Museums provide an opportunity for people to explore and give them a chance to expand their knowledge on a wide array of topics. North Carolina has 14 state-sponsored museums, but some of the best museums are hidden across the Tar Heel State.
From a record-breaking collection of pinball machines to a museum dedicated to the history of the house cat, there are plenty of unique, one-of-kind museums for North Carolinians to enjoy.
Fairview Gem & Mineral Museum
Macon County, North Carolina, has been dubbed the “Gem Capital of the World,” and in Fairview, the Gem & Mineral Museum is a place where patrons can see a wide collection of rocks, gemstones and more.
“The hills and mountains around here are riddled with all kinds of gemstones from quartz to garnets to rubies and many more,” the website states.
The museum has different rooms with different exhibits, ranging from a room filled with black lights and fluorescent minerals to a hall filled with fossils. More information on the museum can be found at https://www.fgmm.org/.
NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Tucked away in Spencer, just 35 miles northeast of Charlotte, the NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures is open Thursdays through Sundays, offering visitors a chance to look at some toys of the past.
The museum was founded in 2012 by the Morris and Nance families to honor their daughter and sister Amy Dawn Morris. Morris was a known collector of dolls and miniatures, and she passed away just two weeks before her 22nd birthday due to complications from Werding-Hoffman Disease. The museum opened its doors, featuring exhibits filled with some of Morris’ own collection.
Now, the museum houses thousands of items in its collection, most donated by collectors who wish to preserve their childhood artifacts. Some artifacts include the largest known Shirley Temple doll, Schoenhut Humpty-Dumpty Circus and a real, life-sized doll house.
More information on the museum can be found at https://ncmdtm.org/.
The Ava Gardner Museum
Located in the heart of downtown Smithfield, the Ava Gardner Museum provides a more personal look into the life of Hollywood star Ava Gardner.
Gardner was born on Dec. 24 in an unincorporated farming community in Johnston County, North Carolina. She rose to stardom in the 1940s, but her most famous role was as Mara Vargas in “The Barefoot Contessa” (1954). Gardner also had multiple marriages with some of the biggest names of all time, including Mickey Rooney and Frank Sinatra.
The museum in Smithfield features exhibits with some artifacts from Gardner’s life, including red carpet looks, film costumes, jewelry, gifts from Rooney and Sinatra and more.
More information about the museum can be found at https://www.johnstoncountync.org/ava-gardner/.
Dale’s Wheels through Time
Nestled in the heart of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, Dale’s Wheels through Time is a museum dedicated to documenting the history of the motorcycle.
The collection features more than 350 rare and vintage motorcycles on display and is believed to be the broadest collection of American motorcycles and associated memorabilia anywhere on earth. The facility is 38,000 square feet and is packed wall-to-wall with Harleys, Indians, Excelsiors, Hendersons, Popes, Flying Merkels and Crockers. There are also some rare and vintage cars, including Steve McQueen’s 1949 Cadillac Series-62.
For more information about Dale’s, you can go to https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dales-wheels-through-time.
Museum of the Bizarre
Over in Wilmington, there is a museum dedicated to the weird and the strange. The Museum of the Bizarre, which opened in 2015, houses the macabre and the unique.
Some items in the museum’s most strange exhibits include a life-sized Pinhead, another life-size Freddy, lock of Alexander Hamilton’s hair, letters from serial killers, a crystal skull, a two-headed calf, Harry Houdini’s ouija board and vintage medical equipment.
For more information on the museum, you can go to https://museumbizarre.com/.
Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum
The rural countryside is the prime place for historic legends and spooky tales, and in Littleton, there’s a museum dedicated to showcasing evidence of the paranormal and the mysterious.
Local cryptozoologist Stephen Barcelo founded the museum and has contributed to the exhibits. Artifacts include casts of Bigfoot prints, Mrs. Beasley the haunted doll, UFO sighting testimonials accompany photographic evidence and more.
The museum holds some artifacts from the town’s history and provides tours to educate guests on the paranormal. To learn more about the museum, go to its website at http://www1.crypto-para.org/?tm=1&subid4=1714750053.0124440000.
Asheville Pinball Museum
The Asheville Pinball Museum is one of the most interactive destinations in this list. Located at 1 Battle Sq., the collection of arcade games includes 35 pinball machines and 35 stand up arcade games.
The museum has staggered hours, which are the following:
Monday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday-Friday: 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday: Noon to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information about the pinball museum, go to https://ashevillepinball.com/.
Elsewhere Museum
Elsewhere is a world renowned artist residency and museum in Greensboro containing over three stories of art exhibits.
This “living collection” was gathered by the museum’s “founder,” Sylvia Gray, over the course of 58 years. Gray collected various works of art, textiles and more. After she died, Gray’s grandson, George Scheer, made his way to Greensboro, where he discovered his grandmother’s cove or treasures and knickknacks.
Now, the museum welcomes guests to explore the space which “provides material and context for site-specific artistic experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration.”
To learn more, go to https://www.elsewheremuseum.org/.
Levine Museum of the New South
The Levine Museum of the New South, nestled in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, serves as a captivating window into the region’s rich and complex history. Through immersive exhibits, interactive displays and thought-provoking programming, the museum explores the social, cultural and economic transformation of the American South since the Civil War. Visitors are transported through time, from the Reconstruction era to the present day, gaining insight into pivotal moments such as the Civil Rights Movement, industrialization and immigration that have shaped the South’s identity. One of the museum’s standout exhibits is “Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers,” which traces the evolution of the region from its agrarian roots to its emergence as a modern urban center. The Levine Museum of the New South stands as a beacon of education and reflection, inviting visitors to engage with the complexities of the Southern experience and to contemplate the ongoing narrative of progress and change.
For more information, go to https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/.