List of museums in Alabama facts for kids
The is a list of museums in the U.S. state of Alabama. The blue links indicate an article exists on an individual museum. The red links indicate that an article still needs to be created. A number of public and private institutions and organizations around the state make their collections available for public viewing. These museums contain artifacts and exhibits related to art and art history, broadcasting, children, civil and political rights, culture, industry, law, medicine, military history, music, natural history, local and regional history, science, sports and transportation. Additionally, the state is home to many historic house museums, many with a focus on the biographical history of individuals; several hall of fames; and a number of living history museums with a focus on local, state, or national history. Also included are non-profit and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included in this list.
Contents
Active museums
Museum name | Image | City | County | Notes | Refs |
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Alabama Administrative Office of Courts Museum Area | Montgomery | Montgomery | Exhibits of Alabama judicial history and important figures, located in the Alabama Judicial Building | ||
Alabama Constitution Village | Huntsville | Madison | Living history | ||
Alabama Department of Archives and History | Montgomery | Montgomery | Official archives for the state of Alabama, features the Museum of Alabama with exhibits including Native American, military history, 19th- and 20th-century historic artifacts, photos, and art | ||
Alabama Governor's Mansion | Montgomery | Montgomery | Official residence of Alabama's Governor. Open for tours. U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame | Birmingham | Jefferson Shelby |
Alabama artistes and memorabilia | ||
Alabama Men's Hall of Fame | Birmingham | Jefferson | Housed in Samford University's Harwell G. Davis Library | ||
Alabama Mining Museum | Dora | Walker | Exhibits include a 1900s train and mining cars, one-room African American school, elementary school, post office, and depot. | ||
Alabama Museum of Health Sciences | Birmingham | Jefferson | Medical | ||
Alabama Museum of Natural History | Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa | Natural history | ||
Alabama Music Hall of Fame | Tuscumbia | Colbert | Exhibits featuring 50 inductees and over 1200 other Alabamians | ||
Alabama River Museum | Franklin | Monroe | Local history including fossils, Native American artifacts, steamboats | ||
Alabama Rural Heritage Center | Thomaston | Marengo | History and folk art, operated by Auburn University's Rural Studio | ||
Alabama State Capitol | Montgomery | Montgomery | State capitol building of Alabama. A National Historic Landmark, it is open for tours and is operated by the Alabama Historical Commission. | ||
Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) | Montgomery | Montgomery | Created by 1966 Executive Order from Governor George Wallace, established in 1967 by the state legislature. | ||
Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives | Athens | Limestone | Houses artifacts from the Revolutionary War to the present day. | ||
Alabama Women's Hall of Fame | Livingston | Sumter | Founded in 1970, by the University of West Alabama | ||
Aldrich Coal Mine Museum | Montevallo | Shelby | History and artifacts from the town's former coal mine | ||
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame | Birmingham | Jefferson | Exhibits of Alabama’s athletic history | ||
Aliceville Museum and Cultural Arts Center | Aliceville | Pickens | Former site of the WWII Camp Aliceville 1942 to 1945 POW camp. | ||
American Sport Art Museum and Archives | Daphne | Baldwin | Gulf Coast sports. Located on the campus of the United States Sports Academy | ||
American Village | Montevallo | Shelby | Living history | ||
Ancient Wars Museum | Madison | Madison | aka Alabama War Museum, Exhibits from present day to 8,000 BC | ||
Anniston Museum of Natural History | Anniston | Calhoun | Located in Anniston Museums and Gardens | ||
Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens | Birmingham | Jefferson counties | U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Ave Maria Grotto | Cullman | Cullman | Outdoor miniature reproductions of some of the most famous religious structures of the world. Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage National Register of Historic Places |
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Baldwin County Heritage Museum | Elberta | Baldwin | Agricultural and cultural history | ||
