Mountain Heritage Center

The Mountain Heritage Center, located at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, is a museum focusing on the natural and cultural history and heritage of western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian region. The museum houses one permanent exhibit, Migration of the Scot-Irish People. It produces a variety of temporary exhibits that illustrate the natural world and mountain societies, past and present. Themes have included blacksmithing traditions in the mountains, Cherokee myths and legends, mountain trout, the natural and cultural history of an Appalachian watershed, baskets and their makers, and the enduring popularity of hand-woven coverlets and the southern Appalachian handicraft movement.

The Mountain Heritage Center also offers educational programs to the public, presents concerts and lectures, and produces books, tapes, and other materials. The center's largest annual event is Mountain Heritage Day, which is held on the last Saturday in September and boasts a full schedule of traditional music, dance, and craft demonstrations. A midway features some 200 craft booths offering handmade items ranging from woodwork and pottery to quilts and stained glass along with food booths offering traditional treats such as cider, barbecue, and Cherokee fry bread.