Museums in Chattanooga

In honor and preparation for Chattanooga’s 2nd annual Museum Hop on August 9-10, I thought I would run down the list of all the museums in Chattanooga. Some of these are major affairs, like the Hunter Art Museum, some are smaller. All are worth a look! Once, at least.

MUSEUM HOP

First, let’s talk about the Museum Hop! This event allows you to visit NINE participating museums for $20, a $60 savings over regular admission. Unfortunately, it’s on August 9-10, a Thursday and Friday from 10 am-5 pm, so its not for those of us who work full-time.

It works this way: you register online or by calling 423-894-8028, and pick up a passport at your first stop. Get your passport stamped at all nine museums and you get a t-shirt! I’m not sure if you have two days to complete the hop or if you have to do it all on one day.

INCLUDED MUSEUMS

The museums included in the Hop are the Tennessee Valley Railroad, the International Towing Museum, Coker Tire Museum, the Medal of Honor Heritage Museum, Songbirds Guitar Museum, Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 6th Cavalry Museum, Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, and something called the National Park Partners which will have a booth in the Bessie Smith Center representing the Chickamauga Battlefield and relating military parks.

For descriptions and regular prices and hours of those museums and more, see below! I’ll put a star in front of the ones included in the hop.

HUNTER MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

The Hunter Museum of American Art, perched high on a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River, contains a collection housed in three distinct buildings. There is the original 1905 mansion, the 1970’s concrete block structure (almost one with the bluff itself), and the 2005 contemporary addition with swooping lines that evoke the river.

The museum forms the focus of the Bluff View Art District, with a sculpture garden, art gallery, coffee house, bakery, two amazing restaurants, and a sweet bed & breakfast. The (no longer glass) Holmberg Bridge connects the district to Walnut Street Bridge and downtown.

Hours are generally 10 am-5 pm; noon-5 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays; and 10 am-8 pm on Thursdays. Admission is FREE on the first Thursdays of every month ($5 for special exhibits.) The rest of the time it’s $15 for adults, $14 for seniors 65+ and educators, $12 for retired military, and FREE for kids 17 and under.

CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM

The children’s Creative Discovery Museum downtown makes learning fun through play. Exhibits engage even the youngest children and there are lots of fun events year-round. The current special exhibit is based on the PBS pre-school show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Upcoming is Hello from Japan! a fun representation of how children and families live in Tokyo.

Hours are 10 am-5 pm, expanded slightly to 9:30 am-5:30 pm during the summer months. Admission costs $14.95 for ages 2 and older, $9.95 for the military, FREE for Chattanooga police and firefighters and $9.95 for law enforcement from outside the city. $11.95 for seniors 65+. Show your ticket stub from the Aquarium and get in for $12.95.

*TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD

I enthused at length in my last post about the Tennessee Valley Railroad. Check out that post for every train that they run during the year–I really want to do the 8-hour Copperhill Special in the fall! Office hours (to buy tickets) are from 9 am-4:30 pm, or purchase tickets online. Take a look at their calendar to see what they offer! This one is farther from downtown than most of the others–it’s in east Chattanooga, near the airport off 153.

*BESSIE SMITH CULTURAL CENTER

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center on MLK downtown is a combination performance hall and African American Museum. Named after a Chattanooga native and “Empress of the Blues,” the center has become a cultural and educational nexus for the area. Check the upcoming events page for special exhibits, talks, and concerts.

Cost is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and $3 for kids 6-12. The Bessie is open Monday-Friday 10-5, Saturdays 12-4 from February 1 to September 30. By special appointment any other time.

*INTERNATIONAL TOWING AND RECOVERY MUSEUM

The International Tow Truck Museum is located on South Broad Street near the base of Lookout Mountain. Apparently, the towing industry got its start in Chattanooga in 1916 and this is the museum to document the vehicles, the lives saved, and those who have fallen in this helpful profession. They certainly have an impressive sculpture out front!

Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for 55+ and the military, $8.50 for AAA members, $6 for kids 6-14, and FREE for 5 and under. The museum is open Monday-Saturday 9-5, Sunday 11-5. Hours are a bit shorter in the winter months.

