Historic Sites in North Carolina: Hours and Admission

We list 61 historic sites you can visit in North Carolina: 10 National Park Service units, state historic sites, museums, battlefields and house museums. 18 are free. Hours and admission were read from each operator’s own page.

Header photo: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at Buxton, first lit in 1870 and moved 2,900 feet in 1999, in a HABS survey photo. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS NC-357.

61historic sites
18free to visit
10National Park Service units
9regions covered

Smoky Mountains
Asheville & Foothills
High Country
Charlotte Region
Triad
Triangle
Sandhills
Eastern Plain & Inner Banks
Coast
Free sites

Download this data: CSV · JSON · 61 sites · free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to It’s North Carolina. All open data: catalog.json.

Historic Sites in North Carolina by Region

Smoky Mountains (3)

Smoky Mountains events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Mountain Farm Museum (Oconaluftee)	NPS unit	Cherokee, Swain	See official site	No entrance fee for park; parking tag required for stays over 15 minutes	Davis House (c.1902 log home), original barn, meat house, apple house, springhouse, working blacksmith shop; behind Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Museum of the Cherokee People	Museum	Cherokee, Swain	Daily 9-5; last ticket 4; closed day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Dec 24-25, Dec 31, Jan 1	$15 adults, $8 children 6-12, 5 and under free	Exhibits told by the Cherokee people; collections; museum store
Oconaluftee Indian Village	Historic village	Cherokee, Swain	Tue-Sat 9:30-4:30 (park hours)	Adult (ages 10+ per page) $25; child (6-11 per page) $15	Outdoor living-history village with Cherokee artisans and guided walk

Asheville & Foothills (5)

Asheville & Foothills events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Blue Ridge Parkway Free	NPS unit	Asheville, Buncombe	Road open 24 hours, weather permitting	Free (no entrance fee)	Scenic parkway through NC and VA; Linn Cove Viaduct (completed 1987)
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Free	NPS unit	Flat Rock, Henderson	Grounds sunrise-sunset daily; visitor center Tue-Sun 9-5; free first-come house tours 11, 12, 1, 2, 3 (staffing dependent)	Free	Sandburg Home (by tour), goat barn, trails, visitor center/bookstore
Biltmore Estate	House museum	Asheville, Buncombe	Open 365 days; hours vary by season – see official site	House day visit from $110; grounds-only from $85; discount ages 16 and under; ages 9 and under free	Biltmore House (opened Christmas Eve 1895) and gardens/grounds
Thomas Wolfe Memorial	State historic site	Asheville, Buncombe	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free admission; guided tours $8 adults, $7 seniors/military, $1 youth 3-17 (+tax)	‘Old Kentucky Home’ boardinghouse (Dixieland in Look Homeward, Angel)
Vance Birthplace Free	State historic site	Weaverville, Buncombe	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free	Seven historic and reconstructed buildings incl. a 1790s slave dwelling; visitor center

High Country (1)

High Country events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Horne Creek Farm	State historic site	Pinnacle, Surry	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free; guided tour fees apply	Hauser family farmhouse, tobacco curing barn, corn crib, Southern Heritage Apple Orchard

Charlotte Region (7)

Charlotte Region events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Charlotte Museum of History (1774 Rock House)	House museum	Charlotte, Mecklenburg	See official site	See official site	1774 Rock House and museum exhibits
Fort Dobbs	State historic site	Statesville, Iredell	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Grounds and visitor center free; guided tours $5 adults, $4 seniors/military, $1 youth 3-17	Only state historic site for the French and Indian War; reconstructed fort, visitor center
Historic Rosedale Plantation	House museum	Charlotte, Mecklenburg	See official site	See official site	Federal-period house and grounds tours
Levine Museum of the New South	Museum	Charlotte, Mecklenburg	See official site	See official site	New South history exhibits
North Carolina Transportation Museum (Historic Spencer Shops)	Museum	Spencer, Rowan	See official site	See official site	Historic Spencer Shops; train rides
President James K. Polk State Historic Site	State historic site	Pineville, Mecklenburg	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	See official site	Reconstructed log house, kitchen and barn; visitor center film and exhibits
Reed Gold Mine	State historic site	Midland, Cabarrus	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays; mine tours 10, 11, 12, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30	Free; mine tour $5 adults, $4 seniors/military, $1 children 3-17; panning $5 (+tax)	Guided underground mine tour, gold panning, visitor center

Triad (9)