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum | Birmingham | Jefferson | Vintage and modern motorcycles and race cars | ||
Battle-Friedman House | Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa | Antebellum house and garden, operated by the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society. U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Battleship Memorial Park | Mobile | Mobile | Centered around the battleship USS Alabama, pays tribute to all military veterans from Alabama | ||
Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia | Colbert | 1832 plantation house, influenced by Thomas Jefferson's Palladian architecture. U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Bellingrath Gardens and Home | Theodore | Mobile | Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, U.S. Historic district, U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Berman Museum of World History | Anniston | Calhoun | Ancient art, weapons, photos, clothing, hands-on displays and lifelike dioramas from around the world | ||
Bessemer Hall of History | Bessemer | Jefferson | Local history housed in the Southern Railway Terminal Station. A 1916 railroad depot, it is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Displays include clothing, artifacts, photographs. | ||
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute | Birmingham | Jefferson | American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s | ||
Birmingham Museum of Art | Birmingham | Jefferson | Collections from around the world | ||
Blount County Memorial Museum | Oneonta | Blount | Artifacts, history art & lterature of Blount Countians | ||
Bluff Hall | Demopolis | Marengo | Mansion built by slaves in 1832 | ||
Booker T. Washington House | Tuskegee | Macon | Home of Booker T. Washington, known as "The Oaks." On the Tuskegee Institute campus. | ||
Bragg-Mitchell Mansion | Mobile | Mobile | U.S. National Register of Historic Places, built by Congressman John Bragg in 1855. | ||
Bridgeport Depot Museum | Bridgeport | Jackson | Operated by the Bridgeport Area Historical Association | ||
Buena Vista Mansion | Prattville | Autauga | Built in 1822, listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Oct 1974 | ||
Burritt on the Mountain | Huntsville | Madison | Living history museum | ||
Carnegie Visual Arts Center | Decatur | Morgan | Originally the Carnegie Library of Decatur | ||
Central Carver Museum | Gadsden | Etowah | To preserve the culture of the African American community | ||
Children's Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa | Exhibits, seasonal events, birthday parties, school field trips | ||
Children's Museum of the Shoals | Florence | Lauderdale | Hands-on exhibits for children ages 18 months-3rd grade | ||
Clarke County Historical Museum | Grove Hill | Clarke | Grounds include the Alston-Cobb House, law office, corn crib and cabin | ||
Conde-Charlotte House | Mobile | Mobile | Owned and operated by the Alabama chapter of the National Society of Colonial Dames in America | ||
Confederate Memorial Park | Mountain Creek | Chilton | Civil War exhibits, two cemeteries, a church and post office. Operated by the Alabama Historical Commission | ||
Cook's Natural Science Museum | Decatur | Morgan | Natural history | ||
Cullman County Museum | Cullman | Cullman | Housed in a replica of the home of Col. John G. Cullmann, German immigrant who founded the city | ||
Dauphin Island Sea Lab | Dauphin Island | Mobile | Marine research and education center | ||
Dexter Parsonage Museum | Montgomery | Montgomery | Where Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. pastored from 1954–1960 and began his quest for civil rights. | ||
Don Kresge Memorial Radio Museum | Birmingham | Jefferson | AKA Alabama Historical Radio Society Museum | ||
Dowling Museum and Rudd Art Center | Ozark | Dale County | Southeastern art | ||
EarlyWorks Children's History Museum | Huntsville | Madison | Hands-on children's museum, includes the Talking Tree | ||
Evelyn Burrow Museum | Hanceville | Cullman | Wallace State College | ||
Fairhope Museum of History | Fairhope | Baldwin | Local history | ||
Fayette Art Museum and Civic Center | Fayette | Fayette | Local artists and Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame | ||
Fendall Hall | Eufaula | Barbour | Victorian period home with furnishings and gardens, operated by the Alabama Historical Commission | ||
