A visit to the Swannanoa Valley Museum will take you along pathways through time, from the earliest pathways carved by the animals to the concrete pathways of today.

The Swannanoa Valley has been a pathway for animals and humans for more than 12,000 years as they crossed the Blue Ridge over the Catawba River headwaters or through the Swannanoa Gap. It was one of the main routes taken by frontiersmen and pioneers making their way west.