Asheville Museums & Historic Sites

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Asheville Art Museum

Visit Their Website
2 South Pack Square
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
(828) 253-3227

Tue-Sat 10-5pm Fri 10-8pm Sun 1-5pm
Adults $6.00, Students, Seniors & Children 4-15 $5.00, Children under 4 Free

Visit our Asheville Art Museum page for more.

Explore exceptional special exhibitions, the Museum’s outstanding collection of the very best of 20th and 21st century American art and inspiring public programs for visitors of all ages. Located in the heart of exciting downtown Asheville, near cutting edge galleries and cafés, the Asheville Art Museum offers GREAT ART and GREAT EXPERIENCES for everyone! Visit our Asheville Art Museum page for more information.

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Basilica St. Lawrence

Visit Their Website
97 Haywood Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 252-6042

Open Daily 7-9pm
Free

Distinctive stylistic techniques were used by Spanish designer Rafael Guastavino and designer Richard Sharpe Smith, to create the St. Lawrence Catholic Church in 1909. This religious edifice was recently granted the distinction of minor basilica. Its two Spanish Baroque towers are enshrouded in colorful tiles, that match the red soil colors of the area. Considered by many to be an architectural masterpiece, the basilica is home to the largest unsupported tile dome in the United States measuring 52 feet by 82 feet.

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Black Mountain College Museum and Art Center

Visit Their Website
56 Broadway St.
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 350-8484

Wed-Sat Noon-4pm.
Free, Donations Accepted

"The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center was founded in 1993 by Mary Holden to honor and pay tribute to the spirit and history of Black Mountain College and to acknowledge the College's role as a forerunner in progressive, interdisciplinary education with a focus on the arts.” Today the BMCM & AC strives to maintain and continue the legacy of education and artistic innovation of the Black Mountain College. This is achieved through providing a public forum for collection, conservation, educational activities, exhibitions, publications, and other public programs. They offer changing exhibitions, a video archive, research materials, and a selection of books and other materials for purchase.

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Carl Sandburg Home National Historical Site

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81 Carl Sandburg Lane
Flat Rock, NC 28731
(828) 693-4178

Historic Home Tours Available Daily 9-5pm
Adults $5, Under 16 Free, Golden Age, Golden Access, Golden Eagle, or National Park Passes will be issued a free tour ticket.

Take the short trip to Hendersonville to visit the homestead that Pulitzer Prize winning author and renowned poet Carl Sandburg called home. Sandburg published more than one-third of his works in the 22 years he spent in these mountains. At the historic site you will find the Sandburg residence, a dairy goat farm, five miles of hiking trails, lakes and ponds, flower and vegetable gardens, and an apple orchard.

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Colburn Earth Science Museum

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2 South Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 254-7162

Tue-Sat 10-5pm, Sun 1-5pm
Adults $4.00 Children & Seniors & Students $3.00 Children under 4 Free

The Colburn Earth Science Museum houses rare, one of a kind crystals and gemstones from North Carolina and around the world. Their mission is to foster an appreciation of the Earth and its mineral resources, through dazzling exhibits, rich educational programs, and the collection and care of many beautiful specimens.

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Estes Winn Auto Museum

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111 Grovewood Rd.
Asheville, NC 28804
(828) 253-7651

Open Apr-Dec: Mon-Sat 10-5pm, Sun 1-5pm
Free

The Estes Winn Auto Museum was established in 1965 and is located in the historic Biltmore Industries Weaving shop. The museum houses 20 cars and is unique in that the cars on display are mostly original and in running condition. This auto-link between the past and present allows visitors to gander rare and beautiful specimens of "car-builder art".

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The Health Adventure

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2 South Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 254-6373

Tue-Sat 10-5pm, Sun 1-5pm
Adults $6.00; Children 2-15, Seniors & Students $5.00

Founded in 1968, The Health Adventure is a health and science museum for children of all ages. The museum is dedicated to “improving health awareness, promoting wellness lifestyles, and increasing science literacy through programs and exhibits.” The Health Adventure features a hands-on interactive approach, dynamic exhibits and professional science and health educators, who teach guests through experimental education methods. Programs can be scheduled for groups or institutions, and a summer Discovery Camp is also offered.

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Riverside Cemetery

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53 Birch Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 350-2066

Office Hours Mon-Fri 8-4:30pm
Free

The Riverside Cemetery offers visitors a unique glimpse into Asheville's "cultural diversity, architecture, religious customs, and landscape design." Just a short walk from Downtown in the Montford Historic District, Riverside Cemetery's 87 acres of well-manicured grounds offer its visitors an unparallel glimpse into Asheville's past. Take a guided tour, or just stroll the cemetery grounds to locate such landmarks at the gravesites of Thomas Wolfe and O. Henry.

