Hickory Ridge Homestead, located on the grounds at "Horn in the West," is an eighteenth-century living history museum highlighting the daily lives of our mountain ancestors.

Visitors to the museum are allowed a special glimpse into their own past as interpreters, in period clothing, explain pioneer life and culture. Regular demonstrations in weaving and hearthside cooking as well as crafts are presented. You can experience weaving on a 180 year-old loom, spinning wool or any number of hands-on activities presented daily.

Also located on the grounds is our museum gifts shop, where visitors may purchase gifts and souvenirs including shirts, baskets, and stuffed animals indigenous to our area.

Created in 1980, the museum is  meant to further the visitor's imagination and understanding about the life of the settlers in the "Horn in the West" drama. Visitors get insight into the lifestyle of early mountain settlers, how they lived, and what constituted a 'typical' mountain homestead. As well, the self sufficiency of our forefathers can best be shown through the routines and skills they possessed that we now think of as arts and crafts. People learn crafts by  doing and watching others perform. From this idea grew the whole concept of a living museum and hands-on program.

The museum has attempted to capture some of the mood which we feel was around during the time of the Revolution.  Furnishings are sparse, but the family was diverse with its religion, humor, and self sufficiency, creating a warm atmosphere. We hope that as you visit the museum you will feel some of this special quality.

Workshops Offered Include:
Tinsmithing	Trade Beads	Hearth Cooking
Medicine Bags	Rabbit Skin Belt Bag	Candle Making
Corn Husk Dolls	Fibers

Just as over 7,000 students do each year, we invite you to step back into the past and learn about everyday life on an early American mountain homestead. Hickory Ridge Homestead Living History Museum offers a variety of educational programs that focus on the settlement period 200 years ago (1785 - 1805) when folks who settled into this region had to grow, create, and trade for the necessities of life. Hickory Ridge's educational programs allow participants to enter a "living history," sampling a taste of pioneer life, learning a variety of domestic skills from weaving to tinsmithing.

The educational programs of Hickory Ridge Homestead include the general tour, children's craft workshops, the live-in program, summer day camps, and Early American Skills Workshops. In the General tour, kids of all ages enjoy exploring the historic buildings on the grounds such as the Tatum cabin built in 1785 and learning the ways early settlers lived and survived. Optional craft workshops are available for pre-arranged groups who are interested in stepping into the past for a one or two night visit.

During the summer, 12 children's day camps will be offered for children ages 5 - 13, including frontier camps, naturalist camps, art camps, and drama camps. Additional Early American Skills Workshops for children and adults will be offered on Saturday afternoons through the Fall.

All of these programs stress the inter-relatedness of the early settlers with nature, allowing participants to see and experience the self sufficiency of the people who made their homes in the hills and coves of the region.

Fall and spring hours hours are Saturday 9 am - 4pm,  Sunday
1 pm - 4pm. For more information about these or any other programs, e-mail hickoryridgehomestead@hotmail.com.

For lodging Information call 1-800-852-9506 or visit www.VisitBooneNC.com.