Wildlife Photograph

Visitor Center & Exhibits

Lost Species Exhibit        

Lost Species Exhibit


Visit our newest exhibit that documents the tragic tale of the extinct passenger pigeon and the recently re-discovered Ivory-billed woodpecker.                                      

The Visitor Center houses the nature center's staff offices, museum store, exhibit hall and collections and features large classrooms for on-site school and public programs.

 

Snapping Turtle Tank

 Ijams Room

These rooms are also available for corporate rentals giving businesses a peaceful alternative for their group meetings. 

               

Earth-Friendly Building

Ijams' Visitor Center was designed to be functional and low maintenance. The spacious, open structure showcases a variety of environmentally friendly building methods and materials. The use of passive solar heating and natural lighting wherever possible helps to make the building more energy efficient. Earth-friendly construction materials used include: Homasote wallboard (recycled newspaper), cellulose insulation (recycled newspaper), Gridcore (recycled cardboard), Trex (recycled grocery bags and saw dust), counter tops and stalls made from recycled milk jugs, recycled ceramic tile, carpeting from recycled soda bottles, metal studs (25 percent recycled steel) and low VOC water-based paints (less toxic).

Raptor Enclosure

This new outdoor structure accommodates a red-tailed hawk and a turkey vulture. The enclosure is a perfect staging area to learn all about raptors (birds od prey) and how their  habitat is declining. The enclosure also features a small amphitheater, suitable for programs for 25 people.

Ijams Family History

This exhibit is a memorial to H.P. and Alice Ijams and is reminiscent of the original Ijams' family homestead containing genuine family artifacts such as the original doorknocker, door, windows, books and preserved birds. Also included is a timeline of key events throughout the past 100 years at Ijams.

Earl O. Henry Birds

Earl O Henry Barn Swallow   Early in life Earl O. Henry became enchanted with pictures of birds on baking soda boxes and would spend hours in the woods comparing the birds he saw with his collection of miniature cards. It was a childhood hobby that led to a life-long passion for bird watching and wildlife painting. Tragically Henry's life was cut short when, as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S Navy, his ship the USS Indianapolis, with a crew of 1,197 was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.

 For many years, Earl O. Henry's bird specimen collection has been shared with Ijams Nature Center. The collection, originally given to Ijams back in 1997 has been temporarily taken off public exhibit. In the future, we hope to clean and re-house the bird collection as part of a new exhibit on Earl O. Henry as well as interpret the development of ornithology and natural history.

In the meantime, please enjoy a selection of Earl's paintings. Prints and note cards are also available in the Ijams Museum Store. You can also learn more about the story of the USS Indianapolis at http://www.ussindianapolis.us

 Earl O Henry American Oriole
Special thanks to Earl Henry, Jr. and Mrs. Earl Henry for their continued support and friendship.

White Pine Tree Cookie

A cross section of a tree is called a cookie. The huge wooden cookie on display at Ijams is from a 353-year-old white pine. Knoxville's Vestal Lumber Company cut down the tall evergreen in 1948 after it had been broken by a windstorm. Before the damage, it was believed to be the largest in the nation, over 200 feet tall. By counting the growth rings, foresters determined that it had started to grow in 1595, 28 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The tree yielded 7,500 board feet of lumber.

Snapping Turtle Exhibit

This new exhibit combines a large aquarium for Ijams' common snapping Turtle with a slice of 'backwoods East Tennessee' as a living diorama. The attention to detail in this wonderful exhibit was provided by Don Niday who generously donated much of his time and energy to this project. Don's other work at Ijams includes the Tennessee River Boardwalk, Mead's Quarry observation deck and the Raptor Enclosure.

Forest Exhibit

Forestry Exhibit   The indoor forest exhibit is an interactive exploration station. As visitors walk through, there's a variety of learning opportunities featuring a "Go with the Phloem" quiz. Correct answers activate the lighted xylem and phloem inside a giant walk-through tree. If you look carefully, a live corn snake and black rat snake can be found tucked away inside their rocky home. Along the edge of the forest is a collection of jewel cases containing several interesting specimens including a hummingbird nest, raccoon skull, snakeskin and toad skeleton.

 

Conservation Cottage

Currently under renovation, this exhibit is an environmentally friendly example of sustainable living. Most of the building products contain recycled material while the furnishings demonstrate conservation efforts that you can adapt in your home such as energy efficient windows and water saving devices. Take a tour and learn how you and your family can take simple steps to reduce your impact on the environment. The exhibit also compliments programs within Ijams' Living Clean & Green! and Earth Flag initiatives.    Conservation Cottage