2 Best Sights in Central North Carolina, North Carolina

Located in the hometown of the legendary movie star, this museum has an extensive collection of memorabilia tracing Gardner's life, from childhood on the farm to her Hollywood glory days. It's about 30 miles southeast of Raleigh in downtown Smithfield.

This Greensboro original—a combination art museum, studio, theater, and school—brings complete sensory overload via an astounding explosion of art and artifacts collected over several decades by its former owner, Sylvia Gray, who ran it as a thrift store. Today, a colorful cast of resident artists creates new work from this treasure trove. Expect colorful plumes of fabric hanging from the walls and toys, books, jewelry, and so much more stuffed into every corner of this large space. You can't buy anything here, but you can touch it all.

A great time to visit is during First Friday, when galleries and shops throughout downtown host an open house and art walk. Check out the scene every first Friday of the month, 6–9 pm.