List of museums in Kentucky
This list of museums in Kentucky is a list of museums, defined for this context as institutions that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace are not included.
Museums
| Name | Image | Location | County | Region | Area of study | Summary |
| 1817 Saddle Factory Museum | Russellville | Logan | South Central Kentucky | Industry | History of the saddle factory, its workers and products, operated by Historic Russellville | |
| Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park | Hodgenville | LaRue | Derby Region | Biographical | Preserves two farm sites where Abraham Lincoln lived as a child. | |
| Adsmore | Princeton | Caldwell | Western Waterlands | Living | Victorian home with "living" tours by season | |
| African American Heritage Center | Franklin | Simpson | South Central Kentucky | African American | , African American achievements in Simpson County and Kentucky | |
| Alexander Arthur Museum | Middlesboro | Bell | Daniel Boone Country | Biographical | Display of personal items owned by Alexander Arthur and his family | |
| American Cave Museum | Horse Cave | Hart | South Central Kentucky | Natural history | , caves, groundwater, pollution and tour of Hidden River Cave | |
| American Saddlebred Museum | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Natural history | , part of Kentucky Horse Park, history of the American Saddlebred, art, trophies, photographs, tack | |
| Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Historic house | Plantation of the 19th-century Kentucky statesman Henry Clay | |
| Atkinson-Griffin Log House | Campbellsville | Taylor | Daniel Boone Country | Historic house | Served as a Confederate hospital after the Battle of Tebbs Bend | |
| Auburn Museum | Auburn | Logan | South Central Kentucky | Local history | , operated by the Auburn Historical Society | |
| Aviation Heritage Park | Bowling Green | Warren | South Central Kentucky | Aviation | , park display of an F-4 Phantom II, planned display of other aircraft | |
| Aviation Museum of Kentucky | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Aviation | Historic airplanes, photos, documents and training equipment | |
| Bardstown Historical Museum | Bardstown | Nelson | Derby Region | Local history | Located in Spalding Hall along with the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History | |
| Barlow House Museum | Barlow | Ballard | Western Waterlands | Historic house | Late 19th-century period house | |
| Barthell Coal Mining Camp | Whitley City | McCreary | 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 | Kenton | Northern Kentucky | Local history | , regional history of Northern Kentucky | |
| Bell County Coal House and Museum | Middlesboro | Bell | Daniel Boone Country | Mining | House made of coal and outdoor display on local coal mines | |
| Bell County Historical Society Museum | Middlesboro | Bell | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | , operated by the Bell County Historical Society | |
| Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum | Marion | Crittenden | Western Waterlands | Natural history | , minerals including large collection of fluorite specimens | |
| Bibb House Museum | Russellville | Logan | South Central Kentucky | Historic house | Open by appointment with Historic Russellville | |
| Big Bone Lick State Park | Big Bone | Boone | 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 | Pike | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | Housed in a former railroad station | |
| Bill Monroe Museum | Rosine | Ohio | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Biographical | Life of Bill Monroe and the early foundations of bluegrass music | |
| BitterSweet Cabin Museum | Renfro Valley | Rockcastle | Daniel Boone Country | Open-air | , log cabin museum village and stores | |
| Black History Gallery | Elizabethtown | Hardin | Derby Region | African American | Display of photos, articles and biographies of black Americans | |
| Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp | Blue Heron | McCreary | South Central Kentucky | Mining | Restored former company town | |
| Bluegrass Heritage Museum | Winchester | Clark | Bluegrass | Local history | ||
| Bluegrass Motorcycle Museum | Rosine | Ohio | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Transportation | Private collection of over 20 vintage, American made motorcycles and memorabilia, open by appointment | |
| Bluegrass Railroad and Museum | Versailles | Woodford | Bluegrass | Railroad | Heritage railroad and museum | |
| Blue Licks Battlefield State Park | Mount Olivet | Robertson | 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 | Perry | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | ||
| Breathitt County Museum | Jackson | Breathitt | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | ||
| Breckinridge County Historical Society Museum | Hardinsburg | Breckinridge | Derby Region | Local history | ||
| Brennan House & Medical Office Museum | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Historic house | Victorian mansion | |
| Brown-Pusey House | Elizabethtown | Hardin | Derby Region | Historic house | 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 | Bullitt | Derby Region | Local history | , operated by the Bullitt County Genealogical Society | |