Triad events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Free	NPS unit	Greensboro, Guilford	Visitor center Wed-Sun 9-5; tour road daily 8:30-5 for vehicles, dawn-dusk for walkers/cyclists; closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25, Jan 1	Free (NPS lists no entrance fee)	Battlefield tour road, monuments (incl. Colonel Greene and Fisher’s Hornets monuments), visitor center film and exhibits, free NPS-app audio tour
Alamance Battleground	State historic site	Burlington, Alamance	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays; guided tours 11, 1, 3	Free; guided tours $2 adults, $1 seniors/military/youth 3-17 (+tax)	1771 battlefield, monuments, 18th-century Allen House log dwelling
Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum	State historic site	Gibsonville, Guilford	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free; small fee for guided tours	Palmer Memorial Institute campus, Canary Cottage (Dr. Brown’s home), Carrie M. Stone Teachers’ Cottage visitor center
Greensboro History Museum Free	Museum	Greensboro, Guilford	Homepage showed ‘Open today 10am-5pm’ on 2026-10-20; see official site for weekly schedule	Free	Regional history exhibits
Historic Bethabara Park	Archaeological site	Winston-Salem, Forsyth	Visitor center Tue-Sat 10:30-4:30, Sun 1:30-4:30; closed Mon, Thanksgiving and mid-December to year end; grounds dawn-dusk	Grounds free; guided tours $5 adults, $1 students/children over 3	1788 Gemeinhaus, park grounds, trails (Mill Creek Loop)
International Civil Rights Center & Museum	Museum	Greensboro, Guilford	Mon-Sat 10-6; closed Sun	Signature staff-guided tour $20 adults, $15 K-12; seated tour & walkthrough $15/$10	Original F.W. Woolworth lunch counter; staff-guided signature tour incl. ‘The Battlegrounds’
Old Salem Museums & Gardens	Historic village	Winston-Salem, Forsyth	Wed-Sat 10-4; closed January and on Juneteenth, Thanksgiving, Dec 24-25	See official site (two-day All-in-One ticket; prices not printed on page)	Restored Moravian town; Single Brothers’ House; Salem Tavern; Frank L. Horton Museum Center; gardens
Thomas Day State Historic Site Free	State historic site	Milton, Caswell	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays; guided tours 10, 11, 12, 2, 3	Free	Thomas Day’s workshop (Union Tavern)
Town Creek Indian Mound Free	State historic site	Mount Gilead, Montgomery	Grounds Tue-Sat 9-5 (self-guided); visitor center and gift shop closed since July 28, 2026	Free	Reconstructed mound, temples, burial house and stockade, open for self-guided tours; the visitor center and gift shop have been closed since July 28, 2026.

Triangle (9)

Triangle events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Bennett Place	State historic site	Durham, Durham	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays; tours 9:45, 11, 1	Free; tour $4 adults, $3 seniors/military, $1 youth 3-17, 0-2 free	Reconstructed Bennitt farmhouse, kitchen and smokehouse; visitor center
Bentonville Battlefield	State historic site	Four Oaks, Johnston	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free; guided tour fees apply	Largest battle fought in NC; Harper House field hospital, battlefield trails, visitor center
Duke Homestead	State historic site	Durham, Durham	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free; fees may apply for events and guided tours	Washington Duke’s home, early tobacco factories and farm
Hayti Heritage Center	Museum	Durham, Durham	Tue-Sat 10-4; closed Sun-Mon (business hours)	See official site	Cultural heritage center; U.S. Civil Rights Trail site
Historic Halifax Free	State historic site	Halifax, Halifax	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free	New visitor center (25 Saint David St.), Owens House (c.1760), Sally-Billy House, Burgess Law Office, 1838 Jail, Eagle Tavern, Underground Railroad Trail
Historic Stagville	State historic site	Durham, Durham	Tue-Sat 9-5; guided tours 1 and 3 weekdays, 11, 1 and 3 Sat	Admission and outdoor self-guided tours free; guided tours $2 + tax (discounts available)	Bennehan family house and structures of the enslaved community; outdoor self-guided tour; a Site of Conscience
North Carolina Freedom Park Free	State historic site	Raleigh, Wake	Dawn to dusk	Free (outdoor park)	One-acre commemorative green space and monument in downtown Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of History	Museum	Raleigh, Wake	Closed	Closed	Closed until 2028: the building closed for renovation in October 2024 and is scheduled to reopen in 2028; programs continue statewide and online.
North Carolina State Capitol Free	State historic site	Raleigh, Wake	Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-5; closed Sun and state holidays	Free; free public guided tours Sat 11, 1, 3	1840 Capitol: restored legislative chambers, rotunda, grounds monuments

Sandhills (2)

Sandhills events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex	Museum	Fayetteville, Cumberland	See official site (Poe House first tour 1 PM Tue-Fri per homepage notice)	See official site	Regional museum and the 1897 Poe House (guided tours)
U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum Free	Museum	Fayetteville, Cumberland	Tue-Sat 10-4; Sun 12-4	Free	Airborne and special operations exhibits

Eastern Plain & Inner Banks (9)

