On the campus of UT, this small natural-history museum is a good rainy-day distraction for families. You'll find dinosaur bones from Tennessee in the Geology & Fossil History of Tennessee Gallery (as well as dinosaur eggs from China, contrary to the gallery name). Artifacts related to Egyptian burials are showcased in the Ancient Egypt Gallery.
Downstairs, a detailed time line, supplemented with artifacts, traces the Battle of Fort Sanders, a Civil War battle in Knoxville. There's not much anyone could do to jazz up the Tennessee Freshwater Mussels collection – but it's there if mussels are your jam.