| Butler-Turpin State Historic House | Carrollton | Carroll | Northern Kentucky | Historic house | Located in General Butler State Resort Park, mid 19th century period house | |
| Caldwell County Railroad Museum | Princeton | Caldwell | Western Waterlands | Railroad | , railroad artifacts and memorabilia. | |
| Camp Breckinridge Museum & Arts Center | Morganfield | Union | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Historic site | , former officer's club, features murals painted by a German POW | |
| Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park | Nicholasville | Jessamine | Bluegrass | Civil War | Union Army supply depot and recruiting station for African American soldiers | |
| Cane Ridge Meeting House & Barton Warren Stone Museum | Paris | Bourbon | Bluegrass | Religious | History of the former camp meeting site | |
| Capital City Museum | Frankfort | Franklin | Bluegrass | Local history | ||
| The Carnegie | Covington | Kenton | Northern Kentucky | Art | , multidisciplinary arts venue with galleries | |
| C.B. Caudill Store & History Center | Blackey | Letcher | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | ||
| Civil War Museum | Bardstown | Nelson | 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 | Evarts | Harlan | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | , located in Highsplint, a former coal town | |
| Cloverport Depot Museum | Cloverport | Breckinridge | Derby Region | Local history | ||
| Columbus-Belmont State Park | Columbus | Hickman | Western Waterlands | Civil War | Civil War history of the area and local natural and cultural history | |
| Conrad-Caldwell House | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Historic house | Late 19th-century period mansion | |
| Constitution Square Historic Site | Danville | Boyle | Bluegrass | Open-air | Includes replica of 1785 log courthouse, jail and meetinghouse, 1792 post office | |
| Coal Miners' Museum | Van Lear | Johnson | Kentucky's Appalachians | Mining | Local coal mining history | |
| Creation Museum | Petersburg | Boone | Northern Kentucky | Religious | ||
| Crittenden County Historical Museum | Marion | Crittenden | Western Waterlands | Local history | ||
| Cumberland Gap National Historical Park | Middlesboro | Bell | 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 | Whitley | Daniel Boone Country | Multiple | Natural history, collections of crosses, coins, stamps, arrowheads and nutcrackers | |
| Cynthiana Museum | Cynthiana | Harrison | Bluegrass | Local history | ||
| David A. Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum | Jenkins | Letcher | Daniel Boone Country | Mining | Coal mining and railroad history | |
| Dawson Springs Museum and Art Center | Dawson Springs | Hopkins | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | Local history and art | |
| Dinsmore Homestead | Burlington | Boone | Northern Kentucky | Historic house | 1840s house on | |
| Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum | Fort Campbell | Christian | Western Waterlands | Military | History of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault the "Screaming Eagles" | |
| Duncan Tavern | Paris | Bourbon | Bluegrass | Historic site | , state headquarters of the Kentucky Society, NSDAR; 18th century tavern | |
| East Kentucky Science Center | Prestonsburg | Floyd | Kentucky's Appalachians | Science | Includes exhibit hall, planetarium and laser dome | |
| Elkhorn City Railroad Museum | Elkhorn City | Pike | Kentucky's Appalachians | Railroad | History of railroads in Kentucky's Eastern Mountain Coal Fields region | |
| Embroidery Museum and Resource Center | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Textile | Operated by the Embroiderer's Guild of America, exhibits of embroidered items | |
| Ephraim McDowell House | Danville | Boyle | Bluegrass | Historic house | Early 19th-century doctor's office, house and apothecary shop | |
| Explorium of Lexington | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Children's | , formerly known as the Lexington Children's Museum | |
| Fairholme | Cadiz | Trigg | Western Waterlands | Historic house | , tours by appointment, also known as the John L. Street Home | |
| Farmington Historic Home | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Historic house | Early 19th century plantation home | |
| Federal Hill | Bardstown | Nelson | Derby Region | Historic house | Also known as My Old Kentucky Home, early 19th-century mansion, part of My Old Kentucky Home State Park | |
| The Filson Historical Society | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Local history | Includes a museum of local history and art exhibits | |
| Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum | Flemingsburg | Fleming | Bluegrass | Local history | ||
| Fordsville Depot Museum | Fordsville | Ohio | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Multiple | , includes local history, railroad and rural life displays | |
| Forkland Community Center Lincoln Museum | Forkland | Boyle | Bluegrass | Local history | , community heritage, including local connections to Lucey Shipley Hanks Sparrow, who was the grandmother of Abraham Lincoln | |