First White House of the Confederacy | Montgomery | Montgomery | Executive residence of President Jefferson Davis. Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Foley Railroad Museum | Foley | Baldwin | Exhibits, memorabilia, formerly the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad Depot (ca. 1909) | ||
Fort Conde | Mobile | Mobile | Namesake of Louis Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon, Prince of Condé, operated by the History Museum of Mobile | ||
Fort Gaines | Dauphin Island | Mobile | The Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War | ||
Fort Mitchell | Fort Mitchell | Russell | Reconstructed 1810s fort and museum, involved in the Creek War | ||
Fort Morgan | Gulf Shores | Baldwin | U.S. National Historic Landmark, U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Fort Payne Depot Museum | Fort Payne | DeKalb | Local history | ||
Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson National Historic Park | Wetumpka | Elmore | Replica 18th-century fort with living history demonstrations. U.S. National Historic Landmark. U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Freedom Rides Museum | Montgomery | Montgomery | National Register of Historic Places. Bus station that was the site of a violent attack on participants in the 1961 Freedom Rides during the Civil Rights Movement | ||
Gadsden Museum of Art | Gadsden | Etowah | Founded by the Gadsden Art Association (GAA) | ||
Gaineswood | Demopolis | Marengo | Listed as a National Historic Landmark and operated by the Alabama Historical Commission | ||
George Washington Carver Museum | Tuskegee | Macon | On the Tuskegee Institute campus. Closed for repairs and rehabilitation until Spring 2025. | ||
George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum | Dothan | Houston | Dedicated to African American scientist George Washington Carver | ||
Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery | Montgomery | Montgomery | Operated by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, located on the first floor of the RSA Tower | ||
Gorgas House | Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa | Oldest structure on the University of Alabama. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama | ||
Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center | Mobile | Mobile | Variety of traveling exhibitions, Dome Theater | ||
Gulf Shores Museum | Gulf Shores | Baldwin | Local history | ||
Guntersville Museum | Guntersville | Marshall | Located in the Company E of the 167th Infantry of the Alabama National Guard Armory | ||
Hank Williams Museum | Montgomery | Montgomery. | Founded in 1999 by Hank Williams Sr. fan Cecil Franklin Jackson | ||
Hank Williams Sr. Boyhood Home and Museum | Georgiana | Butler County | Non-profit Hank Williams Museum and Festival Inc. oversees this | ||
Harrison Brothers Hardware Store | Huntsville | Madison | Established in 1879, combination museum and operating hardware business | ||
Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum | Calera | Shelby | Official state railroad museum | ||
History Museum of Mobile | Mobile | Mobile | Local art exhibits, 300 years of Mobile history | ||
Huntsville Depot | Madison | City's railroad and transportation history. U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage | |||
Huntsville Museum of Art | Huntsville | Madison | Southern artists | ||
Indian Mound and Museum | Florence | Lauderdale | Indian mound and museum with excavated artifacts from different cultures dating back 10,000 years | ||
International Motorsports Hall of Fame | Talladega | Talladega | Racing vehicles and memorabilia | ||
Iron & Steel Museum of Alabama | Birmingham | Jefferson/Shelby | Iron and steel manufacturing during the Civil War | ||
Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center | Sylacauga | Talladega | Arts and local history | ||
Ivy Green | Tuscumbia | Colbert | Birthplace of Helen Keller U.S. National Historic Landmark, U.S. National Register of Historic Places Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. |
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Jemison-Carnegie Heritage Hall Museum | Talladega | Talladega | Local history | ||
Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum | Oakville | Morgan | Birthplace of track and field athlete Jesse Owens, who participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics, where he won four gold medals. | ||
Joseph Wheeler Plantation | Hillsboro | Lawrence | U.S. National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Historic district. Former home of Confederate General Joseph Wheeler, also known as Pond Spring. | ||
