This $29 million museum, opened in April 1999 in the city's oldest district, celebrates the state with a plethora of lifelike exhibits and state-of-the-art technology. Inside the block-long, red-brick structure, the atrium's focal point is a sweeping spiral stairway, patterned after the one in Frankfort's Old Capitol. As you walk through the main exhibit, A Kentucky Journey, you'll feel the sway of the keelboat and hear the water lapping at an early river settlement. At the exhibit's end, touch-activated computers allow access to more Kentucky information. In addition to the permanent exhibit, the museum includes a research library and special collections.