*SONGBIRDS GUITAR MUSEUM

The new(ish) Songbirds Guitar Museum looks amazing! Housed in the Chattanooga Choo Choo, you can take a self-guided tour of the main exhibits or take a guided All-Access Tour that includes the Green Room and The Vault. Special VIP experiences allow you to play these vintage instruments for yourself! A full roster of performances can be found in either their 200-person North Stage in the museum or the 500-person state-of-the-art South Stage.

General admission costs $15.95 per person, the All-Access Tour is $38.95 and steps off at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm (and 5: 00 pm Thursdays-Saturdays.) Prices are $12 and $35 if bought in advance online. VIP experiences are between $200 and $1,000. Hours are Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday-Saturday 10-8, and Sunday 12-6. Note that the museum closes at 5 pm on days when there’s a concert on the North Stage.

*COKER TIRE MUSEUM

The Coker Tire Museum is a guided tour through the private collection of vintage and specialty vehicles that the local Coker Tire company provides products for. The tour is always FREE, but tours are only at 10 am and 1 pm, Monday-Friday.

THE BATTLES FOR CHATTANOOGA MUSEUM

The Battles for Chattanooga Museum–what used to be called the “Confederama” when I was a kid–is a small museum just outside the entrance to Point Park on Lookout Mountain. The focal point is a large model depicting the action of the historic “Battle Above the Clouds” fought on Lookout during the American Civil War. You’ll also find other interesting artifacts, a bookstore, and a gift shop. And I believe they sell Clumpie’s Ice Cream here, which is always good.

Tickets are $9.95 for adults, $6.95 for kids 6-12, and ages 5 and under FREE. You can also combine this ticket with other Lookout Mountain attractions like Rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Incline, which is just down the street.

EVERLASTING NATION MUSEUM

This isn’t built yet, but plans are in the works for a Jewish museum in Hixson, TN, a little north of downtown Chattanooga. The Everlasting Nation Museum will feature a replica of the wailing wall, representations of Abraham’s tent and a Jewish wedding, and an expanded section on the Holocaust.

*HOUSTON MUSEUM OF DECORATIVE ARTS

The Houston Museum of Decorative Arts is right across the street from the Hunter Museum. In this charming house, you’ll find a huge glass collection, catching the light on every wall. I love the view from outside through the windows with all the glass lining the shelves.

Open Wednesday-Saturday, noon-4 pm. Cost is $9 for adults, $3.50 for kids 4-17, $5 for college students and active military. Come to browse the gift shop anytime.

LYNN H. WOOD ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Southern Adventist University in Collegedale hosts a biblical Archaeological Museum during the school year, I presume for FREE since I don’t see any admission prices listed.

Opens on August 20, Monday-Thursday 9-noon & 1-5 pm. Fridays 9-noon, Saturday & Sunday 2-5.

*CHARLES H. COOLIDGE MEDAL OF HONOR HERITAGE CENTER

I had never even heard of this one before! I believe it has been housed in the mostly-abandoned shell of the Northgate Town Center. But the Medal of Honor Heritage Center is moving into new and impressive digs downtown inside the Visitor’s Center by the Aquarium. No open date is currently set.

*6TH CAVALRY MUSEUM

Another one I hadn’t heard of before, the 6th Calvary Museum is located in Fort Oglethorpe near the Chickamauga Battlefield. This small museum honors the horse soldiers stationed here from 1919-1942.

Cost is $3 for adults, $2 for students & seniors, ages 5 and under are FREE. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10-4.

CHILDREN’S HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

If you have ever seen the documentary Paper Clips you will be familiar with this location! Trying to get their middle school students to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust, three teachers in Whitwell created a project in which students collected over 30 million paper clips, each one representing a life lost during the Nazi regime. The sheer magnitude of the paper clips is astounding.

A portion of these paper clips is now housed in a German rail car that was once used to transport Jewish citizens to death and labor camps. As you step into the car, you press a button for a 20-minute audio presentation.

You can find the rail car in front of Whitwell Middle School and is open for self-guided tours anytime during school hours. You can also pick up a key from nearby Castle’s Grocery between 9-5.