Asheville Radio Museum — Attraction in Asheville

WOW! That was my response in seeing radio history in those old creations! Mr. Stuart Smolkin, Museum Curator and our guide, made those ole long dead “bones” of wires, tubes, horns and mysterious little things called resistors, capacitors, and inductors come alive and speak again! Stuart, was our Moses who guided us old radio guys through the “red” sea all over again! It was an experience that brought back many years of nostalgia to this old man that began his journey into the science of radio as a boy some eighty years ago. When I was about six or seven years old, my dad saw me playing with some old radio parts, said, “Boy, if you learn to fix those things, you could make some money”! I built a crystal set, ties it to the chicken fence and listened to amazing sounds that still stir me with wonder after all these years! It is written somewhere, “Do not despise the day of small beginnings!” That experience began my journey into the world of electronics as a career. I want to extend my “Thanks” to my fellow Hams in the Franklin Ham Club for setting up this very interesting trip into the past. And a special thanks to Chip K2KJD and David, ND1J for the ride over and for sharing info long lost to me during my “years in the wilderness” due to many years of being “off the air”! It’s good to be back in the Ham world! A very special “Thank You” to Stuart for sharing his passion for the history of Radio with the group. For anyone that has the least interest in the wonder of Radio and its history should make a special effort to visit the Asheville NC Radio Museum! It will be an unforgettable experience. Who knows, you may kick-start some kid into the wonder of science and technology, for it is also written “If man can think it, he can do...

A couple of weeks ago I was wondering if there are any radio museums in the country. I was surprised to run across the web site for The Asheville Radio Museum which is only an hour south of my home in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is open on Fridays and I happened to be off work last Friday so my wife and I drove to Asheville not really knowing what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised to find an amazing collection of early radios that tell the story of the development of radio. On top of that we received a personal two hour tour with full explanations and demonstrations.

We almost take radio for granted. We may only think of our AM and FM commercial radio but our lives depend on some type of radio system more and more everyday with cell phones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS to name a few. I have been an amateur radio operator and an electrical engineer for about 35 years but never really knew much about how radio got to where it is today until our visit to the Asheville Radio Museum. They have done a really nice job with the museum and I highly encourage others to visit and take advantage of the great resource. It is great for all ages too. Older folks will appreciate the history and younger folks will be inspired to follow the...

Our organization recently took a tour of the Asheville Radio Museum , and it greatly exceeded our expectations. This mini-museum on the third floor of the Elm Building at AB Tech is a little-known gem among Asheville attractions. The museum has one of the largest collection of old radios in the Southeast.

Stuart Smolkin, the museum's curator, gave our group the tour. He had some fascinating stories of the history of radio and demonstrated several old radios and other devices, including a century-old Edison phonograph.

Whether you collect antique radios or have an interest in ham radio, CB radio or just want to learn a bit about the science and history of radio and telegraph, you'll enjoy a tour of this little museum. Admission is free (though donations are appreciated), and parking nearby is also free and easy. The museum currently is open only on Saturdays...