Museums

Many fine and distinctive museums in the mountains of North Carolina provide a wealth of insight and inspiration for visitors seeking a deeper cultural understanding of the region.
 
The cultures that comprise the patchwork quilt of mountain heritage are illuminated in the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the Scottish Tartans Museum, the Mountain Heritage Center and the Waldensian Museum.
 
The isolation, perseverance, and ingenuity of pioneer farms are showcased at the Hickory Ridge Homestead, Mountain Gateway Museum, Mountain Farm Museum and Rural Life Museum.
 
The Museum of North Carolina Minerals tells the story of an important natural resource and is a major interpretive site for a Revolutionary War trail.
 
Some of the region's finest heritage museums include:

• Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC
• Avery County Historical Museum, Newland, NC
• Big Ivy Historical Society and Park, Barnardsville, NC
• Canton Area Historical Museum, Canton, NC
• Clay County Historical & Arts Museum, Hayesville, NC
• Crossnore Weavers and Gallery, Crossnore, NC
• Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum, Franklin, NC
• Hickory Ridge Homestead, Boone, NC
• Highlands Historical Society, Highlands, NC
• Mountain Farm Museum, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Mountain Gateway Museum, Old Fort, NC
• Mountain Heritage Center, Cullowee, NC
• Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, Mount Airy, NC
• Museum of Ashe County History, Jefferson, NC
• Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Cherokee, NC
• Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts, Waynesville, NC
• Museum of North Carolina Minerals, Spruce Pine, NC
• Old Wilkes Jail, Wilkesboro, NC
• Rural Life Museum, Mars Hill, NC
• Scottish Tartans Museum, Franklin, NC
• Smith-McDowell House, Asheville, NC
• Southern Appalachian Radio Museum, Asheville, NC 
• Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, Robbinsville, NC
• Swannanoa Valley Museum, Black Mountain, NC
• Thomas Wolfe Memorial, Asheville, NC
• Waldensian Museum, Valdese, NC
• Wheels Through Time Museum, Maggie Valley, NC
• Wilkes Heritage Museum, Wilkesboro, NC
• World Methodist Museum, Lake Junaluska, NC
• Zachary-Tolbert House, Cashiers, NC