Museums & Galleries in Helena-West Helena

Author William Faulkner, satirist Stark Young, and art collector Mary Skipwith Buie share something in common—they've all lent their legacies to The University of Mississippi Museum. Originally opened in 1939, the complex encompasses the one-time home of Faulkner, Rowan Oak; registered Mississippi landmark Walton-Young Historic House, which housed famed satirist Stark; and a historic art museum built around Buie’s private collection. Today, the museum uses its three sites to preserve and showcase the artistic past and cultural heritage of the American South through exhibits, demonstrations, and education. Guides lead scheduled tours though the historic homes and the museum exhibitions to avoid waking napping sculptures.

Rotating exhibits center on genres such as Southern folk art by self-taught painters, ancient Chinese ceramics art, and mixed-media works by modern artists. The four permanent collections provide a home for lasting assemblages of 19th-century scientific instruments; Greek and Roman works of art; pieces by American modernists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, and John Marin; and a range of Civil War relics, antique costumes, and letters penned by George Washington and John Adams. As part of the museum's focus on education, instructors lead adult studio workshops on topics such as outdoor nature photography, woodcut printmaking, and watercolors. They also let younger artists explore exhibits, use studio space, and question German expressionism's use of forced perspective in ArtZone and summer camp programs.

Perched atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the Metal Museum provides an opportunity for visitors to view expertly crafted metalwork every day without transforming their minivans into tree-hanging dragon feeders. As the only institution in the United States devoted exclusively to showcasing fine metalwork, the National Ornamental Metal Museum takes visitors back to a time when blacksmiths were revered as celebrities and held frontcourt season tickets to public stoning bouts. Visitors can peruse a variety of metalworking facilities, exhibits, and a gift shop while browsing delicate knives and jewelry alongside sturdy cast-iron sculptures and contemporary works. Each individual membership is good for one year and includes free admission to all exhibits. Additionally, members will receive 10% off any metal repair work performed by the museum’s capable smiths, a tuition discount for classes, special-event and newsletter mailings, and 10% off gift-store items. With three guest day passes, you’ll never get caught with no way to entertain the in-laws or pals visiting on a rainy day.

The Fire Museum of Memphis uses a combination of interactive exhibits, artifacts, restorations, and multimedia to illustrate Memphis's history of fire damage and to honor those who dedicate their lives to fighting fires. Built inside the refurbished Fire Engine House No. 1, the museum itself is a rich piece of history. The Memorial Wall's larger-than-life sculptures are a riveting tribute to the heroes who fell in the line of duty, and a collection of prints and portraits honors the 12 brave men who made up the first class of African-American firefighters in 1955. Alongside a bevy of antiques from past eras of fire fighting, the horse-drawn E.H. Crump Steamer, named after the late mayor, will evoke a simpler time—before motor-technologies subjugated our equestrian allies to achieving glory primarily as silly-named racing horses.

Successful carriage maker Amos Woodruff began construction on his Memphis home in 1870, designing the property in French Victorian style with a mansard roof and cypress woodwork and flooring. A year later, the mansion hosted the wedding of Amos's daughter, Mollie, marking the first public event and first of countless weddings to be held on the property. Cotton factor Noland Fontaine owned the dwelling after Amos; following the death of Noland and his wife, the home became an art school and then a vacant building until the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities acquired the space in 1961.

Nestled among magnolia trees, the restored mansion still shelters handwritten autographs and memories of the craftsmen who helped erect the building. Just as it did for Mollie Woodruff, the property also continues to host weddings and special events with a front lawn that accommodates up to 250 visitors. A collection of more than 1,000 pieces of Victorian-era fashion, such as wedding gowns, undergarments, overgarments, and stiletto horseshoes, can be found in the home. The clothing display changes several times throughout the year along with the museum's rotating exhibitions.

The interactive exhibits and programs compiled by the Pink Palace Family of Museums reinforce a mission that has stayed constant for 80 years: to "inspire people to learn how history, science, technology, and nature shape the Mid-South." Attached to Clarence Saunders' mansion built in the 1920s, the museum's permanent exhibits take an eclectic approach to chronicling the past, revealing everything from ancient fossils to contemporary southern history. Inside, visitors can chart the history of Memphis from the early Spanish explorers through the Civil War or walk through a replica of Saunders' original Piggly Wiggly—the country’s first self-service grocery store, and even see a shrunken head. Global adventures are chronicled on a four-story screen at the CTI-IMAX theater, and the Sharpe Planetarium explores the cosmos from the comfort of a 130-seat theater.

Traveling to east Memphis, one can discern the natural side of the Pink Palace Family of Museums. Lichterman Nature Center encompasses 65 acres of lush gardens filled with native wildflowers, trees, and wildlife. The center combines self-guided nature walks with plant sales and educational activities to expose visitors to the natural world.