mcclung museum of natural history and culture

This is a really nice little museum loaded with exhibits. My daughter loves the fossils and Egyptian displays the best. I think they have a really nice gift shop too. The best is that its free and the worse is that you have university parking to deal with.

Love the Egyptian exhibits! you would think you were in Boston or Chicago for these exhibits, some permanent, some temporary, but all really interesting.

This museum is just the right size. Great artifacts and museum staff are excellent. It makes for an educational and fun couple of hours.

Like the historic display and area history library. The is a collection of good books on the history of the area.

I teach 5th grade and took my students there for a field trip. It was very nice, the presenters we used (you don't have to use presenters, by the way) were knowledgeable, and best of all, it was free!

I was greatly impressed with the extent of the exhibits that were very educational. Some of the cultural exhibits were beautiful to peruse beyond the history lesson behind them. On display were centuries old artifacts from all cultures, covering all corners of our world, over many, many centuries. Also, there was an in depth time line on how Tennessee was formed documented by fossils and Native American Indian items through the development of our state. The museum was a little hard to find as it is tucked away on UTK campus. Just look for the statue holding a flame, and there is your turn. McClung is a most enjoyable experience, and well worth your time. There is no fee, but donations are welcome. Also, flash photography is not allowed, so unfortunately many of my photos did not turn out.

Other museums closed on December 31 and we searched and found this gem. Took our grandchildren and enjoyed a 1.5 hour visit to this museum. Egypt Room, Geology of TN, Origins of Man and Battle of Fort Sanders. We will be returning for another free visit when they return to see us in August.

McClung has some great standing exhibits on Egypt, Fossils of Tennessee, and Tennessee Prehistory. They also have two smaller exhibits on Human Origins and the Battle of Fort Sanders (both downstairs). The museum is free to visit, although a donation is appreciated. McClung also has interesting rotating exhibits that run for a few months each. A great place to visit for kids and adults. Perfect if you find yourself on campus for game-day and need a diversion before kick-off!

I have been going to the McClung Museum since I can remember. They have about four main rooms with the same items in them, and then they have another that is for traveling exhibits. Down stairs there is a fantastic exhibit on the Battle of Knoxville during the Civil War. The gift shop is good and they sell many items from locals. It is also a nice place to relax for an afternoon and learn something interesting.

It is worth going to University of Tennessee, Knoxville to tour this little museum. Just don't go on a day of Vol football or you may not find a place to park. There are permanent exhibits on Native American culture as well as Egyptian. The Evolution of Man exhibit is well done. You can sample arts from around the world. The Geology of Tennessee is explained. You will find exhibits on the Civil War as well. This is a small museum, but is has a bit of everything.

McClung Museum is a special secret in Knoxville. It is an excellent on-campus museum which holds Knoxville's heritage, as well as humans in nature. Sometimes there are special exhibits on display, which are always educational. These might cost a few dollars, but regular admission is by donation only. They also have a nice gift shop!

Thanks for the great review! We are proud to be free and open to all. Hope to see you back again soon!

The best thing about this museum is the display of artifacts from the native people over a 10,000 year span. There were also interesting exhibits and photos from the Civil War siege of Knoxville. I went on a Saturday and was lucky the University of Tennessee wasn't playing. The museum is on the campus and adjacent to the football stadium.

This was a small but well-presented museum that made good use of the space it had and touched on a variety of subject matter. We were very glad we stopped. The McClung originally made our itinerary because it was listed in a dinosaur tourism book we have and consult before all our trips. The museum’s paleontology area was nice, but not particularly large. Other exhibits were about local Native Americans, ancient Egypt, and the museum archives. Like some of the other reviewers, we were glad we visited on a weekend, or parking could have been a problem. The Museum’s free admission was a plus.

While up in Knoxville we didn't have much money to spend so my hubby found this place and said it was free. We went on a Saturday and luckily we got to park in the student parking and was told it was ok because it was a Saturday, otherwise parking would've been pretty far. My husband is a history buff so he really enjoyed it! My kids (8 and 10) thought some of the stuff was pretty neat, I thought a lot of it was cool too. The kids and I mostly enjoyed the downstairs exhibits. Overall... If you're up this way and want something free to do then give this a shot!