Smith-McDowell House Museum

Families, students, preservationists, and history lovers will enjoy the Smith-McDowell House Museum. Built in 1840, Smith-McDowell House is Asheville's oldest existing dwelling and the first brick building in Buncombe County. Rooms are carefully furnished to depict six decades in the lives of three prominent nineteenth-century families and Asheville society in the 50 years preceding the Biltmore Estate. Seasonal exhibits include a Victorian Christmas and a springtime wedding display of bridal gowns. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. designed the grounds, and famed architect Richard Sharp Smith shaped the building to suit the needs of a twentieth-century owner of the house. Awarded a Save America's Treasures preservation and restoration grant, this registered National Historic Landmark will be one of the high points of your visit to Asheville.