Historic Smith-McDowell House Museum, Asheville

Also see: Thomas Wolfe House Memorial | Biltmore House | Vance Birthplace | Carl Sandburg Home

Carolina Christmas Historic Home Tours
Mid November-December 2013

The mansion and local history museum is authentically decorated with fresh trees, garlands, ornaments and toys of the Victorian Period. Seven period rooms are decked out with gold, silver and glassware from the Museum's permanent collections. Admission for the Christmas season will be $10 for adults, $6 for college students (with ID) and $5 for children ages 8-18. Candlelight tours of the Christmas Exhibit are available after regular Museum hours by reservation for groups of 12 or more. Reservations must be placed at least a week in advance and the cost will be $15 per person. To make a Candlelight tour reservation, please call 828-253-9231. Open Wednesday-Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM and Sunday 12 Noon-4 PM. Closed December 22-25.

Tour Asheville’s first mansion and oldest surviving structure, now restored as a history museum. Take a fascinating, one-hour guided tour that can often be personalized to the your interests. It's one of our Top 10 Civil War Sites.

Built by one of antebellum North Carolina’s most influential citizens, this National Register property was once the home of mayors, a Confederate Major, and friends of the Vanderbilts at nearby Biltmore Estate.

In addition to restored period rooms spanning 1840 through 1900, the Museum also features special history exhibits in its Gallery Rooms. Be sure to visit for our acclaimed Victorian Christmas Celebration and other seasonal events.

Now undergoing restoration, the Museum’s grounds are an Official Treasured Tree Preserve and were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. in 1900. The Museum’s grounds are also home to the Buncombe County Civil War Memorial.

The four-story mansion was built on a plantation south of Asheville approximately 20 years before the Civil War. Constructed on a hill’s summit, ringed by picturesque mountains, the manse was constructed by slave labor. During a time when most people lived in log cabins, the imposing structure was composed of rare brick.

Today known as The Smith-McDowell House, it is the oldest surviving house in Asheville and the oldest brick house in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

Open Thursday through Saturday:
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Adult admission is $7/person, and $10/person for the Christmas season.

Location
The Museum is located on the campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College at 283 Victoria Road in Asheville, NC. Please note that Victoria Road cannot be directly accessed from McDowell Street. When in doubt, follow the signs to A-B Tech College.

From I-40:
Take Exit 50 toward Biltmore Estate and downtown Asheville. Proceed ½ mile and stay to the right as the road forks (Biltmore Ave./Hwy. 25 North). Proceed 1 mile and turn left onto Victoria Road at the signal by Mission Hospital's St. Joseph Campus. The Museum is located ½ down Victoria Road on the right.

From I-240:
Take Exit 5B (Charlotte Street) toward downtown Asheville. Travel .9 mile and turn left onto Biltmore Ave./Hwy. 25 South. Proceed .6 mile. Turn right onto Victoria Road at the signal by Mission Hospital's St. Joseph Campus. The Museum is ½ mile down Victoria Road on the right.

For more, visit the Western North Carolina Historical Association website.

Official romantic guide for vacations in Asheville and the North Carolina Mountains