It's alright. I thought this place was really cool, there's…read morelots of interesting stuff to see. However, I do not think it is worth the price for the amount of things to see.

What an AMAZING place!! I was visiting friends in Tennessee, and was given a tour of the Gray…read moreFossil Site by one of the wonderful employees. I was so impressed and amazed and what goes on, how important the work is, and how much there was for children to do and see! The staff who works there, especially Beth, are extremely professional, knowledgeable, helpful and really nice people. This would be a wonderful place for families, schools, even a date!! Why not? This is the kind of place where you can learn, see, touch, explore and have a wonderful time. I highly, HIGHLY recommend the Gray Fossil Site!!!

I would give this place 6 stars if that's possible. I visited in mid-September 2022. This is an…read moreoutstanding museum with excellent historical facts on the famous Bristol sessions of 1927 and 1928. You'll learn about the Carter family, Jimmy Rogers, and Mr. Stoneman - who set the standard for country music (which continues to be emulated to this day). One highlight is the "sing-along" booth where you can practice one of four songs and record yourself karaoke style. I loved the "unbroken circle" exhibit where you could hear Jimmy Rogers - and then hear examples of country music artists with echoes of Jimmy Rogers. The gift shop is really nice - if you get a chance, be sure to watch the Ken Burns PBS special on country music. It will enhance your appreciation of this museum. Bristol was a strategic location because of the direct railroad access to New York City. Oh - if you're staying at the Bristol hotel a block away, just show your room key at the front (admission is free). Loved this museum!

Did you know that country music started in Bristol? I did not. We stayed next door on our road…read moretrip south and we're intrigued by the museum. I am so glad we went. We spent a couple of hours learning all about the "Sessions" that started it all. Really glad to have gone and would love to come back and learn some more.

Great music. Delicious food. Great people. Had a epic evening. Highly recommend to all. Take the…read moreentire family from Grand parents to Grand children and make it a wonderful family memory. You won't regret it.

New experiences for the soul, for the mind, for the spirit . Different and delightfulread more

This is the centerpiece of Saltville. This unoriginally named town holds more intrigue than you…read morewould probably think. The salt is a product of some unusual geologic conditions that lead animal bones to be well preserved, making this a top site for archaeology. In addition, the salt was also of enormous economic value and was a military asset during the Civil War, making this the site of a significant set of armed conflict. Some other environmental and cultural history pops up as well. The museum has several well-produced and substantial documentaries showing in a tiny theater. The two rooms of exhibits take up more time than you'd think, and I was probably there for an hour and a half or so. The $5 admission is worth it, easily. The town continues to have some unusually salty ponds that you can walk around on some paved trails, as well as some historic markers and a recreated set of salt mining equipment on the edge of town. All of these features and more can be viewed and contextualized on the museum's topographic map/diaorama. It's not a metropolis, but it is an interesting place.

Self guided tour. Small but very well organized and awesome artifacts. Information on Civil War,…read moreNative Americans, geology and fossils. They also have a few videos to watch.

This is a museum located in the same building that contains the visitor's center, and some…read moreadditional space (when we were there, they were having a craft show, which we declined to visit). The museum was free, and although it isn't very large, it contained some really interesting pieces. There were some very old water pumpers, and an exhibit on firefighters. I especially enjoyed reading the old school book, from the 1800's, which was opened to a page on "Asia". It was fascinating to see what was known (or at least being taught) at that time. There were paragraphs on silk worms (they were steamed to death, to avoid damaging the silk cocoons), the Great Wall of China (in some places it is wide enough for 3 carriages to pass!), and parenting (children in Asia are very obedient and respectful to their parents, and education is very important). There were also agricultural exhibits, some rifles, furniture, a few garments, and quite a number of pictures from the local buildings. I wouldn't make a long trip to visit, but I will bring my children back, when I am in the area with them. ETA: I changed this from a 3 to a 4, because I am comparing it with micromuseums, not the Smithsonian. I really did think they had an excellent selection, which was well-presented and intereting.

