“I’m bored” – there are no two stringed words a Carolina Traveler abhors more.
Many of us learned at a tender age that whining I’m bored would only yield the exasperated response from a mother with a long-emptied reservoir of give-a-hoots: If you’re bored, then you must be boring…
In the soul-piercing cold 50-degree temperatures that constitute most of our winter days in the Carolinas, making our own winter fun is a survival skill.
In keeping with the theme of staving off the taunts of a long winter hibernation, we’re taking you to some of the best (but lesser known) museums and winter attractions in NC and SC. We DARE you to utter a Carolina Traveler’s two most dreaded words after a visit to any place on this list!
Musicians and music lovers will appreciate the immaculately preserved instruments played by Chopin, Mozart, and others.
Sigal Music Museum
516 Buncombe St, Greenville, SC 29601
Recently honored as the #3 Best New Museum by USA Today, the Sigal Music Museum is home to hundreds of historically iconic instruments crafted by some of the most renowned artisans of the last four centuries. Classical music enthusiasts will love seeing the harpsichord that Mozart played for Queen Charlotte and a grand piano played by Chopin.
Tip: The Upcountry History Museum, Greenville County Museum of Art, and The Children’s Museum of the Upstate are all within a quarter mile of the Sigal Music Museum. Plan your epic winter fun day by booking reservations ahead.
Lose yourself in the halls of fascinating military history.
Parris Island Museum
111 Panama St, Beaufort, SC 29905
Military history buffs, tune in for some riveting winter fun! The exhibits at the Parris Island Museum trace the fascinating journey of Parris Island’s emergence as a training epicenter for U.S. Marines.
Walk through exhibit halls dedicated to the major wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. Unassuming artifacts like cigarette cases and handwritten letters persist as symbols of harrowing, hilarious, and fortuitous stories from military history. Get an up-close look at wartime gear and booby traps used by Marines who crawled the jungles of Vietnam.
The Recruit Training Gallery may appeal to aspiring military service members, as it details the rigorous 13-week training program challenging U.S. Marine recruits' physical and psychological mettle.
Take part in a hands-on glass-blowing workshop at NC Glass Center.
North Carolina Glass Center
140 Roberts St Ste C, Asheville, NC 28801
It’s one thing to take a walk through a five-star art museum and a totally different experience to step into the role of artist and create something unique with your own hands. There are so many activities like this and things to do in Asheville, NC that are fun for the whole family.
Exciting, hands-on, one-hour classes are available at the North Carolina Glass Center on topics like flameworking sculpture, fused ornaments, and pendant design. Eight-week workshops afford students time to have some winter fun while developing their skills in building foundations and intermediate glassblowing.
Check the calendar for current community classes, free to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. Anyone ages 11 and up can enroll in classes or workshops in the NC Glass Center “flame shop,” and attendees must be at least 13 years old to visit the “hot shop.”
Can you dig it?! Fossil-hunting is tons of fun for all members of the family.
Aurora Fossil Museum — A Hidden Gem of Winter Fun
400 Main St, Aurora, NC 27806
Not afraid to get your hands dirty? Take advantage of free admission to the Aurora Museum & Fossil Park, where the museum features exhibits on vertebrates, invertebrates, Native American artifacts, and precious minerals.
Gaze at staggeringly massive shark teeth, whale skeletons, and stingray fossils as you imagine these larger-than-life creatures once dominating the Earth. Early Native American weapons, vessels, smoking artifacts, and hunting gear reveal how Indigenous peoples lived communal lives and survived threats from wildlife and the elements.
If your idea of a fun time is at the intersection of Anthropology Boulevard and History Lane, you won’t want to miss out on this highly-rated NC museum. We think the combination museum/fossil pit visit — free for eager diggers — is the best ticket for winter fun on a mild winter day in the Carolinas!
This museum puts the “Cherry” in “Cherryville”!
C. Grier Beam Truck Museum
111 N Mountain St, Cherryville, NC 28021
We’ve all seen monster 18-wheelers barreling down I-95, and we’re willing to bet most of us have aggressively thrust our elbows up and down from the side of the road, urging them to honk their horns. If you’ve never delved into the rabbit hole of American trucking, it’s an enthralling journey best experienced at the C. Grier Beam Truck Museum (admission is free!)
Combing the 7,500-square-foot wall of vintage trucking memorabilia is the perfect rainy day activity or indoor winter fun destination you didn’t know you needed. Hear the inspiring story of how the little Cherryville trucking company thrived during the Great Depression and how highway monsters have evolved throughout the last century. When you hop into the exquisitely preserved driver’s seat of a cherry-red Carolina freight carrier, you might just get to honk the horn yourself!
Entrance to the free BMW Zentrum Museum: Can you feel the anticipation building?!
BMW Zentrum
1400 SC-101, Greer, SC 29651
While we’re on the subject of fast cars and freedom, you’ll want to put the pedal to the metal to get to this thrilling free car museum!
Your self-guided journey will bring you up close to flagship vehicles from the BMW line, like the egg-shaped Isetta Bubble Car. As you weave through the assembly line, you’ll get an inside look at how the “Ultimate Driving Machine” is constructed. It’s like being in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, except with fast cars!
If your engine is fired up after your tour, drive two miles over to the BMW Performance Center, where you can book a drive around their course. Take on fast turns, enticing straightaways, and skid pads to sharpen your driving skills.
