Things to Do in Paducah, Kentucky

The museum opened downtown on April 25, 1991. It calls itself the largest quilt and fiber art museum in the world, with close to 30,000 square feet of galleries. Everything in its permanent collection was made after 1980, so this is quilting as contemporary art, not a room of antique bedspreads.

★ Good to know Exhibitions rotate through the year, so check what’s on before you go.

Louisiana muralist Robert Dafford and his team started painting the downtown floodwall in 1996, and there are now more than 50 panels. They cover Native American history, steamboats, river barges, local African American heritage and the old Carnegie Library. Newer panels facing Park Street reproduce award-winning quilts.

★ Good to know The murals are outdoors and free, on the downtown floodwall by the river.

This museum on South Water Street tells the story of the four rivers that meet around Paducah. Its best-known exhibit is a boat simulator where you take the helm of a speedboat, towboat or Coast Guard vessel, by day or night. Another exhibit replays the past 24 hours of river traffic on a live feed.

★ Good to know Some exhibits are being upgraded, so check the museum’s site for what’s open.

Maggie Steed’s hotel was built in 1909 to house African American travelers. It became a stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit, hosting Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner. Today it’s a museum that tells that history.

★ Good to know Call ahead to check tour times before you go.

Lower Town is Paducah’s oldest neighborhood, full of restored Victorian houses. In 2000 the city started an Artist Relocation Program that drew artists to move here, and it became a national model for arts-led revival. Galleries and studios are scattered through the district.

★ Good to know Gallery and studio hours vary, so check ahead if you want to see artists at work.

Inside the historic Market House downtown, this museum has 4,000 square feet of rotating exhibits on Paducah’s past. The collection is staged inside an 1876 drugstore interior.

★ Good to know It’s downtown on South 2nd Street, so it fits easily into a mural walk.

This restored 1860s Classical Revival mansion is the only historic home in Kentucky that serves as an interstate welcome center. It holds period furnishings and memorabilia of Alben Barkley, the Paducah native who was vice president under Harry Truman. Tours are free.

★ Good to know It’s at I-24 Exit 7, and the lobby is open 24 hours with restrooms.

Each April the American Quilter’s Society holds its QuiltWeek show at Paducah’s Schroeder Expo Center, one of several QuiltWeek shows it runs around the country. The Paducah show is scheduled for April 21 to 24 in 2027.

★ Good to know Expect crowds that week, so book lodging early or pick another week if you want the museums quieter.