| Fort Boonesborough State Park | Boonesborough | Madison | Bluegrass | Fort | Reconstructed pioneer fort with artisans | |
| Francis M. Stafford House | Paintsville | Johnson | Kentucky's Appalachians | Historic house | 19th-century house, open by appointment | |
| Frazier History Museum | Louisville | Jefferson | Museum Row | Kentucky History | Where the World meets Kentucky Kentucky history, culture and people. | |
| Friendship School | Campbellsville | Taylor | Daniel Boone Country | Education | 1918 one room schoolhouse | |
| Garrard County Jail Museum | Lancaster | Garrard | Bluegrass | Prison | ||
| General George Patton Museum of Leadership | Fort Knox | Hardin | Derby Region | Biographical | ||
| Georgetown & Scott County Museum | Georgetown | Scott | Bluegrass | Local history | ||
| Georgetown College Fine Art Galleries | Georgetown | Scott | Bluegrass | Art | , includes the Jacobs Gallery, Cochenour Gallery, Anne Wright Wilson Fine Art Gallery, and Live. Learn. Believe. Sculpture Exhibition | |
| Glema Mahr Center for the Arts | Madisonville | Hopkins | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Art | , part of Madisonville Community College, features the Anne P. Baker Gallery of fine art | |
| Governor William Owsley House | Lancaster | Garrard | Bluegrass | Historic house | Also known as Pleasant Retreat | |
| Great American Dollhouse Museum | Danville | Boyle | Bluegrass | Toy | , over 200 dollhouses, miniature buildings and room boxes | |
| Green River Female Academy | Elkton | Todd | Western Waterlands | Education | 19th century female seminary | |
| Hancock County Museum | Hawesville | Hancock | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | , housed in the old railroad station | |
| Hardin County History Museum | Elizabethtown | Hardin | Derby Region | Local history | ||
| Harland Sanders Café and Museum | Corbin | Laurel | South Central Kentucky | Food | Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken | |
| Harriet Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum | Maysville | Mason | Northern Kentucky | Biographical | Located in the Marshall Key House, said to be where author Harriet Beecher Stowe got some of the ideas for her book Uncle Tom's Cabin | |
| Hart County Historical Museum | Munfordville | Hart | South Central Kentucky | Local history | , operated by the Hart County Historical Society | |
| Headley-Whitney Museum | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Art | , decorative arts including jewelry, bibelots and mounted semi-precious stones, doll houses, shell grotto, changing exhibits | |
| Hickman County Museum | Clinton | Hickman | Western Waterlands | Local history | ||
| Hiestand House Museum | Campbellsville | Taylor | Daniel Boone Country | Historic house | 1823 German stone house with exhibits about county history | |
| Highlands Museum and Discovery Center | Ashland | Boyd | Kentucky's Appalachians | History | Local history and specialized science displays | |
| Historical Society of Hopkins County Museum | Madisonville | Hopkins | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | , includes Ruby Laffoon cabin | |
| Historic Locust Grove | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Historic house | 55 acre 18th-century farm homestead | |
| Historic Railpark and Train Museum | Bowling Green | Warren | South Central Kentucky | Railroad | Historic railroad station, locomotives and railroad equipment | |
| Homeplace on Green River | Campbellsville | Taylor | Daniel Boone Country | Farm | , 19th-century period demonstration farm on 227 acres | |
| Hopewell Museum | Paris | Bourbon | Bluegrass | Local history | , history and culture of Bourbon County and Central Kentucky | |
| Hunt-Morgan House | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Historic house | 18th century home, includes Alexander T. Hunt Civil War Museum | |
| International Bluegrass Music Museum | Owensboro | Daviess | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Music | History of bluegrass music | |
| Irvinton House Museum | Richmond | Madision | Bluegrass | Local history | Located in Irvine-McDowell Park | |
| Jack Jouett House Historic Site | Versailles | Woodford | Bluegrass | Historic house | , late 18th-century home of American Revolutionary hero Jack Jouett | |
| James A. Ramage Civil War Museum | Fort Wright | Kenton | Northern Kentucky | History | History of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky's involvement in the American Civil War | |
| Janice Mason Art Museum | Cadiz | Trigg | Western Waterlands | Art | , part of the Cadiz Community Arts Center, changing exhibits of art in all forms | |
| Jefferson Davis State Historic Site | Fairview | Todd | Western Waterlands | Biographical | Monument and museum about Confederate leader Jefferson Davis | |
| John James Audubon State Park | Henderson | 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 | Harlan | Daniel Boone Country | Mining | Coal mining and life of the coal miner and family | |
| Kentucky Derby Museum | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Sports | American Thoroughbred horse racing museum | |
| Kentucky Folk Art Center | Morehead | Rowan | Kentucky's Appalachians | Art | Part of Morehead State University, self-taught art, exhibits of folk art, fine art, textiles, photography, and historical content | |
| Kentucky Gateway Museum Center | Maysville | Mason | Northern Kentucky | Multiple | , includes regional history dioramas and artifacts, an art gellery and Kathleen Savage Browning Miniatures Collection | |
| Kentucky Governor's Mansion | Frankfort | Franklin | Bluegrass | Historic house | ||
| Kentucky Museum | Bowling Green | Warren | South Central Kentucky | Multiple | On the campus of Western Kentucky University, Kentucky and US cultural history, decorative arts, Duncan Hines | |
| Kentucky Military History Museum | Frankfort | Franklin | Bluegrass | Military | Operated by the Kentucky Historical Society | |
| Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Art | Art and craft heritage of Kentucky | |
| Kentucky Music Hall of Fame | Renfro Valley | Rockcastle | Daniel Boone Country | Music | ||
| Kentucky Railway Museum | New Haven | Nelson | Derby Region | Railroad | History and heritage of Kentucky's railroads and the people who built them, includes model trains, heritage railroad | |
| Kentucky River Museum | Boonesborough | Madison | Bluegrass | Transportation | Impact of the river, locks and dams on the area's family and commerce, open on a limited basis | |
| Kentucky Science Center | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Science | Formerly the Louisville Science Center, hands-on science exhibits, natural history displays | |
| Knox Historical Museum | Barbourville | Knox | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | ||
| Laurel Gorge Cultural Heritage Center | Sandy Hook | Elliott | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | ||
| Lexington History Center | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Multiple | Currently closed and developing traveling displays; included the Lexington History Museum, Lexington Public Safety Museum, Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum and the Kentucky Renaissance Pharmacy Museum | |
| Liberty Hall Historic Site | Frankfort | Franklin | Bluegrass | Historic house | Includes both Liberty Hall and Orlando Brown House | |
| Lincoln Heritage House | Elizabethtown | Hardin | Derby Region | Historic house | Log home of Thomas Lincoln | |
| Lincoln Homestead State Park | Springfield | Washington | 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 | LaRue | Derby Region | Biographical | , features dioramas with wax figures depicting important events in Lincoln's life and Lincoln artwork | |
| Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum | Paducah | McCracken | Western Waterlands | History | Focuses on Kentucky and the western theater of the American Civil War | |
| Lone Oak House Museum | Hopkinsville | Christian | Western Waterlands | Historic house | Open by appointment | |
| Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Sports | Baseball and the history of the baseball bat | |
| Louisville Visual Art Association | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Art | , changing art exhibits, located in the Louisville Water Tower | |
| Ludlow Heritage Museum | Ludlow | Kenton | Northern Kentucky | Local history | ||
| Lyon County Museum | Eddyville | Lyon | Western Waterlands | Local history | , also known as Rose Hill Museum | |
| Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum | Salyersville | Magoffin | Kentucky's Appalachians | Open-air | Reconstructed log buildings, operated by the Magoffin County Historical Society | |
| Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum | Cave City | Barren | South Central Kentucky | Natural history | , mounted animal dioramas | |
| Marie Stewart Museum & Craft Shop | Hindman | Knott | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | History of the Hindman Settlement School | |
| Mary Todd Lincoln House | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Historic house | 1840s period family home of Mary Todd Lincoln | |
| McCreary County Museum | Stearns | McCreary | South Central Kentucky | Local history | Adjacent to Big South Fork Scenic Railway, history and culture of McCreary County and the Stearns Coal & Lumber Company | |
| McLean County History & Genealogy Museum | Calhoun | McLean | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | , housed in the old railroad station | |
| Mill Springs Battlefield Visitors Center and Museum | Nancy | Pulaski | South Central Kentucky | Civil War | Commemorates the January 1862 Battle of Mill Springs | |
| Morgan County History Museum | West Liberty | Morgan | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | ||
| Mountain Homeplace | Staffordsville | Johnson | 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 | Laurel | Daniel Boone Country | Open-air | Part of Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park, recreated pioneer village and a restored McHargue's Mill | |
| Muhammad Ali Center | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Biographical | Life and ideals of boxer Muhammad Ali | |
| Museum of Physical Security | Nicholasville | Jessamine | Bluegrass | Commodity | , operated by Lockmasters Security Institute, collection of safe locks | |
| Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | History | History of the education of people who are blind, and how the American Printing House for the Blind has contributed to that history | |
