The Johnston County Museum is a newer museum located in Downtown Smithfield. It is located in the…read moreformer Rose Department Store and right next to the Ava Gardner Museum. Admission to the museum is free and there is free street parking or a parking lot behind the museum. The museum is well laid out and easy to view the different sections while you learn about Johnston County. There is even a gift shop. Make sure to check out the museum while in Smithfield.

A beautiful location to walk. I always forget to take photos when I am there as I normally go for…read morebusiness. However, I have stopped on my way out at the garden area and walked around. Very peaceful and pleasant. I could see coming out during good weather to just take time with nature. The location (when I am there) is fairly quiet. There is plenty of parking as well.

On our way down to the beach and this was the best stop by far!! We stopped here (at the children's…read moremuseum) for about an hour and a half, but could have stayed for longer. Great variety of activities for our 19 month old. Very friendly staff and pretty empty on a weekday afternoon. And literally half the price of the children's museum we stopped at in Chesterfield (and this place is way better in my opinion). I think this will be a must stop for us on our way to and from the beach house!

We stopped by here for a road trip pit stop since it participates in the ASTC reciprocity program…read more The kids' area was much smaller than I had anticipated (though my kids still had fun!), and unfortunately the planetarium was closed for renovations. The special exhibit was about bikes and the natural history portion was a weird mix of taxidermy and fake animals. We also checked out the art area which had a good collection by local artists and school children. Very laid back place to visit and stretch your legs, but I'm glad we didn't go out of our way to check it out.

The Freeman Roundhouse Museum is located in Wilson, NC. It opened in 2001. Admission is free but…read moredonations are welcome. The museum focuses on African Americans in Wilson and tells about the history. It is divided into sections so you can learn more about veterans; medicine; education; art; the citizens and religion. Bill Myers wanted the house restored and preserved as the house was where a housing project was to be built. This led to the city buying the house and moving it to its current location. The dinosaur sculpture was among the items that moved with the house. There is a display about the move and all that went into that. The museum started out in the round house built by Oliver Nestus Freeman but as the museums displays grew from the donations received, they needed to build another building that opened in 2018. Freeman built the house in 1946 as there was a shortage of housing for soldiers returning from WWII. He was a stone mason. The circular house had wedge shaped rooms. It was thought to be made of stone but they have found bottles, concrete from sidewalks; scrap wood; tree saplings, marbles and strings used too. Wilson's first redevelopment project was named the Freeman Place because of his architecture and the community he built. If you can't visit the museum in person there, you can visit on a virtual tour.

The Ava Gardner Museum is a large museum located in Downtown Smithfield. It is 6,400 square feet…read moreand is dedicated to showcasing the hometown legend of Ava Gardner. I've visited the museum many times as I enjoy learning about Ava and seeing the new exhibits at the museum. There is a large parking lot behind the museum and even some spots near her mural to park for free. Parking on the street is no longer allowed, as a lot of vehicles were getting hit. But the parking is still very close by. When you arrive at the museum, you will be greeted. Admission was $14 on my visit, but they do offer military, senior and educator discounts. Your visit starts with a video of Ava's life to give you an introduction. It runs about 18 minutes, and there are many seats to pick from. The video helps tie all the exhibits together. From there, you can start exploring the museum and learn about Ava's humble beginnings. You will learn how she became an actress and star, see the dresses she wore, and learn about her three marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. The museum contains lots of poster boards to read, filled with information, many personal and film mementos, you can watch her films, look at her personal library, and see art that an artist created of her. He put "Easter eggs" into the paintings for you to find. I highly recommend visiting the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, NC. Make sure to stop in the gift shop for some mementos and other items.

Sarah is such a wonderful and welcoming docent! What a…read moredelight it was to finally make it to this wonderful museum! I've passed by the billboards so many times and today I'm so happy to check this off my wish list. It was wonderful to learn all about eva Gardner, who came from this very town and became one of Hollywood's biggest stars! I loved learning about her after Hollywood life living in Europe with her beloved corgis! So interesting to learn about the fellas that she married in the kind relationship that she had with them after parting ways. I really enjoyed seeing her amazing fashions, face-to-face! I really enjoyed seeing her personal items too! There is also a theater where you can watch a video that tells about her life and shows her living her life to the fullest! The gift shop was also filmed with many charming things! And all things were priced very reasonably. There was eva, Gardner, coffee, and soap! And of course, books, videos, and postcards! I also love the fan that could be used on hot days that featured her wonderful smile! I loved visiting here !!

I've also been to this museum when I was younger it has many animals that are rare and is a museum…read moreyou won't forget. Highly recommend it !

I've been coming to Vollmer Farm for years back when they had the organic strawberries. But now…read morethey just have blueberries; blackberries; sunflowers; produce; the Back Forty and other events. I did a flower decorating class here once. The Market sells pumpkins in season; produce; jams and locally made products. Then the Market cafe has ice cream and sandwiches and coffee. My last two visits were to pick up pre-orders for holiday dishes. I do love the sweet potato casseroles and sweet potato pies. The staff is always friendly and helpful.

Love the coffee shop and that they have all of the food/produce from the farm. Workers are usually…read morefriendly, Madison was always great when she was there. But it seems to have turned into more of a boutique shop for other small local sellers. I enjoyed it being more of a local thrift & find than a boutique set up for other shops. I'm local so it's nice to have a family owned gem spot where I'm not traveling 20 minutes to go somewhere for good coffee and a small spot to find something cute for the house! I'll always go back for the coffee :) Went for the blueberry festival last year and that was cool! Definitely more of a kid/family friendly event but we enjoyed the live music and the food that was available, they also had sellers set up at tables for local home made goods which was neat!

An interesting local museum that is worth a visit if you are in the area. The small museum honors…read moreEdgecombe County Vets from all wars with numerous photographs, a small reading library, static displays of uniforms, weapons, equipment, and ephemera. The collection was primarily compiled from donations from the personal holdings of local vets. Well organized displays and the docents are knowledgeable and friendly. The museum is working to record oral histories of the county's service members and their families. They accept worn American flags for proper disposal and each month the museum highlights a veteran with a flag ceremony.

The Edgecombe County Veterans Military Museum located in Tarboro, NC is an awesome place to visit…read more The museum is small but is packed with so much military history and memorabilia. It has great displays from all wars and as you stand in front of them let your mind take you to the sacrifices that the men and women made for our country. Some of those men and women's photos are mounted on the walls of the museum for display. You can view some of the uniforms, equipment and guns that were worn and used in the different branches of service. In the museum is a small library packed with books with history and information about the wars that our veterans have fought with courage and patriotic pride for their country, the United States of America. The Museum is well maintained and new stuff is added as it comes available. It would be worth you time to visit this small museum and in doing so you will be showing your support for those who proudly served and for those who died doing so.