Nice small historic place to visit. Only $8 for adults. Pretty cool to see what you've only read…read moreabout in history books. Interesting and Amazing to see how life was all that long ago. And they even do reenactments at different times of the year. Our teen enjoyed it.

Located on the grounds of Horn in the West, we had a bit of time before the show began that we…read morewalked thru this Living History Museum. Reanactors and historians talk about everyday life from the mid 1700s to the early 1900s. There are demonstrations on weaving, blacksmithing, candlestick making, and smokehouse cooking, on site. Things were just winding down for the day as we walked thru so we missed all of that, but did get a bit of history lesson in how the phrase: "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" came about as we went in one log home and listened to a docent tell the origins of this phrase. The general area and buildings seemed a bit run down. Overall a nice little detour, as we walked to the Horn of the West.

This is a museum in progress but it was still pretty decent. I liked that they included pottery and…read moreitems from more recent times to tie in with the past. Overall I do wish they didn't cover over some of the signage with paint but it's very reading intensive. Kids probably wouldn't find this as interesting Would love more interactive parts like being able to touch beading, playing cultural songs, I loved the portion where you hear their language by syllables Really interesting and the girl at the counter was super sweet. The gift shop was kind of expensive- a sticker was $6.. overall easy parking and access.

Having visited many years ago the museum is in transition. They have taken out many items and are…read morelooking to eventually build a new facility. It was an average experience but one bit too be missed if wanting educating on the Cherokees.

My friends and I went there yesterday. Unfortunately we arrived 10 min before the museum closed…read morefor lunch. That was disappointing that the staff couldn't divide and conquer so that it could stay open. The map of the park wasn't the best and as a state park, would've thought it would be better. However, it's relatively small so unlikely for most people to get lost. The map didn't even indicate that there was a numbered path to follow. I guess if the people hadn't been in a rush to close for lunch they would've told us that. We tried to find each marker but we also don't know how many there were cause again, the map didn't indicate them at all. Nice park to walk around, picnic, and just relax.

I love this location! I remember coming here in…read morekindergarten for a field trip and the actors for the re-enactments were so amazing! Because this made my childhood spark a love for our History here, I come here quite often as an adult. The museum is very interesting and although it's not the largest exhibit, they definitely keep you wowed. Also, the trail is beautiful. It's very fun and relaxing to walk a trail surrounded by nature. Not to mention, the water next to the trail is so beautiful and there's always ducks chilling out. Their garden in the center of the park is so beautiful and the amount of wild life (squirrels, rabbits, birds, etc) is amazing. It's so cute, too! I actually enjoy taking photos here with my camera! I do a lot of photoshoots here and this is a wonderful spot because there's such an abundance of locations. It's a perfect spot for photographers during every season! The "town" where they do most of the re-enactments is so beautiful. It's very interesting as well to see how we used to live so many years ago. The staff is very friendly when you go inside of the museum and are very helpful if you have any questions. I love this place, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

This place was closed due to COVID the last time we were in town but we were pleasantly surprised…read morethat they were open on July 4 when we were walking around downtown. This is a cute little museum that has rotating art displays on the bottom floor and a smaller history museum upstairs. We saw a whimsical display of chickens, and another from a collection of art from a school in California. When we were there the upstairs had an exhibit about the annual horse show in town. The museum is free to visit but we gladly left a donation.

Stopped in on a rainy day and enjoyed the museum. Each room was beautifully curated with a…read moredifferent theme. We also stopped into the cottage and met a local artist making baskets. She is part of the local quilting guild. She was extremely friendly and informative. I really enjoyed the variety of quilts and the work that went into each. I noticed others commenting about price and we were not charged on a Wednesday. Friendly staff, small gift shop but that did not stop us from shopping. (Smile). Good visit especially on a rainy day!