Welcome to the
Museum of Appalachia,
a living history museum of pioneer, frontier, and early artifacts of mountain life in the Southern Appalachians.
You are visitor no.
Join us for sheep shearing
& thread spinning demonstrations May 9-10 Click on this photo for more information..
L to R: Museum employees Bobby Stooksbury,
Carl Bell. The sheep is being sheared by Dean Fritz
Photo Credit: Carol Ostrom .
We have exciting changes working for our July 4th Celebration
and Anvil Shoot.
Check this page for updates
as they become available
We are proud
to announce that we have been named an Affiliate
of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution, who
describes us as "an American treasure" that
"stands alone as a tribute to the American spirit.
The Museum of Appalachia is about family, country,
hard work, and respect for tradition."
We invite you to visit the village,
farm, and exhibits at the Museum of Appalachia. We
are only one mile off of Interstate 75, but our
picturesque pastures, historic 19th century
buildings, and authentic old-time music will make
you feel as if you've traveled back in time.
With more than 30 historic log buildings
gathered onto 63 acres and hundreds of exhibits
celebrating the creativity and color of our
Appalachian forebears, the Museum annually hosts
over 100,000 visitors who view thousands of relics
in authentic settings. It was, in fact,
founder John Rice Irwin's
intention to develop the Museum as an authentic
representation of early life in Appalachia,
seeking to make the dwellings appear as if the
family has just strolled down to the spring to
fetch the day's supply of water.
In addition to
hosting thousands of families, schoolchildren,
weddings and reunions, basket collectors, and
historians each year, the Museum celebrates the
seasons with three special events:
Our annual
fall festival, Tennessee Fall Homecoming, is one
of the largest and oldest music and crafts
festivals in the Southeast. Now in its 28th
year, Homecoming features traditional music and
dancing, with craftsmen, cooks, and cloggers
serving up four days of lively entertainment and
authentic sights and sounds of the remote Southern
Appalachians.
Come join
us rattle the windows and shake the hills with our
July 4th Celebration and Anvil Shoot.
We'll be demonstrating old-time mountain
activities, and we always have something special
planned for the children.
During the month of December, visitors can see the
Museum transformed with traditional trees and
homemade Christmas decorations, typical of austere
pioneer days, in its authentic log buildings.
And in the spirit of holiday giving, the Museum
throws its doors open for its annual Christmas
Open House, with free admission in exchange for a
donation to the local food pantry. Details
about the Open House and Christmas in Old
Appalachia can be found by following the link
above.
We also have a small restaurant on the grounds
where you can enjoy some old-fashioned country
cooking, and there is a gift shop featuring
regionally-made quilts, baskets, and pottery. The
Museum is open all year, with extended hours in
the spring and summer.
Families with children, professional historians,
quilters, cookbook collectors —there's something
for everyone at the Museum of Appalachia. Come
see us!
The Museum of Appalachia is open during daylight hours
year-round, except Christmas Day. Closing times
vary with the seasons, depending upon daylight hours.
Please telephone for exact hours of closing.
