview at Hobson Grove | | Bowling Green | South Central Kentucky | Historic house | Mid-19th century home |
Rob Morris Home | | La Grange | Derby Region | Historic house | Home 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 | Western Waterlands | Biographical | website, birthplace of poet Robert Penn Warren |
Rosemary Clooney Museum | | Augusta | Northern Kentucky | Biographical | Home of singer Rosemary Clooney |
Royal Spring Park | | Georgetown | Bluegrass | Historic house | Includes 1874 Leach Cabin |
Rowan County Historical Veterans Museum | | Morehead | Military Veterans | Korea, WW II, Vietnam, War on Terror | website, Patriotic |
Samuel May House Living History Museum | | Prestonsburg | Kentucky's Appalachians | Historic house | Early 19th-century house |
Shaker Museum at South Union | | South Union | South Central Kentucky | Religious | Shaker folklife and material culture |
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill | | Pleasant Hill | Bluegrass | Living | 19th century Shaker village |
Simpson County Archives and Museum | | Franklin | South Central Kentucky | Local 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 |
South Central Kentucky Cultural Center | | Glasgow | South Central Kentucky | Local history | website, also known as Museum of the Barrens |
Speed Art Museum | | Louisville | Derby Region | Art | |
Swamp Valley Museum | | Menifee County | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | information |
Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum | | Elizabethtown | Derby Region | Automotive | website, historic automobiles |
Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History | | Frankfort | Bluegrass | History | Operated by the Kentucky Historical Society, over 12,000 years of Kentucky history |
Thomas Edison House | | Louisville | Derby Region | Biographical | |
University of Kentucky Art Museum | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Art | |
U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum | | Paintsville | Kentucky's Appalachians | Music | Exhibits on the country music entertainers who grew up near U.S. Route 23. |
Vent Haven Museum | | Fort Mitchell | Northern Kentucky | Puppet | Only museum devoted to the art of ventriloquism |
Waveland State Historic Site | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Historic house | 19th century plantation home |
Whitehall House & Gardens | | Louisville | Derby Region | Historic house | website |
White Hall State Historic Site | | Richmond | Bluegrass | Historic house | 1860s period mansion |
Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum | | Simpsonville | Derby Region | Biographical | Home of civil rights leader Whitney Young, open by request |
Wickland | | Bardstown | Derby Region | Historic house | Early 19th-century house that was home to three state governors, two for Kentucky and one in Louisiana |
Wickliffe Mounds | | Wickliffe | Western Waterlands | Archaeology | |
William Clark Market House Museum | | Paducah | Western Waterlands | Local history | website |
William Crenshaw Kennedy, Jr. Memorial Museum | | Monticello | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | website, also known as the Wayne County Museum, operated by the Wayne County Historical Society |
William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology | | Lexington | Bluegrass | Anthropology | website, research collection of the University of Kentucky |
William Whitley House State Historic Site | | Stanford | Bluegrass | Historic house | |
Wolfe County Historical Museum | | Campton | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | information |
Woody Winfree Fire-Transportation Museum | | Hopkinsville | Western Waterlands | Transportation | information, includes fire trucks, automobiles, wagons, buggies, a sleigh, license plates and local fire memorabilia |
Wrather West Kentucky Museum | | Murray | Western Waterlands | Local history | website, part of Murray State University, history of West Kentucky and the Jackson Purchase |
Yeiser Art Center | | Paducah | Western Waterlands | Art | website |