Tennessee’s railroad museums include a major operating museum at Chattanooga. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is the anchor, the Tennessee Central Railway Museum in Nashville runs trains, and Jackson’s Casey Jones Home, Cookeville and Etowah add local depot and railroad history.
Each listing below links to a full guide with the history, what to look for and how to reach the operator.
Railroad museums & sites in Tennessee — 5
Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum
The Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum in Jackson explores the life and final journey of the famous locomotive engineer. The museum stands beside his historic home, placing the railway story within a personal and domestic setting. Displays also extend into broader railroad history, including a permanent Civil War railway exhibit. It is a useful addition for visitors interested in famous railroad figures, popular memory and the way an individual worker became part of American folklore.
Read the guide →Cookeville Depot Museum
Cookeville’s depot was built in 1909 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Preserved as a museum, it provides a direct link with the town’s railway connections and the changes rail service brought to local life. The station itself is a significant exhibit, while historical objects add context to its passenger and freight roles. This is a useful small-museum destination for readers interested in depot architecture and Tennessee railway communities.
Read the guide →Etowah L&N Depot Museum
Etowah’s L&N depot was a formative building in a town created around railway work. The two-story Victorian station, dating from the early twentieth century, now houses an exhibition about life in a railroad town as well as visitor organizations. Its subject is especially useful for understanding the community behind the trains. The building’s survival allows the architecture, railroad economy and everyday experience of residents to be interpreted together.
Read the guide →Tennessee Central Railway Museum
The Tennessee Central Railway Museum presents itself as a living-history museum, using historical train journeys to connect visitors with the region’s railway past. Its Nashville operation combines preservation with themed public trips on selected dates. This is a different kind of visit from walking through a daily exhibition gallery. Readers should consult the current excursion program and use the museum’s recommended contact method, especially when asking about collection access outside a scheduled train event.
Read the guide →Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum interprets railway history through the preservation and operation of historic trains. Based around Chattanooga, it allows visitors to experience equipment as a working collection supported by continuing maintenance and restoration. Its public programs range beyond a simple museum-hall visit, making it particularly suitable for people interested in steam and diesel operation. Trains and boarding locations differ, so museum experiences are not interchangeable.
Read the guide →Ride a train in Tennessee
Museums are for walking around; these operators run trains you can ride.
- Hiwassee River Scenic Railroad — Delano: scenic railway
- Tennessee Central Railway Museum excursions — Nashville: museum excursion railway
- Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum — Chattanooga: excursion railway & museum
- Three Rivers Rambler — Knoxville: heritage excursion railway
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — flagship sites and state guides
- Southeast — the trains you can ride in the region
- Railroad museums in Alabama
- Railroad museums in Arkansas
- Railroad museums in Florida
- Railroad museums in Georgia
- Railroad museums in Kentucky
- Railroad museums in Louisiana
- Railroad museums in Mississippi
- Railroad museums in North Carolina
- Railroad museums in South Carolina
- Railroad museums in Virginia
- Railroad museums in West Virginia