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Here's a fun, unique holiday outing that will make you smile and brighten your day. The Aluminum Tree & Ornament Museum (ATOM), the world's only museum dedicated to vintage aluminum Christmas trees, reopened for this holiday season, celebrating 50 years of the aluminum Christmas tree. Dozens of trees and thousands of ornaments are on display in whimsical themes, with displays dedicated to the Wizard of Oz, Elvis, and Tammy Faye Baker, to name a few. Numerous color wheels and revolving tree stands from the era are interspersed with artifacts from the aluminum trees' glory years.
The museum changes locations about every year. For 2009, ATOM is open in downtown Brevard on Friday, November 27 through Saturday, December 19 in the Transylvania Heritage Museum at 40 West Jordan Street. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, Wednesdays - Saturdays (closed Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays). Downtown Brevard is 33 miles from Downtown Asheville.
The Aluminum Tree and Aesthethically Challenged Seasonal Ornament Museum & Research Center was established by Stephen Jackson in Brevard in 1997, and the "center" has been featured in Southern Living, Money magazine, the New York Times, and heard on National Public Radio and BBC. ATOM is an apt name for this Museum, since the trees were produced during the "atomic age" of the mid-20th century.
Millions of aluminum Christmas trees were produced by over 40 companies in the the USA, Canada, and Australia. They were made from the late 1950's to the early 1970's. The vast majority of the trees in the Museum are vintage trees. You can identify vintage trees by noting that the individual branches insert into holes in the center pole ("trunk"). They "genetically engineer" some trees (the aluminum palm trees, the aluminum bonsai) for fun. They include a few new metal trees for visitors to compare to the old vintage trees.
For the first time ever, they are offering a select few trees for purchase! These Christmas trees are vintage trees that are either duplicates of other Museum trees or other trees we no longer need in the Museum display.
No admission is charged, but they encourage donations to cover the costs of the Museum. Proceeds this year will go to the host, the Transylvania Heritage Museum.
After your museum visit, stroll around charming downtown Brevard with a variety of shops, galleries and restaurants. Read more about Downtown Brevard.
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For more information on the Aluminum Tree & Ornament Museum,