Visit the Hollister Herbarium
The Hollister Herbarium welcomes members of the general public, students, educators, community groups, naturalists, agency personnel, and researchers. Visits are free and available by appointment throughout the year.
Visitors can view preserved plant specimens, learn how botanical collections are created and cared for, explore how specimens contribute to research and conservation, and see examples documenting more than a century of plant diversity.
No university affiliation or specialized botanical knowledge is required.
Guided tours may be adapted for individuals, families, K–12 groups, university classes,
community organizations, and professional audiences. Topics may include:
- What herbarium specimens are and why museums preserve them
- Tennessee plant diversity
- Rare and threatened plants
- How botanists collect and identify plants
- Digitization and online biodiversity data
- Careers in botany, museums, and natural history collections
Plan Your Visit
Location: Pennebaker Hall, Room 204, 1100 N. Dixie Avenue, Cookeville, TN 38501
Availability: By appointment throughout year
Admission: Free
Group Size: Up to 20 visitors at a time
Typical Visit Length: 1-2 hours, depending on activities
Parking Information
Visitor parking is exclusively reserved for guests and is not available to faculty, staff, or students. Virtual visitor permits allow guests to park in any visitor space on campus. If all visitor parking spaces are occupied, Parking and Transportation Services can assist visitors in obtaining an alternate parking space.
Accessibility Information
The Hollister Herbarium is committed to making its collections and educational programs accessible to all visitors. Because the herbarium is housed in a working collections space with narrow aisles between specimen cabinets, some areas of the collection room are not wheelchair accessible. With advance notice, staff can provide an accessible experience in another campus room. Specimens, demonstrations, and educational activities can be brought to this location and adapted to meet the needs of individual visitors or groups. Visitors who need an accessible location or other accommodations should mention this when scheduling a visit so that appropriate arrangements can be made.