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Smith-McDowell House Museum

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283 Victoria Road
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 253-9231

Tue-Sat 10-4pm, Sun 1-4pm
Adults $5.00, Students $4.00, Children 3-18 $3.00. Holiday rates apply during Christmas Season, Call for more info.

Exquisitely restored period rooms and special history exhibits are just a few of the attractions to be found at the Smith-McDowell House Museum. Built in the 1840's, this National Register historic property is Asheville's first mansion and oldest structure. Your "journey into the past" extends beyond the walls of the museum to the grounds, which are an Official Treasured Tree Preserve designed by renowned Biltmore Estate landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmstead.

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Southern Appalachian Radio Museum

Visit Their Website
A-B Tech Community College, Elm Building Room - 315.
1340 Victoria Rd.
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 298-1847 , (828) 691-0315, (828) 299-1276

Open Feb-Oct: Fri 1-3pm.
Call for private tours. Donations appreciated!

Get ready to take a trip into the past at the Southern Appalachian Radio Museum located on the main campus of A-B Tech Community College. You can see and tune vintage radios and other exhibits such as spark gap transmitters, keys, an operating amateur radio station and more. This trip to North Carolina’s only such museum can be an exciting and enriching educational experience for everyone! Groups limited to 10 at a time - children ages 10 and up typically enjoy the experience. Our staff is also involved in teaching and licensing future amateur radio operators(Norman Harrill is the key contact for this, call 828-299-1276).

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Swannanoa Valley Museum

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223 W. State St.
Black Mountain 28711
(828) 669-9566

Open April through October: Tue-Sat 10-5pm, Sun 2-5pm
Free

Reconnect with the “social, cultural and natural history of the Swannanoa Valley” at the Swannanoa Valley Museum in Black Mountain. Permanent exhibits cover topics such as Native American and early settler culture, railroad construction, the Black Mountain College, textiles in the valley, and local icons from the past. The museum’s library is available to teachers, students and researchers who wish to expand their knowledge of the Swannanoa Valley and Western North Carolina history.

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Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site

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52 North Market Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 253-8304

Apr-Oct: Tue-Sat 9-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. Nov-Mar: Tue-Sat 10-4pm, Sun 1-4pm
Adults $1.00, Students $0.50

Step into “Dixieland,” the rambling Victorian house immortalized in Thomas Wolfe’s epic autobiographical novel Look Homeward, Angel. This Downtown Asheville landmark teaches visitors about Thomas Wolfe, the famed author who called Asheville home, and offers a glimpse into the setting of one of his greatest novels.

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Urban Trail

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Guided tours are available April through October every Saturday at 10:30am and 3pm, although are not necessary. For Guided Tours call the Asheville Area Arts Council (828)258-0710 or email at info@ashevillearts.com.

Audio cassette players can also be rented at Pack Place for self-guided tours.

"The Asheville Urban Trail is an art museum without walls, a walk through time, an opportunity to examine the rich architecture, to enjoy neighborhoods and learn about the people and events that have given Asheville its distinctive flair.” While strolling along the urban trail, not only will you get a good walking tour of Asheville’s beautiful downtown, but you will also learn fascinating stories about this city’s colorful history. The trail is approximately 1.7 mi and can take as much as two hours to complete, and has a wealth of curiosities at every turn. Commissioned by the City of Asheville, the Urban Trail was instituted to improve the quality of life in Asheville through a public display of art. Designed by volunteers and built with donations, the Urban Trail now has thirty "stations" marked by embedded pink granite.

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YMI Cultural Center

Visit Their Website
39 South Market St.
Asheville NC, 28801
(828) 252-4614

Tue-Fri 10-5pm
Prices Vary by Exhibit. Group Tours by Appointment Only.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the YMI Cultural Center is an Asheville Landmark. Commissioned by George Vanderbilt and located in the heart of downtown, the YMI Cultural Center serves and has served the Asheville's minority population since its birth in 1893. "It houses numerous exhibits, many dealing with the history of African Americans in Western North Carolina, and sponsors such cultural events as Asheville's Goombay! Festival, an Annual Kwanzaa Celebration and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration." The YMI cultural center invites one and all to come share in some rich heritage and celebrate African and African American culture.

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Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace State Historic Site

Visit Their Website
911 Reems Creek Rd.
Weaverville, NC 28787
(828) 645-6706

Apr-Oct: Mon-Sat 9-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. Nov-Mar: Tue-Sat 10-4pm, Sun 1-4
Free

This pioneer farmstead, nestled in the Reems Creek Valley, is home to the birthplace of Zebulon Baird Vance. Captain Vance was known as the war governor of the south, and was seen as a maverick for his liberal advocacy of individual rights and local self-government. The rich history of Vance and his family’s can be discovered at the homestead. On site, visitors can see the five-room log house and its outbuildings, which are furnished with historical antiques that evoke the time period from 1795 to 1840.