We try to keep this list of historic house museums for North Carolina current, but it is best to check directly with the museums for their hours and other information.

If you know of a historic house museum not in our list, please submit it.

If you are the director of a museum in our listings and you would like to claim your listing so you are able to maintain your listing yourself, please email us at info@vpa.org and we will set you up.

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Alamance County Historical Museum

    Enjoy the gracious American country home built by Michael Holt III in 1790, enlarged in 1800, and again in 1875 by his grandson L. Banks Holt. This comfortable setting, with many original furnishings, provides a relaxed atmosphere enjoyed by hundreds of visitors each year. Read More

    Bennett Place

      This simple farmhouse was situated between Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's headquarters in Greensboro, and Union Gen. William T. Sherman's headquarters in Raleigh. In April 1865, the two commanders met at the Bennett Place, where they signed surrender papers for Southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. It was the largest troop surrender of the American Civil War. Read More

      Biltmore

      Biltmore

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        A working estate that would sustain itself and benefit the community. America's largest home. Acres of gardens, parklands, and managed forests. A country retreat for friends and family. This was George Vanderbilt's vision for Biltmore Estate more than 100 years ago, and it lives to this day. Read More

        Blandwood

        Blandwood

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          Constructed by Charles Bland on the crest of a hill on his wooded farm, the earliest portions of the Blandwood were completed in 1795. The simple two-story farmhouse was later purchased by Governor Morehead, and subsequently expanded according to plans drawn by nationally renowned architect Alexander Jackson Davis of New York. Davis designed additions in the Italianate style villa… Read More

          Carl Sandburg House

            Carl Sandburg, nationally renowned poet, biographer, lecturer, newspaper columnist, folksinger, author of American fairytales, and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, provided broad and enduring 20th century insight into the circumstances, worth and spirit of the American people. This farm offered the peace and solitude required for his writing. Read More

            Charlotte Museum of History

              The house on the grounds of the Charlotte Museum of History is the Revolutionary Era home of Hezekiah Alexander. Built in 1774, it is the oldest surviving structure in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Read More

              Hall House

                Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this handsome house was built as a school in 1820. It became a residence in 1825 when local businessman Maxwell Chambers and his half-sister Rebecca Troy purchased the house and made it their home. Read More

                Duke Homestead

                  See the early home, factories, and farm where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco. Duke's sons later founded The American Tobacco Company, the largest tobacco company in the world. The tour includes Duke's restored home, an early factory, a curing barn, and a packhouse. The Tobacco Museum exhibits trace the history of tobacco from Native American times to… Read More

                  Harper House

                    The Harper House, built in 1887, is a Queen Anne Victorian Mansion that has been meticulously restored and furnished. The North Carolina Department of Archives states that the Harper House has the "finest Queen Anne interior styling in the entire state." The home now serves as a historic house museum and is open for tours. Also on the property… Read More

                    Hope Plantation

                      The centerpiece of the plantation is the c. 1803 Hope Mansion, Governor Stone’s stunning example of an academic architectural combination of Federal and Georgian architecture. Restored and opened to the public since 1972, the mansion is meticulously furnished with an extensive collection of original period pieces. Read More

                      Historic Rosedale Plantation

                        Rosedale was built in 1815 by Archibald Frew, a merchant, postmaster and tax collector. The home was locally known as “Frew’s Folly" because he spared no expense constructing the plantation that became a jewel of the Carolinas. The extravagant 4600 square foot home once sat on 919 acres. Historic Rosedale Plantation is now the glistening focal point of the… Read More

                        Korners Folly

                          Körner’s Folly is the architectural wonder and home of artist and designer Jule Gilmer Körner. Built in 1880 in Kernersville, North Carolina, the house originally served to display his interior design portfolio. Visitors can now explore the 22 room house museum and its unique original furnishings and artwork, cast-plaster details, carved woodwork, and elaborate hand laid tile. Read More

                          May Museum and Park

                            The May Museum and Park was built in 1854 by James William May, the grandson of Major Benjamin May, A Revolutionary War veteran and Pitt County delegate when the Halifax Resolves were passed on April 12, 1776. The property was passed down through the family to Ms. Tabitha Marie DeVisconti, who was the last living descendant of Major Benjamin… Read More

                            Pope House

                              Built in 1901 by Dr. M.T. Pope, an important African American citizen of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Pope House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Read More

                              Reynolda

                                Discover Reynolda House, a National Historic Property and the centerpiece of the Reynolda Mile cultural corridor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Explore the restored 1917 mansion of Katharine and R.J. Reynolds showcasing treasures of American art in both the historic house and new exhibition wing. Stroll landscaped grounds, formal and informal gardens, and wooded walking trails. Read More

                                Smith-McDowell House Museum

                                  Built by one of antebellum North Carolina's most influential citizens, the Smith-McDowell House was once the home of mayors, a Civil War major, and friends of the Vanderbilts. Rescued from destruction, Asheville's oldest surviving dwelling is now a National Register property and a window into how life was lived here in the 19th century. Read More

                                  The Barker House

                                    The Barker House, was built in 1782 as the residence of Thomas & Penelope Barker. Penelope Barker was a principle figure in the famous Edenton Tea Party which occurred on October 25, 1774. Read More

                                    Bellamy Mansion

                                      The Bellamy Mansion is one of North Carolina's most spectacular examples of antebellum architecture built on the eve of the Civil War by free and enslaved black artisans, for John Dillard Bellamy (1817-1896) physician, planter and business leader; and his wife, Eliza McIlhenny Harriss (1821-1907) and their nine children. After the fall of Fort Fisher in 1865, Federal troops… Read More

                                      Burwell School

                                        The Burwell School was the site of one of the first all-female academies in the south. Operated between 1837-1857 by the Rev. Robert and Margaret Anna Burwell, over 200 young women (ages 8-18) received their formal educations here. This was also the home of famous African-American enslaved woman, Elizabeth Keckly. Keckly is notable for purchasing her freedom and moving… Read More

                                        Foscue Plantation

                                          Located just 10 miles south of New Bern, the Foscue Plantation stands tall as a majestic reminder of a period in time more than 200 years ago. Built in 1824 by Simon Foscue, Jr., the plantation house has been in the family for eight generations. During the War Between the States, after the Battle of New Bern, Caroline Foscue,… Read More

                                          The Thomas Wolfe Memorial

                                            The sprawling frame of the Queen Anne-influenced house was originally only six or seven rooms with a front and rear porch when it was constructed in 1883 by prosperous Asheville banker, Erwin E. Sluder. By 1889, massive additions had more than doubled the original structure, but the architecture changed little over the next 27 years. Read More

                                            The Whalehead Club

                                              Built by Edward Collings Knight Jr. and his wife Marie Louise LeBel in the 1920s, this 5 floor 21,000sf residence has been restored and is open for tours year round. The residence is a remarkable example of Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts architecture and decor. The residence, boathouse and arched bridge are located inside Currituck Heritage Park, in… Read More