The museum of everything

Discovery Park of America may be the best-kept secret in Tennessee.

It’s out of the way, in the state’s extreme northwest corner. It’s eventually going to be a lot more visible than it is now; you can see the construction site for an extension of Interstate 69 which passes right by the museum. That’s by design; Robert Kirkland, the museum’s founder, wanted something that would catch travelers’ eyes and force them to stop and satisfy their curiosity. As you can see from the photo, the structure is intended to be eye-popping. When and if the I-69 project is finally completed, it will be a huge asset to Discovery Park’s visibility.

But Discovery Park isn’t just a museum. As the name implies, it’s 50 acres of outdoor facilities and exhibits as well.

Kirkland and his brother founded the Kirkland’s chain of home decor stores. When Robert Kirkand cashed out and sold his stock in the company, he and his wife wanted to do something special for Kirkland’s hometown of Union City.

Jenny and Robert Kirkland, in the lobby as you prepare to enter the museum.

The late Franklin Yates, who still owned and published the Times-Gazette when I started there in 1985, was also a former resident of Union City, and a faithful reader of the Union City Daily…