Small Town North Carolina Museum Named One of the Best in America

Museums add a lot of culture and education to an area, including throughout North Carolina. While some of the biggest and most high-profile museums are found in major cities throughout the world, there's something to be said for a great museum in a small town. These small town museums bring a unique attraction to their communities and often serve as a spot where locals can meet, socialize and learn. Small town museums are often much less crowded than their big city counterparts, too. One North Carolina museum has been named one of the best in America, so if you're looking to experience a true small town attraction, you may want to check it out.

The experts at USA Today have released their roster of the best small town museums in America, as part of their 10 Best series. This series has experts picking spots for which to vote, and then readers vote for their favorites. "Museums that focus on a small town or region can offer a unique perspective on the history, culture, and identity of a place, and they're often some of the most interesting spots to check out when you're traveling," USA Today notes.

The Beech Mountain History Museum in Beech Mountain, North Carolina, made the cut at No. 5. The museum showcases Beech Mountain's history. "Permanent and rotating exhibits showcase the area's early history, including its connections to the Cherokee people, logging and milling industries, the development of Ski Beech Resort, and the famous Land of Oz amusement park," USA Today says of this spot. It's great to see this often overlooked museum get some national attention. It's located at 503 Beech Mountain Parkway.

So, what was the first museum ever created? As it turns out, museums date back many centuries. The oldest spot that was believed to be a museum was Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum, dating from c. 530 BC. This museum showcased Mesopotamian antiquities. Ennigaldi-Nanna was "the priestess of the moon deity Sin," according to The Conversation, "and the daughter of the Neo-Babylonian king, Nabonidus."

"In 1925, archaeologist Leonard Woolley discovered a curious collection of artefacts while excavating a Babylonian palace," Museums of the World explains. "They were from many different times and places, and yet they were neatly organized and even labelled. Woolley had discovered the world’s first museum."

The Conversation adds that the items found by Woolley ranged in dates from roughly 2100 BCE to 600 BCE. "They included part of a statue of the famous early king, Shulgi of Ur, who ruled around 2058 BCE, a ceremonial mace-head made of stone, and some texts," The Conversation adds.