Nearly every museum and historic house in Tuscaloosa sits in one ZIP code, 35401, and the core of Northport’s museum and historic district area is in 35476. That is the short answer for anyone searching Tuscaloosa museums ZIP codes. The longer answer involves two traps: University of Alabama museums often print UA’s mailing ZIP, 35487, and Historic Tuscaloosa properties sometimes print 35403, which is a PO-box ZIP rather than a street location.
This directory lists museums and historic sites by physical ZIP code, notes which ones are closed or only planned, and explains which ZIP to put in a GPS. For hours and admission, always use the official links in the sources.
Tuscaloosa museums ZIP codes at a glance
| ZIP code | City | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| 35401 | Tuscaloosa | Historic house museums, Capitol Park, UA campus museums and historic buildings, civil rights sites |
| 35476 | Northport | Northport Visitor Center & Heritage Museum, Kentuck Art Center, core of the Northport Historic District |
| 35487 | Tuscaloosa (UA) | Mailing ZIP only for UA museums; not a visitor location |
| 35403 | Tuscaloosa | PO-box ZIP sometimes printed by Historic Tuscaloosa; not a visitor location |
| 35474 | Moundville (nearby) | Moundville Archaeological Park, outside the Tuscaloosa and Northport ZIPs |
Museums and historic sites in 35401
Street addresses below were checked against USPS lookups or the Tuscaloosa County unified 911 address points layer, which both place them in 35401.
Historic Tuscaloosa properties and other historic houses
| Site | Address | Operator | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Park | 2800 6th St | PARA | Ruins of the 1829 statehouse from Tuscaloosa’s years as state capital (1826–1846) |
| The Old Tavern | 500 Nicks Kids Ave (in Capitol Park) | Historic Tuscaloosa | 1827 tavern and inn, moved to Capitol Park in 1966 |
| Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion | 1305 Greensboro Ave | Historic Tuscaloosa | Italianate mansion built 1859–1862; Historic Tuscaloosa’s headquarters |
| Battle-Friedman House & Gardens | 1010 Greensboro Ave | Historic Tuscaloosa (City-owned) | 1835 townhouse from the capital era; National Register 1972 |
| Murphy African American Museum | 2601 Paul W. Bryant Dr | Historic Tuscaloosa | Early-1920s bungalow interpreting early-1900s Black life in Tuscaloosa |
| McGuire-Strickland House | 500 28th Ave | Historic Tuscaloosa | Part of Historic Tuscaloosa’s property portfolio |
| Historic Drish House | 2300 17th St | Private owner | 1830s house with a later Italianate tower; now a private event venue |
Capitol Park and the Old Tavern. The statehouse designed by William Nichols burned in 1923; the site was later developed as a planned ruin, and it is the first stop on the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History Trail. The Old Tavern was built in 1827 by William Dunton, briefly housed Gov. John Gayle, and was moved from University Boulevard to Capitol Park in 1966.
Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion. Built for state senator Robert Jemison Jr., it later served as the Friedman Public Library and has been owned by Historic Tuscaloosa and the Heritage Commission of Tuscaloosa County since 1991.
Murphy African American Museum. The house, also called the Murphy-Collins House, was built by Will J. Murphy. Sources describe the Murphy family differently, so check Historic Tuscaloosa’s page for its current interpretation.
Historic Drish House. Built by John R. Drish with enslaved labor, the house later served as a school, an auto parts business and a church. It is now a privately owned event venue, so do not expect museum-style public hours.
University of Alabama museums and historic buildings
| Site | Street address | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama Museum of Natural History | 427 6th Ave (Smith Hall) | UA natural history museum in a 1910 building |
| Paul W. Bryant Museum | 300 Paul W. Bryant Dr | Sports history museum, opened 1988 |
| Gorgas House Museum | 810 Capstone Dr | Built 1829; oldest building on campus |
| Bryce Main (Randall Welcome Center and mental health history museum) | 200 Bryce Lawn Dr | 1861 hospital building, now UA’s welcome center and a museum |
| Paul R. Jones Museum | 2308 Gary Fitts St | UA gallery for the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American art |
The Gorgas House was one of four main campus buildings to survive the burning of the university in 1865. Bryce Main opened in 1861 as the Alabama Insane Hospital; UA acquired the property in 2010. Other surviving pre-Civil War buildings, including the President’s Mansion (717 University Blvd), the Little Round House (715 Capstone Dr) and Maxwell Hall (420 Stadium Dr), are historic sites rather than museums. Our University of Alabama ZIP code guide explains campus addressing in full.
Civil rights sites
The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History Trail is a series of markers announced in 2019, starting at Capitol Park. Two verified stops sit in 35401: First African Baptist Church (2621 Stillman Blvd), where protesters were attacked by police on June 9, 1964, and the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse (714 Greensboro Ave), where “whites only” restroom signs prompted a 1964 campaign. The church is an active congregation, not a museum. Individual marker addresses beyond these were not verified, so this guide does not list them.