Eastern Plain & Inner Banks events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
CSS Neuse Civil War Museum	State historic site	Kinston, Lenoir	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	See official site	Remains of the Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse; Lenoir County history exhibits
Cupola House	House museum	Edenton, Chowan	See official site	See official site	Colonial house with cupola and gardens
Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Free	State historic site	Fremont, Wayne	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free	Aycock birthplace farmstead; interpretation of Aycock’s role in the 1898 Wilmington Massacre and Coup and disfranchisement
Governor Richard Caswell Memorial	State historic site	Kinston, Lenoir	Fri 10-2; Sat 10-4; closed state holidays	See official site	Memorial and grounds interpreting Richard Caswell
Historic Bath	State historic site	Bath, Beaufort	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free; house tours $5 adults, $4 seniors/military, $1 youth 3-17 (+tax)	Palmer-Marsh House (one of the oldest frame houses in NC), historic homes, St. Thomas Church (oldest existing church in NC)
Historic Edenton	State historic site	Edenton, Chowan	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays; guided tours 10, 11, 1, 2, 3 (summer hours)	Visitor center free; tours $5 adults, $4 seniors/military, $1 youth 3-17 (+tax)	Visitor center; guided tours of historic buildings including the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse
Museum of the Albemarle Free	Museum	Elizabeth City, Pasquotank	Tue-Sat 10-5; closed Sun and Mon	Free (donations appreciated)	Regional history galleries
Somerset Place	State historic site	Creswell, Washington	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Grounds and self-guided tours free; guided $5 adults, $4 seniors/military, $1 youth 3-17 (+tax)	Seven original 19th-century buildings, reconstructed homes of enslaved families, plantation hospital, Lake Phelps
Tryon Palace	Museum	New Bern, Craven	NC History Center Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5; Palace tours Mon-Sat 10:30-2:30, Sun 12:30-2:30	One Day Pass $20 adults, $10 youth 6-14; Galleries & Gardens $15/$8; Gardens $10/$5; 5 and under free (+tax)	Reconstructed Governor’s Palace and Kitchen Office, 21+ acres of gardens, historic homes, NC History Center galleries

Coast (16)

Coast events →

Site	Type	Where	Hours	Admission	What to see
Bodie Island Light Station	NPS unit	Nags Head, Dare	Climbing late April-early November 2026; Oct-early Nov climbs Tue-Thu only	Climb $10 adults; $5 seniors 62+, children 11 and under, disabled (recreation.gov only)	Lighthouse (just over 200 steps), keepers’ grounds, marsh boardwalk
Cape Hatteras Light Station	NPS unit	Buxton, Dare	Grounds always open	Free to visit grounds; lighthouse closed to climbing in 2026	1870 lighthouse (moved 2,900 feet in 1999), Double Keepers’ Quarters and Principal Keeper’s Quarters
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Free	NPS unit	Manteo, Dare	Grounds 24 hours; visitor center daily 9-5, closed Dec 25	Free (no entrance pass required)	Site of the 1580s Roanoke colonies, Lindsay Warren Visitor Center exhibits, earthwork, Waterside Theatre (home of The Lost Colony drama since 1937)
Moores Creek National Battlefield Free	NPS unit	Currie, Pender	Grounds daily 9-5; visitor center Tue-Sat 9-5; visitor center closed most federal holidays	Free (fee-free site)	History and Tar Heel trails, earthworks, reconstructed Widow Moores Creek Bridge, visitor center film ‘In the Most Furious Manner’
Portsmouth Village	NPS unit	Portsmouth, Carteret	Buildings staffed seasonally by volunteers from mid-April; see official site	Ferry fare charged by authorized ferry services; see official site	Abandoned sea village: Salter House visitor center, school, post office/general store, Methodist church, U.S. Life-Saving Station
Wright Brothers National Memorial	NPS unit	Kill Devil Hills, Dare	Daily 9-5; closed Dec 25	$10 per person age 16+; 15 and younger free; America the Beautiful passes accepted	Visitor center museum, the monument and the first-flight grounds (NPS ‘Places to Go’)
Battleship North Carolina	Memorial	Wilmington, New Hanover	Daily 8-5 incl. holidays; opens noon Dec 25	$14 adults 12+, $10 seniors 65+, $6 children 6-11, 5 and under free; $10 military (+tax)	Self-guided tour of 9 levels of the WWII battleship; NC’s WWII memorial
Beaufort Historic Site	Historic village	Beaufort, Carteret	See official site	See official site	Six restored buildings, art gallery, Old Burying Ground
Bellamy Mansion Museum	House museum	Wilmington, New Hanover	Tickets/tours daily 10-4; self-guided must finish by 5	Self-guided $16 adults 13+, $8 students 4-13, 0-3 free; premium guided $22/$11 when available (tax not reflected)	Historic mansion (self-guided audio tour or premium guided tour)
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Free	State historic site	Winnabow, Brunswick	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free	Colonial foundations along the tour trail and the earthworks of Civil War Fort Anderson on the Cape Fear River
Burgwin-Wright House	House museum	Wilmington, New Hanover	See official site	See official site	Colonial house and gardens
Fort Fisher Free	State historic site	Kure Beach, New Hanover	Tue-Sat 9-5; closed Sun, Mon and state holidays	Free	Remaining earthworks, reconstructed palisade, visitor center exhibits, artillery demonstrations at events
Fort Macon State Park Free	Fort	Atlantic Beach, Carteret	Fort daily 9-5; closed Dec 25	Free (no day-use fees)	Restored pre-Civil War fort, daily guided tours, cannon and musket demonstrations
North Carolina Maritime Museum (Beaufort)	Museum	Beaufort, Carteret	Tue-Sat 10-5	See official site	Maritime and coastal history exhibits
North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport	Museum	Southport, Brunswick	Tue-Sat 10-5	See official site	Lower Cape Fear maritime exhibits
Roanoke Island Festival Park	Museum	Manteo, Dare	Tue-Sat 9-5, March 17-December 31 (closed some holidays); last tickets 4:30	$15 adults, $13 youth 3-12, 2 and under free	Site attractions and interactive exhibits on the first English settlers of Roanoke Island