| National Corvette Museum | Bowling Green | Warren | South Central Kentucky | Automotive | Showcases the Chevrolet Corvette | |
| National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame | Walton | Boone | Northern Kentucky | Sports | American drivers of dirt late model racecars | |
| National Quilt Museum | Paducah | McCracken | Western Waterlands | Textile | Quilts and fiber art | |
| National Underground Railroad Museum | Maysville | Mason | Northern Kentucky | Historic house | , located in the Bierbower House, a safe house for the Underground Railroad | |
| Northeastern Kentucky Museum | Olive Hill | Carter | Kentucky's Appalachians | Local history | ||
| NKU Museum of Anthropology | Highland Heights | Campbell | Northern Kentucky | Anthropology | , part of Northern Kentucky University, display cases on the second floor of Landrum Academic Center | |
| Octagon Hall Museum | Franklin | Simpson | South Central Kentucky | Historic house | ||
| Ohio County Museum | Hartford | Ohio | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Open-air | Includes a historic log cabin, one-room school house, historic home | |
| Ohio County Veterans' Museum | Hartford | Ohio | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Military | ||
| Old Fort Harrod State Park | Harrodsburg | Mercer | Derby Region | Open-air | Reconstructed fort and museum | |
| Old Washington Historic Village | Washington | Mason | Northern Kentucky | Open-air | , 1780s frontier village, includes the Paxton House, a restored 1810 historical residence, historic houses, log cabins, churches, Slavery to Freedom Museum, carriage museum | |
| Oldham County History Center | La Grange | Oldham | Derby Region | Local history | , operated by the Oldham County Historical Society, includes the Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum, J.C. Barnett Archives and Library, and the Robb Morris Chapel | |
| Old State Capitol | Frankfort | Franklin | Bluegrass | Historic site | Operated by the Kentucky Historical Society | |
| Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History | Bardstown | Nelson | Derby Region | Food | History of American whiskey from Colonial days through the 1960s; located in Spalding Hall along with the Bardstown Historical Museum | |
| Owen County Historical Museum | Owenton | Owen | Northern Kentucky | Local history | , operated by the Owen County Historical Society | |
| Owensboro Area Museum of Science & History | Owensboro | Daviess | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Multiple | , natural history, science, local history, motor sports, children's area and government | |
| Owensboro Museum of Fine Art | Owensboro | Daviess | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Art | , collection features American, European and Asian fine and decorative arts dating from the 15th century to the present | |
| Paducah Railway Museum | Paducah | McCracken | Western Waterlands | Railroad | ||
| Paradise Park Museum Complex | Powderly | Muhlenberg | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Open-air | 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 | Webster | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Local history | ||
| Pennyroyal Area Museum | Hopkinsville | Christian | Western Waterlands | Local history | , includes exhibits about Edgar Cayce, area African American history, a pioneer living set, and a military exhibit | |
| Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site | Perryville | Boyle | Bluegrass | Civil War | Site of the Battle of Perryville | |
| Portland Museum | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Local history | History of Portland, Louisville's riverside community | |
| Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati | Covington | Kenton | Northern Kentucky | Railroad | Features over 80 historic railroad equipment located on a 4-acre site | |
| Red River Museum | Clay City | Powell | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | , local mining, logging and railroad industries, operated by the Red River Historical Society | |
| River Discovery Center | Paducah | McCracken | Western Waterlands | Maritime | , river transportation, steamboats, captains, locks and dams, natural history and habitats | |
| Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Historic house | 1840s house, archaeological excavations, gardens | |
| Riverview at Hobson Grove | Bowling Green | Warren | South Central Kentucky | Historic house | Mid-19th century home | |
| Rob Morris Home | La Grange | Oldham | 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 | Todd | Western Waterlands | Biographical | , birthplace of poet Robert Penn Warren | |
| Rosemary Clooney Museum | Augusta | Bracken | Northern Kentucky | Biographical | Home of singer Rosemary Clooney | |
| Royal Spring Park | Georgetown | Scott | Bluegrass | Historic house | Park that includes 1874 log cabin | |
| Rowan County Historical Veterans Museum | Morehead | Rowan | Kentucky's Appalachians | Military | ||
| Samuel May House Living History Museum | Prestonsburg | Floyd | Kentucky's Appalachians | Historic house | Early 19th-century house | |
| Shaker Museum at South Union | Auburn | Logan | South Central Kentucky | Religious | History of the South Union Shaker Village and Shaker folklife and material culture | |
| Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill | Pleasant Hill | Mercer | Bluegrass | Living | 19th century Shaker village | |
| Scott County Arts & Cultural Center | Georgetown | Scott | Bluegrass | Art | Located in the Scott County Jail Complex | |
| Simpson County Archives and Museum | Franklin | Simpson | South Central Kentucky | Local history | , 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 | |
| Sons of the American Revolution | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Military | Displays on the early history of the United States and the American Revolution in its library | |
| South Central Kentucky Cultural Center | Glasgow | Barren | South Central Kentucky | Local history | , also known as Museum of the Barrens | |
| Speed Art Museum | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Art | ||
| Swamp Valley Museum | Frenchburg | Menifee | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | ||
| Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum | Elizabethtown | Hardin | Derby Region | Automotive | , historic automobiles | |
| Thistle Cottage | Greenville | Muhlenberg | Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region | Multiple | , formerly the Duncan Center Museum & Art Gallery, operated by the Muhlenberg County Public Library, art exhibits and area coal history displays | |
| Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History | Frankfort | Franklin | Bluegrass | History | Operated by the Kentucky Historical Society, over 12,000 years of Kentucky history | |
| Thomas Edison House | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Biographical | ||
| Thomas Merton Center | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Biographical | Works and memorabilia of Thomas Merton, an American Catholic monk, writer and mystic | |
| Three Forks Historical Center | Beattyville | Lee | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | ||
| University of Kentucky Art Museum | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Art | European and American artwork ranging from Old Masters to contemporary, and a selection of Non-Western objects | |
| U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum | Paintsville | Johnson | Kentucky's Appalachians | Music | Exhibits on the country music entertainers who grew up near U.S. Route 23. | |
| Vent Haven Museum | Fort Mitchell | Kenton | Northern Kentucky | Puppet | Only museum devoted to the art of ventriloquism | |
| Ward Hall | Georgetown | Scott | Bluegrass | Historic house | 19th-century Greek Revival mansion | |
| WaterWorks Museum at Louisville Water Tower Park | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Technology | Restored 19th-century pumping station with steam engines, exhibits about its technology | |
| Waveland State Historic Site | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Historic house | 19th century plantation home | |
| Wayne County Museum | Monticello | Wayne | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | , also known as the William Crenshaw Kennedy, Jr. Memorial Museum, operated by the Wayne County Historical Society | |
| Whitehall House & Gardens | Louisville | Jefferson | Derby Region | Historic house | ||
| White Hall State Historic Site | Richmond | Madison | Bluegrass | Historic house | 1860s period mansion | |
| Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum | Simpsonville | Shelby | Derby Region | Biographical | Home of civil rights leader Whitney Young, open by request | |
| Wickland | Bardstown | Nelson | 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 | Ballard | Western Waterlands | Archaeology | ||
| William Clark Market House Museum | Paducah | McCracken | Western Waterlands | Local history | ||
| William Arnold Log Home | Williamstown | Grant | Northern Kentucky | Historic house | 1811 log house, operated by the Grant County Historical Society | |
| William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology | Lexington | Fayette | Bluegrass | Anthropology | , research collection of the University of Kentucky | |
| William Whitley House State Historic Site | Stanford | Lincoln | Bluegrass | Historic house | Late 18th-century pioneer brick home | |
| Wolfe County Historical Museum | Campton | Wolfe | Daniel Boone Country | Local history | ||
| Woody Winfree Fire-Transportation Museum | Hopkinsville | Christian | Western Waterlands | Transportation | , includes fire trucks, automobiles, wagons, buggies, a sleigh, license plates and local fire memorabilia | |
| Wrather West Kentucky Museum | Murray | Calloway | Western Waterlands | Local history | , part of Murray State University, history of West Kentucky and the Jackson Purchase | |
| Yeiser Art Center | Paducah | McCracken | Western Waterlands | Art |
Defunct museums
- Charles Jackson Circus Museum, Hopkinsville, collections now at the Pennyroyal Area Museum
- Alben W. Barkley Museum, Paducah
- Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science, Bowling Green, closed in 2012
- Floyd Collins Museum, Cave City, closed in 2013
- Morris Toy Museum, Carrsville
- Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, Elizabethtown, closed in 2012
Resources
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