For a deeper look at these places and others in the same ZIP, read landmarks and historic places in 35401 or the downtown Tuscaloosa orientation guide.
Museums and historic sites in Northport 35476
| Site | Address | Operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northport Visitor Center & Heritage Museum | 1991 Park St | City of Northport | 1907 Palmer House; reopened as a visitor center and museum in April 2025 |
| Kentuck Art Center (main campus) | 503 Main Ave | Kentuck | Galleries, artist studios and classrooms |
| Northport Historic District | Core along Main Ave, 5th and 6th Sts | Not applicable | National Register district, listed 1980 |
| Van de Graaff Arboretum & Historic Bridge Park | 3231 Robert Cardinal Airport Rd | PARA | Restored span of the 1882 King iron bridge |
The Heritage Museum occupies a Victorian house built for the Palmer family, donated in 1998 and restored by the city. Its exhibits span Native American roots through Northport’s settlement and later history. Kentuck grew out of the 1971 Northport Heritage Festival; the art center stays in Northport, while the annual festival has been held at Snow Hinton Park in Tuscaloosa since 2024 and Kentuck also runs a gallery at Queen City (1901 Jack Warner Pkwy, 35401). The Northport Historic District covers 134 structures across about 20 blocks; a second district, East Northport, was listed in 2004, but its ZIP code was not verified for this guide. Some 30th Avenue addresses at the edge of the main district use 35473, so not every parcel shares the core’s 35476. The historic downtown Northport guide covers the streets in detail.
Closed, relocating and planned museums
- Children’s Hands-On Museum (2213 University Blvd, 35401) closed its doors on August 1, 2026, according to a City of Tuscaloosa announcement. Its organization plans to reopen as Ignite Science Center in the Saban Center, which is under development; check for an official opening announcement before planning a visit.
- Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum closed July 1, 2024. Its building, the 1943 Queen City Pool House, is now Kentuck at Queen City.
- University Club (421 Queen City Ave), the 1834 former governor’s residence, was under renovation according to a 2024 UA document.
Nearby but outside the core ZIPs
Moundville Archaeological Park (634 Mound Park, Moundville, AL 35474) is run by UA Museums but is in a separate town and ZIP south of Tuscaloosa. Treat it as a nearby trip, not a Tuscaloosa address.
Which ZIP to use: mailing vs. physical
Most confusion about Tuscaloosa museums ZIP codes comes from two published codes that are not street locations.
UA museums and 35487. UA uses 35487 as its unique ZIP for institutional mail. The Alabama Museum of Natural History, Bryant Museum and Gorgas House sites print their street addresses with 35487, but county address data puts those same street addresses in 35401. For driving directions, use the street address with 35401, or the museum’s own directions page. For mailing a letter, use the box address the museum publishes.
Historic Tuscaloosa and 35403. Historic Tuscaloosa and some tourism listings print 35403 for properties such as the Old Tavern. 35403 is a PO-box ZIP with no streets, so it is a mailing code, not a location. The Tuscaloosa PO box ZIP codes guide explains how those codes work.
Facts in this guide were checked against the sources below on October 10, 2026. Addresses, programs and boundaries can change; confirm with the official source before relying on them.
Sources
- Historic Tuscaloosa — Properties (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Historic Tuscaloosa — The Old Tavern (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Historic Tuscaloosa — Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Historic Tuscaloosa — Battle-Friedman House (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Historic Tuscaloosa — Murphy-Collins House (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Historic Tuscaloosa — McGuire-Strickland House (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority — Capitol Park (accessed October 10, 2026)
- The University of Alabama — Alabama Museum of Natural History (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Paul W. Bryant Museum (accessed October 10, 2026)
- The University of Alabama — Gorgas House Museum (accessed October 10, 2026)
- The University of Alabama — Paul R. Jones Collection (accessed October 10, 2026)
- The University of Alabama — Building Bama: Pre-Civil War historic buildings (PDF) (accessed October 10, 2026)
- The University of Alabama — Randall Welcome Center directions (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Kentuck Art Center — Visit (accessed October 10, 2026)
- City of Northport — Visitors (accessed October 10, 2026)
- National Park Service — Northport Historic District (NRHP 80000736) (accessed October 10, 2026)
- City of Tuscaloosa — CHOM announces closing and transition to IGNITE at the Saban Center (Aug. 19, 2025) (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Tuscaloosa Thread — Warner Transportation Museum closure (June 24, 2024) (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Encyclopedia of Alabama — Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum (accessed October 10, 2026)
- The University of Alabama — Moundville Archaeological Park (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Alabama Tourism Department — Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Trail (accessed October 10, 2026)
- WBRC — Tuscaloosa now has an official civil rights trail (accessed October 10, 2026)
- National Park Service — First African Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Tuscaloosa City and County Unified Address Points (county 911 GIS) (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Encyclopedia of Alabama — Capitol at Tuscaloosa (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Encyclopedia of Alabama — Historic Drish House (accessed October 10, 2026)
- Encyclopedia of Alabama — Northport (accessed October 10, 2026)
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