Free Historic Sites in North Carolina

These list no admission charge on their own pages (parking, tours or special programs may still cost money):

Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, Winnabow
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Flat Rock
Fort Fisher, Kure Beach
Fort Macon State Park, Atlantic Beach
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Manteo
Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, Fremont
Greensboro History Museum, Greensboro
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro
Historic Halifax, Halifax
Moores Creek National Battlefield, Currie
Museum of the Albemarle, Elizabeth City
North Carolina Freedom Park, Raleigh
North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh
Thomas Day State Historic Site, Milton
Town Creek Indian Mound, Mount Gilead
U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville
Vance Birthplace, Weaverville

Types of Sites on This List

Type	Sites
State historic site	25
Museum	14
NPS unit	10
House museum	6
Historic village	3
Memorial	1
Fort	1
Archaeological site	1

What We Could Not Verify

House in the Horseshoe in Moore County is closed until further notice while a new visitor center is built, so it is not on our list. No reopening date has been posted.
Shallow Ford, a future state historic site on the Yadkin River, is still closed. The state says only that it expects to open in the latter half of 2026.
Town Creek Indian Mound’s visitor center closed on July 28, 2026. The grounds are open for self-guided visits, and the state has said the whole site will close for construction later in 2026, without giving dates.
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is not open for climbing in 2026 because of restoration work. At Bodie Island, the Double Keepers’ Quarters visitor center is closed through mid-summer 2027 after a January 2025 fire.
The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum’s pages give two figures for Palmer Memorial Institute: nearly 2,000 students on the home page and more than 1,000 on the history page.
Three state regional history museums (Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Mountain Gateway Museum and Tobacco Farm Life Museum) are not on our list yet because we could not load their websites to check hours and prices.

We re-check these when the source pages change. Spot something we missed? Use the corrections page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What historic sites in North Carolina are free?

Of the 61 places on our list, 18 are free outright, including Fort Raleigh, Guilford Courthouse, Moores Creek, Fort Fisher, Historic Halifax and the State Capitol. Another 18 are free to enter but charge for guided tours or extras. Most state historic sites have free general admission (source: NC Historic Sites: All Sites).

What Civil War sites can I visit in North Carolina?

Start with Fort Fisher at Kure Beach, which fell on January 15, 1865, and Bentonville Battlefield, the largest battle in the state. Bennett Place in Durham is where the war’s largest troop surrender took place. Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, CSS Neuse in Kinston and Fort Macon add more (source: NC Historic Sites: Fort Fisher).

Where can I see Revolutionary War history in North Carolina?

Moores Creek National Battlefield marks the Patriot victory of February 27, 1776. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro preserves the March 15, 1781 battle. Historic Halifax tells the Halifax Resolves story, and Alamance Battleground covers the 1771 Regulator fight. All four have free entry (source: NPS: Guilford Courthouse National Military Park).

How many state historic sites does North Carolina have?

The state’s All Sites page lists 26 entries but gives no total. Our list has 25 state historic site rows: we leave out House in the Horseshoe (closed until further notice) and Shallow Ford (not yet open), and list CSS Neuse and the Governor Caswell Memorial separately (source: NC Historic Sites: All Sites).

Last checked October 20, 2026 by the It’s North Carolina editors against each operator’s, agency’s or organizer’s own page.

Sources

Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “Historic Sites in North Carolina: Hours, Admission and What to See”, itsnorthcarolina.com/history/historic-sites/ (updated 2026-10-27). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.