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art | Auburn | Lee | Part of Auburn University, 19th and 20th century American and European Art | ||
Landmark Park | Dothan | Houston | Alabama's official Museum of Agriculture, includes 1890s living history farm, a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, a turn-of the-century church and a planetarium, 100 acres | ||
Lee County Historical Society Museum | Loachapoka | Lee | Multi-exhibit historical museum | ||
Magnolia Grove | Greensboro | Hale | U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Antebellum mansion, best known as home of Rear Admiral Richmond Pearson Hobson, operated by the Alabama Historical Commission | ||
Mann Wildlife Learning Museum | Montgomery | Montgomery | Part of Montgomery Zoo | ||
Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education | Fairhope | Baldwin | Founded by Marietta Johnson and focused on childhood development, U.S. National Register of Historic Places | ||
Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington | Columbiana | Shelby | Biographical | ||
Kathryn Tucker Windham Museum | Thomasville | Clarke | Located on he Alabama Southern Community College campus. The works of journalist, photographer and storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham. | ||
Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts | Florence | Lauderdale | Features annual and changing exhibits of artists from the Southeas | ||
Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts | Gadsden | Etowah | Gadsden Community School for the Arts, Imagination Place Children's Museum | ||
McWane Science Center | Birmingham | Jefferson | Native American artifacts, minerals and fossils from the former Red Mountain Museum, Challenger Learning Center, aquarium, hands-on science exhibits | ||
Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center and Museum | Vance | Tuscaloosa | Mercedes-Benz automobiles and plant tours by advance reservations | ||
Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum | Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa | How the city was influenced by transportation | ||
Mobile Medical Museum | Mobile | Mobile | 5,000 medical artifacts and documents | ||
Mobile Museum of Art | Mobile | Mobile | Wide variety of 10,000 works, plus activities for all ages | ||
Monroe County Heritage Museums | Monroeville | Monroe | Host to multiple museums, includes Old Courthouse Museum, Rikard’s Mill Historical Park, Alabama River Museum | ||
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts | Montgomery | Montgomery | 4,000 works of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculpture, Southern regional art, Old Master prints and decorative arts | ||
The MOOseum | Montgomery | Montgomery | Cattle industry in Alabama | ||
Moundville Archaeological Park | Moundville | Hale | Operated by the University of Alabama Prehistoric Native American settlements | ||
Museum of East Alabama | Opelika | Lee | Approximately 4,000 artifacts regarding live in East Alabama | ||
National African American Archives and Museum | Mobile | Mobile | Themes include slavery, African American contributions in Mobile, Alabama and the United States. | ||
National Voting Rights Museum | Selma | Dallas | History of the African-American Voting Rights and Women's Suffrage movements | ||
Negro Southern League Museum | Birmingham | Jefferson | History of the Negro Southern League and Baseball in Birmingham | ||
North Alabama Railroad Museum | Chase | Madison | Features a rolling stock collection, a small train station and a small heritage railroad | ||
Northport Heritage Museum | Northport | Tuscaloosa | Northport Native American history | ||
Oakleigh Historic Complex | Mobile | Mobile | Historic Complex, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Oakleigh mansion, cottage, Union barracks | ||
Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Museum | Oakville | Lawrence | 83-acre (340,000 m2) state park and museum dedicated to ancient Native American monuments | ||
Old Alabama Town | Montgomery | Montgomery | Collection of historically significant buildings, brought together as a living history museum | ||
Old Cahawba Archaeological Park | Orrville | Dallas | National Register of Historic Places. Ghost town archaeological park with exhibits in the Welcome Center, operated by the Alabama Historical Commission | ||
Old Courthouse Museum | Monroeville | Monroe | Restored 1930s period courthouse, exhibits on local authors Truman Capote and Harper Lee | ||
