Fireworks, Friends, and Food on the Fourth

This Fourth of July hike is a perennial favorite for families and visiting friends!

Celebrate Independence Day with an old-fashioned watermelon-cutting and then view the Black Mountain fireworks display from the peak of Sunset Mountain.

We will carpool to the trail head and hike 45 minutes on a moderate-easy trail to the mountaintop where we will eat dinner, hear about the history of the mountains and the town while watching the sun set, and, as dusk falls, we'll see fireworks explode over the town.

Details: Meet in parking lot of Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St. at 6:30 pm.

Please bring your dinner, water, a folding chair (this will be transported to the mountaintop by one of our chefs), a flash light, poncho (just in case), and warm clothes (it can get chilly after dark even in July).

Cost is $15 for members and $25 for nonmembers.The Museum will provide watermelon and soft drinks.

To register please call 669-9566 or email info@swannanoavalleymuseum.org.

Daycation - Rafting Trip on the French Broad River

Cool down on our Wednesday, July 20, half-day float trip down the French Broad River. There will be a guide in each raft, and the trip includes a catered deli lunch. Bring a hat, river shoes, sunscreen, and holders to secure your eyeglasses. Also, bring a change of clothes and a towel, and wear a bathing suit or clothing you don’ t mind getting wet.

The professional raft guides will share the best routes they know, and in the pools between, the human and natural history of this ancient river corridor.

Details: Meet in parking lot of Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St. at 7:30 am to carpool to the site in Madison County. Return will be around 3:30 or 4 pm.

Cost is $60 for Museum members; $75 for non-members. Reservations and advance payment are required no later than July 10.

 Celebrate the Girl Scouts' 100th Anniversary June 27th!

See our updated Pathways exhibit;

New Civil War exhibit coming soon!

We've updated our Pathways exhibit with more information and in a new, streamlined format. Learn about the major pathways that brought animals and people into the Swannanoa Valley.

The exhibit will open to the public on Wednesday, June 22nd.

We are also updating our Civil War exhibit for the 150th anniversary that began this year.  Besides photographs and information we will also have Union and Confederate uniforms and equipment similar to what most men in the valley would have worn. This exhibit is scheduled to open at the end of July.