3 of the Best Museums in Driving Distance of Paris, TN

Get in a Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, or Jeep Cherokee and head down the road to find the best museums in and around Paris, TN. Stroll through the elegant Cavitt Place mansion, known as “the Jewel of West Tennessee.” Drive to McKenzie to learn about the region’s history and to Pilot Knob to find out more about the lives of the people who lived and worked on the Tennessee River.

3 of the Best Museums in Driving Distance of Paris, TN

1. The Paris-Henry County Heritage Center

The Paris-Henry County Heritage Center is a museum and cultural center in the Paris North Poplar District, which is on the Tennessee and the National Registers of Historic Places. The center is in the magnificent Cavitt Place, known as “the Jewel of West Tennessee,” a 1916 Italian Revival-style mansion built by Colonel O.C. Barton, mayor of Paris from 1893 to 1897 and later president of the City Board of Education.

The elegant mansion provides the ideal backdrop for exhibits of the local history dating back to the beginning of Paris and Henry County and special community events held throughout the year.

Address and Hours

The Paris-Henry County Heritage Center is at 614 North Poplar Street in Paris and is open from Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

2. The Gordon Browning Genealogical Museum

The Gordon Browning Genealogical Museum is in the historic old McKenzie Post Office Building in McKenzie, 22 miles from Paris. The museum was named after the two-time Governor of Tennessee, Gordon Browning, and displays many of his personal effects, papers, photographs, and a wealth of artifacts, documents, genealogy records, and images representing the history and culture of Carroll County.

Address and Hours

The Gordon Browning Genealogical Museum is at 640 N Main Street in McKenzie and is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

3. The Tennessee River Folklife Interpretive Center and Museum

The Tennessee River Folklife Interpretive Center and Museum in Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, 27 miles from Paris in Eva, is on Pilot Knob, which offers far-flung views over  Kentucky Lake, New Johnsonville, and the surrounding woodlands.

The center focuses on the history and culture of the folks who lived and worked on the Tennessee River. There are various displays on the crafts, musseling, and commercial fishing in the area and videos on river life and the Civil War.

Address and Hours

The Tennessee River Folklife Interpretive Center and Museum is at 1825 Pilot Knob Road in Eva and is open daily between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. year-round.

Head down the road to the region’s top museums to learn more about history and culture. Pop in at Peppers Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram today and test drive one of the top-quality vehicles on display.

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