Paul W. Bryant Museum | Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa | Bear Bryant 25 years head football coach University of Alabama football team. 314 collegiate football victories | ||
Phoenix Fire Museum | Mobile | Mobile | Operated by the History Museum of Mobile, located in the restored home of the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Company No. 6. | ||
Pope's Tavern | Florence | Lauderdale | Stagecoach stop, tavern and in. Civil War hospital and other artifacts | ||
Richards DAR House | Mobile | Mobile | U.S. Historic district Contributing property. 1860 Italianate house, operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution | ||
Rickwood Field | Birmingham | Jefferson | Oldest surviving professional baseball park in the United States | ||
Rikard’s Mill Historical Park | Beatrice | Monroe | Operating water-powered grist mill and museum | ||
Rosa Parks Library and Museum | Montgomery | Montgomery | Troy University campus | ||
Rosenbaum House | Florence | Lauderdale | Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in his Usonia style | ||
Samuel Ullman Museum | Birmingham | Jefferson | Life and works of poet Samuel Ullman. Operated by The University of Alabama at Birmingham, | ||
Sci-Quest | Huntsville | Madison | Children’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics | ||
Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum | Montgomery | Montgomery | The last home Scott and Zelda lived in together. | ||
Scottsboro-Jackson Heritage Center | Scottsboro | Jackson | Located in the Brown-Proctor House, late 19th-century period house, area Native Americans, pioneers, local history | ||
Shelby County Historical Society Museum | Columbiana | Shelby | |||
Shelby Iron Works | Columbiana | Shelby | Former iron works buildings in a park setting | ||
Shorter Mansion | Eufaula | Barbour | Designed by Montgomery architects Frank Lockwood and Frank Lockwood, Jr. Operated by the Eufala Heritage Association | ||
Skyline Commissary | Jackson | AKA "the rock store". Historic general store and former New Deal co-op, U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |||
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark | Birmingham | Jefferson | U.S. National Register of Historic Places, U.S. National Historic Landmark | ||
Southern Environmental Center | Birmingham | Jefferson | Located on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College, exhibits about pollution, green living | ||
Southern Museum of Flight | Birmingham | Jefferson | Southeast’s largest civilian aviation museum | ||
State Black Archives Research Center & Museum | Huntsville | Madison | African American | ||
Stevenson Railroad Depot Museum | Stevenson | Jackson | Railroad and Civil War artifacts | ||
Sturdivant Hall | Selma | Dallas | Mid 19th century Greek Revival mansion | ||
Three Notch Museum | Andalusia | Covington | Operated by the Covington Historical Society in a historic depot | ||
Tuskegee History Center | Tuskegee | Macon | Formerly known as the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center, | ||
United States Army Aviation Museum | Fort Novosel | Dale | Located on Fort Novosel, features large collection of helicopters | ||
U.S. Space & Rocket Center | Huntsville | Madison | Science, rocketry and space exploration | ||
Vaughan-Smitherman Museum | Selma | Dallas | Depicts Selma’s history until about 1960 | ||
U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum | Huntsville | Madison | Designated by the Alabama House of Representatives as the State of Alabama Veterans Memorial Museum. Run entirely by volunteers. | ||
Vulcan Statue and Vulcan Park | Birmingham | Jefferson | City history, history of the Vulcan statue | ||
W. C. Handy Home, Museum & Library | Florence | Lauderdale | Focus on the life and career of the artist known as the “Father of the Blues” | ||
Weeden House Museum | Huntsville | Madison | Features the work of Maria Howard Weeden | ||
William and Emily Hearin Mobile Carnival Museum | Mobile | Mobile | Carnival and Mardi Gras in Mobile | ||
Wiregrass Museum of Art | Dothan | Houston | Non-profit, features southern artists |
Defunct museums
- Blue and Gray Museum of North Alabama,Decatur, Morgan, Private collection of Civil War artifacts
- Carlen House, Mobile
- George and Lurleen Wallace Museum, Montgomery, dedicated to the lives of former Alabama governor's George Wallace and Lurleen B. Wallace
- Ma'Cille's Museum of Miscellanea, Gordo, article
- Magee Farm, Kushla, closed in 2010
- Red Mountain Museum, Birmingham
- Tom Mann's Fish World, Eufaula, closed in 2004
- Tuscaloosa Museum of Art
- The Water Course, Clanton, closed in 2012