Information
Landmark: Highlands Museum and Discovery CenterCity: Ashland
Country: USA Kentucky
Continent: North America
Highlands Museum and Discovery Center, Ashland, USA Kentucky, North America
Overview
In Ashland, Kentucky, the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center combines a regional history museum with an interactive learning space, pairing glass cases of Civil War artifacts with hands-on activities that draw in families, students, and history buffs alike.Tucked inside the historic Coyle and Richardson Building in downtown Ashland, it’s the heart of northeastern Kentucky’s culture, keeping the region’s heritage alive while sparking curiosity about science, music, and the rhythms of everyday life.Back in 1984, the Kentenia Historical Museum opened its doors, devoted to gathering and safeguarding artifacts from eastern Kentucky-everything from worn coal miner’s helmets to faded family photographs.In the early 1990s, it relocated to its current spot-a converted department store with wide, echoing floors that now hold both permanent displays and changing exhibits.Over the years, it broadened its mission to embrace not only history but hands-on, discovery-based learning-inviting children and families to touch, explore, and make the past come alive.The museum spans several floors, blending local history with hands-on exhibits like old maps you can touch.Highlights include the Regional History Galleries, where you can follow Ashland’s story-and the wider Appalachian past-from Native American roots and frontier cabins to the clang of early industry and the rhythms of civic life.Country Music Heritage – Ashland, hometown of The Judds (Naomi and Wynonna) and Billy Ray Cyrus, celebrates its musical roots in a museum that highlights the region’s lasting mark on American music, from heartfelt ballads to twangy guitar riffs.You’ll see costumes stitched with bright thread, weathered guitars, old photographs, and lively multimedia exhibits that honor eastern Kentucky’s mark on country music.Military History – Worn uniforms, dented canteens, and recorded stories pay tribute to local veterans and shine a light on how people from northeastern Kentucky served in America’s wars.At the Discovery Center for Children, kids dive into interactive, hands-on exhibits that spark learning through play, from mixing colors at a science table to exploring health and everyday life in fresh, creative ways.Visitors flock to the medical play stations, wander through a tiny make‑believe town with painted shopfronts, and dive into educational games that light up the imagination.Rotating Exhibits – The museum often brings in temporary displays, from hand‑stitched Appalachian quilts to interactive showcases on cutting‑edge science.At the heart of the neighborhood, the Highlands Museum buzzes with life, welcoming school field trips and teaming up with classrooms to spark curiosity.Family programs include holiday celebrations and themed activity days, like carving pumpkins in October or hanging lights in December.Guest lectures, hands-on workshops, and lively cultural presentations bring Appalachian history, fiddle music, and mountain traditions to life.Lively gatherings woven into Ashland’s parades and the colorful music and craft fairs that celebrate the region’s heritage.Preservation and CollectionsThe museum invites hands-on learning, yet it also safeguards artifacts that tell northeastern Kentucky’s story-like a weathered pioneer’s ledger with ink fading to sepia.The collection holds textiles, photographs, documents, tools, and bits of memorabilia from local industries like coal mining and steel production-traces of the work that forged Ashland’s identity.It’s easy to find the museum downtown, just a short walk past brick storefronts, and its spot connects it naturally to Ashland’s wider historic district.Visitors can flow easily from hearing rich stories of the past to trying things out for themselves, a mix that keeps both adults and kids engaged.Regional pride blends with bigger ideas-music drifting from a porch, the pull of discovery-to give it richness at home and a reach that speaks to anyone.The Highlands Museum and Discovery Center captures Ashland’s split spirit-grounded in Appalachian roots yet reaching far into American culture, especially its music, where a single fiddle tune can tell a century-old story.It mixes careful preservation of the past with a sense of play, keeping the community’s stories alive and sparking the next generation’s curiosity-like a child tracing worn carvings on an old wooden bench.
