Museums

From Pioneer Life To 20th Century

If you’re visiting Asheville, certain museums and historical sites are hard to miss: The Asheville Art Museum and the Center for Craft completed multimillion-dollar makeovers in 2019 and are reveling in their recent reveals; meanwhile, the Biltmore Estate and Asheville Museum of Science are anything but hidden.

Other locations require a little digging, though. If you want to go small, niche or quirky, and your passion is pinball, radios, antique cars, Moog synthesizers or cats, we’ve got a museum for you.

Unless specified otherwise, the following sites are located in Asheville.

HOUSE MUSEUMS

• Smith-McDowell House Museum: Built in 1840, the home is believed to be the oldest surviving house in Asheville and the oldest brick structure in Buncombe County.

• Thomas Wolfe Memorial: Tour the childhood home of writer Thomas Wolfe and learn how the property inspired his scandalous 1929 novel Look Homeward, Angel.

• Vance Birthplace: Located in Weaverville, the tour focuses on what pioneer life was like for both free and enslaved people in Western North Carolina.

INSTRUMENTS AND SOUND

• The Asheville Radio Museum: This small museum has an impressive collection of radio equipment, advertisements and other memorabilia. Hours vary.

• LEAF Cultural Arts center: The multicultural, interactive, family-friendly center offers sights and sounds from around the globe, as well as local crafts.

• The Moogseum: This interactive museum celebrates Robert “Bob” Moog’s legacy and the science of sound. Photo courtesy of the Bob Moog Foundation

Photo courtesy of the Bob Moog Foundation

HISTORY CENTERS

• Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center: Learn the history and legacy of Black Mountain College, a freewheeling, multidisciplinary hub of artistic innovation that operated from 1933-57.

• Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center: Situated at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the center features over 900 makers.

• Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center: Located in Black Mountain, the nonprofit offers permanent and temporary exhibits about the history of Buncombe County.

• YMI Cultural Center: Opened in 1893, the center is located in the heart of Asheville’s former African American business district. Today the site offers cultural, economic and leadership development activities. Prior to visiting, check its calendar for upcoming events.

TRANSPORTATION MUSEUMS

• Antique Car Museum: See rare automobiles like the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. The museum is closed January-March.

• Western North Carolina Air Museum: Located in Hendersonville, the site offers a unique collection celebrating the Golden Age of Aviation, 1918-39. Limited hours. Closed December-February.

ECCENTRIC SPOTS

• American Museum of the House Cat: Located in Sylva, this quirky museum features a collection of house cat memorabilia — from vintage advertisements to a mummified feline.

• Asheville Pinball Museum: Pay to play 80-plus classic pinball and video games.

Photo courtesy of the Asheville Art Museum