The Sumner County Museum is open:

March through November

Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

December through February, please call to schedule an appointment

The Museum is located in downtown Gallatin at 183 W Main Street (behind Trousdale Place).

To ensure everyone gets the chance to learn about Sumner County history, starting in 2022, there will be no charge for entrance to the Museum. However, due to the increased operating costs to run the four Museum facilities, we do encourage a $5 per person donation upon entry which can be made by cash, check, Cash App, or Venmo. Your generous donations are sincerely appreciated and allow us to keep the lights on.

The Museum can take anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on how long you spend taking it all in. There’s a lot to see!

Bottled water is allowed. You can have food and drinks in your bag, but we ask that it not be consumed while walking through the Museum simply to keep the area clean.

The main floor is stroller and wheelchair accessible, however, there are two additional floors that will not be accessible. We do have a video tour available for those unable to navigate the stairs.

With nearly 10,000 feet of exhibit space, we estimate there are about 10,000 items currently on display (and a storage facility with thousands more that will be rotated out over the next few years!).

Today’s exhibits include everything from prehistoric fossils found in the area to modern day vehicles. There are sections on Native American history, blacksmithing, gunsmithing, war, transportation, farming, homestead life, and more.

Highlights include:

• Memorabilia from the world-famous Randy's Record Shop and Dot Records

• Pieces of the world's first airmail delivery (which took place in Gallatin, Tenn.)

• The original Sumner County Drive-In neon sign

• Gallatin's first fire truck

• Sumner County's first traffic light (and it still works!)

You’ll need to visit the Museum to find this answer!

There are six membership levels that can be found here. As a member, not only will you receive free admission for you and guests throughout the year, but your membership will include free or discounted to Museum events, day-use and overnight discounts for historic Stonewall, special event invitations, and more.

Corporate sponsorships start at just $500 and include free events tickets, public acknowledgement both digitally and in person, free or discounted historic Stonewall rentals, off-hours opportunities and more.

They did on Feb. 4, 2023, for the first Night at the Museum event! Stay tuned for Feb. 3, 2024, for it to happen again.

As for when there aren’t people here, not that we know of, but we’ve never personally stayed the night ourselves, so it is possible!

Save the date for these 2024 events:

Feb. 3 - Night at the Museum (SOLD OUT)

March 2 - Spirits of Sumner Historic Haunts Bus Tour (SOLD OUT)

March 9 - See you at Irish Fest!

March 23 - County-wide Egg Hunt

April 6 - Historic Sites Kick Off

May-July - Hidden History Passport

Summer - Middle School History Camp

Aug. 17 - Songs & Stories

Oct. 5 - The 28th Annual Candlelight Cemetery Tour

The Sumner County Museum is the perfect place to bring your students to learn all about local history. Guided tours must be scheduled in advance. Kid-focused tours typically last between forty-five minutes and one hour. If you are also interested in touring Trousdale Place, please let us know and we can make that request to its governing body. For more information, please email contact@sumnercountymuseum.org or call 615-451-3738.

The Traveling Trunk program is a hands-on presentation that brings the Museum to the classroom. Find out more here: sumnercountymuseum.org/travelingtrunk.

There are always opportunities to volunteer at one of the Museum’s sites: from filing to landscaping to guiding a tour group, there are opportunities for you! There are also internship spaces available for marketing and social media management. We’ve also hosted people working on projects such as for Eagle Scouts. If you’d like to find out more about volunteering at the Museum, please email contact@sumnercountymuseum.org or call 615-451-3738.