North Carolina’s relationship to Hollywood’s big names includes modern-day legends as well as those from a more classic era in movies. And while, here and there, museums and tributes to some of them can be found in the Tar Heel State, they are few and far between. One such place is a terrific museum in Smithfield that’s dedicated to Ava Gardner, one of North Carolina’s Hollywood sweethearts.
Found in a 6,400-square-foot space in downtown Smithfield, the Ava Gardner Museum is a filled with memories and memorabilia from Gardner's career as a leading lady.
What began as a private collection by a fan who met Gardner when he was 12 years old, grew into a life-long passion for amassing a rather large cache of Gardner's items from movies and elsewhere.
By the time the collection's owner passed away, the collection had grown so large that his widow donated it to the town of Smithfield, asking that it always be on display for the public to see.
Today, the collection is under the stewardship of the Eva Gardner Foundation, which keeps up with the scores of costumes and personal items once belonging to North Carolina's Hollywood sweetheart. You'll stroll through costume after costume used in some of the biggest films of the era.
Since the collection was given to the town of Smithfield in 1990, it has grown ever larger through donated items, such as jewelry and other personal effects belonging to Gardner.
Once you get past the star-struck moment of seeing all of the star's day and evening wear and get down to the business of looking at her ordinary day-to-day items... you may get a sense that even though the star left North Carolina for the big screen in Hollywood, North Carolina very likely never left Gardner.
If you're passing by Smithfield on I-95, swing in and pay tribute to one of Hollywood's leading ladies from a classic era in film.
Admission is $8, $10, or $12, depending upon your age. Kids under the age of six get in free. Learn more about the Ava Gardner Museum from its official website. And discover a museum featuring another legendary North Carolina-born actor at the Andy Griffith Museum in Mt Airy!
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