University of Alabama Museums

The University of Alabama Museums include the following: the Paul W. Bryant Museum, the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Moundville Archaeological Park, and the Gorgas House. UA Museums are owned and operated by The University of Alabama and are administered by the Office for Academic Affairs. Along with the museums, the University of Alabama Museums organization includes service departments and an archaeological survey contract office: the Office of Exhibits and Education, the Office of Archaeological Services, the Office of Museum Relations (publications and marketing), and the Office of Development.

Paul W. Bryant Museum. 300 Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa. Opened in 1988, the Bryant Museum features exhibits containing artifacts and memorabilia on more than 100 years of Alabama football history. Video-enhanced displays highlight famous Crimson Tide games, players, and coaches. The Bryant Museum's state-of-the-art archival library is a national research center for Southeastern Conference sports. The museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is closed for major holidays. Admission is charged; group rates are available. The Paul W. Bryant Museum is available for after-hours rental for receptions, weddings, and other special events. Call (205) 348-4668 for information.

Alabama Museum of Natural History. Smith Hall, University of Alabama campus, Tuscaloosa. Founded in 1847, the Alabama Museum of Natural History holds collections of natural history, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, ethnology, zoology, and botany that are among the oldest in the state, many dating to the Civil War. Displays of fossils from the Coal Age, the Age of Dinosaurs, and the Ice Age are found in the Beaux Arts grand exhibition hall. Educational programs for both children and adults include the annual Museum Expedition, a major hands-on science education field camp; Exploring Alabama, a series of daylong field trips; and Discovering Alabama, a natural history series on public television. Living history tours are available. The museum is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00-4:30 p.m., and is closed for University holidays. Admission is charged. The Alabama Museum of Natural History is available for after-hours rental for receptions, weddings, and other special events. Call (205) 348-7550 for information.

Moundville Archaeological Park. Highway 69, Moundville. Opened as a University park in 1939, the 320-acre park is an internationally known archaeological site that contains more than 20 Mississippian Indian mounds, an archaeological museum, a life-sized diorama atop the Ceremonial Mound, an Indian Village, a conference center, a boardwalk nature trail, and picnic areas and campgrounds. The annual Moundville Native American Festival draws thousands of schoolchildren during the last full week of each September. The park is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Both are closed for major holidays. Admission is charged; group rates are available. Call (205) 371-2234 or 371-2572 for information.

Gorgas House. University of Alabama campus. Built in 1829, the Gorgas House was the first structure on the University of Alabama campus and was one of a few buildings to survive the 1865 burning of the campus during the Civil War. Designed as a hotel or "steward's hall," the house was originally to serve as a dining hall for University of Alabama cadets. Now a museum, the building is known as the Gorgas House because Josiah Gorgas, a former Confederate general who served briefly as president of The University of Alabama, moved there in the late 19th century with his wife, Amelia Gayle Gorgas, and their family. The house is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The house is closed for major holidays. The Gorgas House is available for after-hours rental for receptions, weddings, and other special events. Call (205) 348-5906 for information.