Tripadvisor
1 / 30#30. Petty Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (83 reviews)
- City: Randleman North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
Highest-rated specialty museums in North Carolina by visitors
In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."
According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.
Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.
Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.
Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in North Carolina on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?
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Tripadvisor
2 / 30#29. The American Museum of the House Cat
- Rating: 4.6/5 (51 reviews)
- City: Sylva Jackson County North
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3 / 30#28. North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport
- Rating: 4.6/5 (326 reviews)
- City: Southport North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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4 / 30#27. Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (234 reviews)
- City: Wilson North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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5 / 30#26. The Schiele Museum of Natural History
- Rating: 4.5/5 (272 reviews)
- City: Gastonia North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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6 / 30#25. Museum Of Illusions Charlotte
- Rating: 4.1/5 (57 reviews)
- City: Charlotte North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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7 / 30#24. Smoky Mountain Trains Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (516 reviews)
- City: Bryson City North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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8 / 30#23. Aurora Fossil Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (120 reviews)
- City: Aurora North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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9 / 30#22. Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
- Rating: 4.0/5 (533 reviews)
- City: Hatteras Island Outer Banks North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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10 / 30#21. The Carolina Basketball Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (209 reviews)
- City: Chapel Hill North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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11 / 30#20. North Carolina Transportation Museum
- Rating: 4.3/5 (431 reviews)
- City: Spencer North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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12 / 30#19. Wilmington Railroad Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (315 reviews)
- City: Wilmington North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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13 / 30#18. Levine Museum of the New South
- Rating: 4.5/5 (574 reviews)
- City: Charlotte North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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14 / 30#17. North Carolina Maritime Museum
- Rating: 4.7/5 (908 reviews)
- City: Beaufort North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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15 / 30#16. The Andy Griffith Museum
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1,080 reviews)
- City: Mount Airy North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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16 / 30#15. Museum of the Cherokee People
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,778 reviews)
- City: Cherokee North
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17 / 30#14. Whalehead in Historic Corolla
- Rating: 4.6/5 (697 reviews)
- City: Corolla Outer Banks North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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18 / 30#13. Grovewood Village
- Rating: 4.6/5 (599 reviews)
- City: Asheville North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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19 / 30#12. Airborne and Special Operations Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (1,098 reviews)
- City: Fayetteville North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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20 / 30#11. Asheville Pinball Museum
- Rating: 4.7/5 (963 reviews)
- City: Asheville North
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21 / 30#10. Bellamy Mansion
- Rating: 4.5/5 (654 reviews)
- City: Wilmington North
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22 / 30#9. Mint Museum Uptown
- Rating: 4.4/5 (506 reviews)
- City: Charlotte North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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23 / 30#8. Currituck Beach Lighthouse
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,277 reviews)
- City: Corolla Outer Banks North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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24 / 30#7. Hendrick Motorsports Complex
- Rating: 4.6/5 (457 reviews)
- City: Charlotte North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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25 / 30#6. Wheels Through Time Transportation Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (1,463 reviews)
- City: Maggie Valley North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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26 / 30#5. Sullenberger Aviation Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (708 reviews)
- City: Charlotte North
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27 / 30#4. Museum of Life + Science
- Rating: 4.7/5 (928 reviews)
- City: Durham North
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28 / 30#3. The Folk Art Center (Southern Highland Craft Guild)
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,438 reviews)
- City: Asheville North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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29 / 30#2. Discovery Place Science
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,495 reviews)
- City: Charlotte North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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30 / 30#1. NASCAR Hall of Fame
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,515 reviews)
- City: Charlotte North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.
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