Wilkes Heritage Museum — Attraction in Wilkesboro

I am a travel writer for National Park Planner and I visited the Wilkes Heritage Museum in May 2014. The museum is an official stop on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, part of the National Park System.

The Wilkes Heritage Museum is dedicated to the entire Wilkes County, not the city of Wilkesboro, and is housed in the old courthouse building. Its many rooms now contain exhibit areas dealing with different topics: Early Settlers, Industry, Medicine and Dentistry, Pottery, Moonshining, Auto Racing, Communications, etc. Most topics could apply to any and every city, but this museum discusses the subjects in relation to Wilkes County and the artifacts have been donated from local residents. In the Communications exhibit, for example, there is an old telephone switchboard, but not just any old switchboard—the switchboard from the Wilksboro Hotel. In the Military exhibit, local war vets from the World Wars, Vietnam, and recent wars have donated uniforms and other memorabilia.

The museum’s one connection to the Overmountain Victory Trail is an exhibit room on the American Revolution, which of course focuses on the Overmountain Men. The information, however, is much the same as you can pick up at other National Parks such as Cowpens National Battlefield and Kings Mountain National Military Park, all except one item—the Tory Oak information panel. The site of the Tory Oak, the American Revolution hanging tree, is located behind the museum.

For complete information on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, visit National Park...

Very nice historical museum located inside the old Wilkes County Courthouse. Many interesting artifacts are on display with brief descriptions of the items and names of the donors posted nearby to each piece. Some items have been gifted to the museum and other items are on loan to the museum, either temporarily or permanently. The only drawback that I found is, in my opinion, there are not nearly enough volunteers with a working knowledge of the history of Wilkes County there to answer any questions that one may have during their visit. All-in-all, it was a very pleasant and relaxing self-guided tour of the Wilkes County History within the confines of a historical...

A gem for Blue Ridge history and music lovers. Great mix of exhibits on Wilkes County history—everything from early settlement and military service to the region’s Blue Ridge music traditions. The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame is in the same building, and the highlight for us was stepping onto the stage used by local legends like Doc Watson. It makes the stories feel alive rather than stuck behind glass.

Staff were friendly and happy to answer questions. Admission was very affordable (worth every dollar), and we spent about 90 minutes exploring without feeling rushed. Parking was easy nearby, and the museum was clean and...