Museum of Ashe County History
Check pricesA history museum in Jefferson, North Carolina, housed in the town's historic 1904 courthouse, focused on Ashe County and the wider Southern Appalachians.

Photo: Zanter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Float a kayak or inner tube down the shallow, north-flowing New River from one of several free access points in the Blue Ridge of Ashe County.
U.S. 221 Access, 358 New River State Park Road, Laurel Springs, NC 28644 · Laurel Springs, NC
New River State Park strings several accesses along a National Wild and Scenic River in Ashe and Alleghany counties, about 35 miles northeast of Boone. The New River flows north, against the grain of the Appalachians, and some geologists think it is among the oldest rivers on the continent. The water is shallow and gentle, so every access works for launching kayaks, canoes or inner tubes, and some campsites can only be reached by paddling. The U.S. 221 Access has the visitor center and exhibits, and the park has about 9 miles of hiking trail. Day use is free.
The closest stops to New River State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
A history museum in Jefferson, North Carolina, housed in the town's historic 1904 courthouse, focused on Ashe County and the wider Southern Appalachians.
7.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Hike open mountain balds above 5,000 feet near Mount Rogers, where wild ponies graze beside the Appalachian Trail.
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A mountain forest in Wilkes County's Blue Ridge setting, known for marked hiking trails and nature education displays.
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Hike or climb a bare 600-foot granite dome, fish for trout in its streams, then visit a restored 1800s farm at its base.
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A North Carolina history museum in Wilkesboro that runs a group of restored historic buildings as an educational center.
24 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
A living-history museum of historic log cabins in Daniel Boone Park, run by the Southern Appalachian Historical Association in Boone.
26 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums