ncgypsy.com
  • Home
  • NC Outer Banks
    • Corolla
    • Duck
    • Hatteras Island
    • Kill Devil Hills
    • Kitty Hawk
    • Nags Head
    • Roanoke Island
  • NC Coast
    • Atlantic Beach
    • Carolina Beach
    • Kure Beach >
      • Fort Fisher
    • New Bern
    • Wilmington >
      • Battleship North Carolina
    • Wrightsville Beach
  • NC Heartland
    • Apex
    • Cary
    • Chapel Hill >
      • Aveda Institute
      • Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
    • Charlotte
    • Durham >
      • American Tobacco Historic District
      • Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum
      • Duke Lemur Center
      • Durham Bulls Baseball
      • Historic Stagville >
        • Historic Stagville Family Tree Project
      • NC Museum of Life and Science
      • Sarah P Duke Gardens
    • Fayetteville
    • Greensboro >
      • International Civil Rights Center and Museum
    • Hillsborough >
      • The Shops at Daniel Boone
    • Kernersville >
      • Korners Folly Strangest House in the World
    • Mount Airy >
      • Andy Griffith Museum >
        • Meet Betty Lynn at the Andy Griffith Museum
    • Pittsboro
    • Raleigh >
      • Raleigh Capital District
      • NC Museum of Natural Sciences
    • Seagrove
    • Selma >
      • Spend a Day in Selma
    • Smithfield >
      • Ava Gardner Museum >
        • Ava Gardner Festival
      • Carolina Premium Outlets
    • Wake Forest
    • Winston Salem >
      • OId Salem Historic District >
        • C Winkler Bakery
    • Piedmont Cemeteries
    • Piedmont Labyrinths
    • Piedmont Sandhills Road Trip
  • NC Mountains
    • Asheville >
      • Biltmore Estate >
        • Biltmore Christmas
        • Biltmore Festival of Flowers
      • Mount Mitchell NC Scenic Byway
    • Cherokee
    • Morganton >
      • Horseback Riding at Poco Rhythm Mountain Retreat
    • NC Mountains Visitor Guide
    • NC Transportation Museum
    • Shadow of the Bear
  • NC People
  • Motorcycling NC
    • Coastal Plains
    • Piedmont Heartland Region
    • Appalachian Mountains
    • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Farmers Markets
  • Festivals and Events
  • Film and TV
    • NC Film Preservation
    • North Carolina Film
    • Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
  • Haunted NC
    • Haunted Outer Banks >
      • Haunted NC Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
    • Haunted Coast >
      • Haunted NC Battleship North Carolina
      • Haunted NC Blackbeard Hammock House
      • Haunted NC Old Burying Ground Cemetery
    • Haunted Heartland >
      • Haunted NC Korners Folly
      • Haunted NC Stagville Plantation
    • Haunted Mountains >
      • Haunted NC Biltmore Estate
      • Haunted NC Brown Mountain Lights
  • Hurricane Safety Tips
  • Pet Friendly Travel
  • About Me
  • BLOG
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Learn Online



Ava Gardner Museum

Picture
Museum entry.
Sultry screen siren Ava Gardner is a Hollywood legend, having worked with the likes of Clark Gable, Gregory Peck, and Burt Lancaster.  An Academy Award nominee, she was once married to Mickey Rooney, and later, Frank Sinatra, who was said to be the love of her life.

The youngest of seven children, Ava was born in a small farming community near Smithfield, North Carolina, about 30 miles southeast of Raleigh.  When Ava was 17, she was discovered after taking a trip to New York to visit one of her sisters.  While there, her brother-in-law, a professional photographer, took her photo and displayed it in his Fifth Avenue studio’s window, which resulted in an offer from MGM to act in motion pictures.  Ava's legend lives on in film, and at the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield.

Golden Days of Hollywood Glamour

Picture
Golden in Hollywood
Entering the museum is like stepping back in time to catch a glimpse of old Hollywood.  Frank Sinatra songs playing though the sound system combined with soft lighting provide the perfect ambience for the tasteful displays featuring pieces of Ava Gardner’s life, beginning with her humble roots.

Originally a privately owned collection-turned-small-museum that was open only during summer months, the collection was donated to the Town of Smithfield in 1990.  The professionally designed Ava Gardner museum opened in 2000 and continues to add new items to its exhibits.

Visitors are greeted warmly by the museum’s friendly staff and ushered into a viewing room to watch a short film about Ava’s life, which is the recommended (not mandatory) way to begin the museum experience.  From there, guests are free to peruse the numerous personal items, scripts, documents, film posters, and glamorous costumes and dresses worn by Ava in her films and personal life.  Information boards, photos, and paintings take the visitor through the various phases of Ava Gardner’s life.

Final Resting Place

Picture
Home again in peace.
Ava traveled the world, and lived in Spain and London later in her life. She made her final move back home to North Carolina after her death in 1990.  Ava is buried in the Gardner family plot at Sunset Memorial Park.  It is a peaceful cemetery setting not far from the place she grew up.

Ask museum staff for directions or a map to the gravesite, which is a five-minute drive (if that) from the museum.  Once inside the cemetery gates, follow the markers the short distance to Ava’s gravesite.

The Ava Gardner Museum is located at 325 East Market Street in Smithfield, NC.  It is open Monday – Saturday 9 – 5, Sunday 2 – 5.  There is a nominal admission fee and it is wheelchair accessible. Parking is on the street or in a nearby lot.

Phone: 919.934.5830  




 

Directions

 Copyright © 2009  ncgypsy.com /  Barbara Dolny-Bombar, BDB Communications    All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • NC Outer Banks
    • Corolla
    • Duck
    • Hatteras Island
    • Kill Devil Hills
    • Kitty Hawk
    • Nags Head
    • Roanoke Island
  • NC Coast
    • Atlantic Beach
    • Carolina Beach
    • Kure Beach >
      • Fort Fisher
    • New Bern
    • Wilmington >
      • Battleship North Carolina
    • Wrightsville Beach
  • NC Heartland
    • Apex
    • Cary
    • Chapel Hill >
      • Aveda Institute
      • Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
    • Charlotte
    • Durham >
      • American Tobacco Historic District
      • Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum
      • Duke Lemur Center
      • Durham Bulls Baseball
      • Historic Stagville >
        • Historic Stagville Family Tree Project
      • NC Museum of Life and Science
      • Sarah P Duke Gardens
    • Fayetteville
    • Greensboro >
      • International Civil Rights Center and Museum
    • Hillsborough >
      • The Shops at Daniel Boone
    • Kernersville >
      • Korners Folly Strangest House in the World
    • Mount Airy >
      • Andy Griffith Museum >
        • Meet Betty Lynn at the Andy Griffith Museum
    • Pittsboro
    • Raleigh >
      • Raleigh Capital District
      • NC Museum of Natural Sciences
    • Seagrove
    • Selma >
      • Spend a Day in Selma
    • Smithfield >
      • Ava Gardner Museum >
        • Ava Gardner Festival
      • Carolina Premium Outlets
    • Wake Forest
    • Winston Salem >
      • OId Salem Historic District >
        • C Winkler Bakery
    • Piedmont Cemeteries
    • Piedmont Labyrinths
    • Piedmont Sandhills Road Trip
  • NC Mountains
    • Asheville >
      • Biltmore Estate >
        • Biltmore Christmas
        • Biltmore Festival of Flowers
      • Mount Mitchell NC Scenic Byway
    • Cherokee
    • Morganton >
      • Horseback Riding at Poco Rhythm Mountain Retreat
    • NC Mountains Visitor Guide
    • NC Transportation Museum
    • Shadow of the Bear
  • NC People
  • Motorcycling NC
    • Coastal Plains
    • Piedmont Heartland Region
    • Appalachian Mountains
    • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Farmers Markets
  • Festivals and Events
  • Film and TV
    • NC Film Preservation
    • North Carolina Film
    • Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
  • Haunted NC
    • Haunted Outer Banks >
      • Haunted NC Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
    • Haunted Coast >
      • Haunted NC Battleship North Carolina
      • Haunted NC Blackbeard Hammock House
      • Haunted NC Old Burying Ground Cemetery
    • Haunted Heartland >
      • Haunted NC Korners Folly
      • Haunted NC Stagville Plantation
    • Haunted Mountains >
      • Haunted NC Biltmore Estate
      • Haunted NC Brown Mountain Lights
  • Hurricane Safety Tips
  • Pet Friendly Travel
  • About Me
  • BLOG
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Learn Online