Frankfort Museums and Art Galleries

(Frankfort, Kentucky - KY, USA)

Although there are only a handful of museums awaiting visitors to Frankfort, what is on offer is of a high standard and covers a variety of topics, ranging from state history and militaria to the world of art.

Located close to the Old Governor's Mansion and within downtown Frankfort is the Capital City Museum, which serves as a good place to learn about Kentucky's famous small-town capital. The Capital City Museum was established in 2004 and is called home by numerous state artifacts spanning more than two centuries, including early furniture crafted many years ago by the inmates of the Kentucky Penitentiary and a highly detailed scale model of the Kentucky State Capitol.

The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History is of great local importance and is operated by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS), which itself was founded as long ago as the mid-1830s.


A mixture of both temporary and permanent exhibitions are on display within the multi-million dollar Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, covering everything from the prehistoric days right up to the days of the pioneers and the present. There are now more than 3,000 important relics and artifacts on display here, including African American portraits, the coat of assassinated Governor William Goebel (complete with bullet holes) and a pocket watch that once famously belonged to Abraham Lincoln.

For art lovers, the Josephine Sculpture Park is open on a daily basis, from dawn until the sun sets. The park lies on the southern outskirts of the city, being reached by taking the Lawrenceburg Road (Highway US-127). Each year in the middle of September, the Fall Arts Festival is a major highlight at the Josephine Sculpture Park and comprises children's art activities, sculpting demonstrations, a live music stage and late-afternoon hot-air balloon rides.

Capital City Museum

Address: 325 Ann Street, Frankfort, Kentucky (KY), 40601, USA
Tel: +1 502 696 0607

Josephine Sculpture Park (JSP)

Address: 3355 Old Lawrenceburg Road, Frankfort, Kentucky (KY), 40601, USA
Tel: +1 502 352 7082

Kentucky Military History Museum

Address: 125 East Main Street, Frankfort, Kentucky (KY), 40601, USA
Tel: +1 502 564 1792

Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History

Address: Kentucky Historical Society, 100 West Broadway Street, Frankfort, Kentucky (KY), 40601, USA
Tel: +1 502 564 1792