Welcome to the Banner House Museum!
Experience 19th century life in Banner Elk and the High Country in the home of Samuel Henry Banner, one of Banner Elk’s early settlers and his his wife, Jane Hyder Banner, and their seven children. The circa 1870 house has been furnished with period heirlooms donated and loaned by area residents to tell the story of Banner Elk life from the 1870’s to the 1900’s. Additionally, an Exhibition Room highlights local history.
2026 Schedule
June 6-September 2026
Wednesday-Saturday 11am-3pm
Guided Tours of the Samuel Banner House Museum ($5 per adult). We accept cash, check and Venmo.
The museum will be CLOSED to the public on Saturday, July 4 and Wednesday, August 5.
Museum Tours are offered as guests arrive to the Banner House. Should group arrivals overlap, we welcome the newest group to join the existing tour and then the tour guide will “catch up” the missed section of the tour at the end, or the newest group may relax on our welcoming front porch or in the exhibit room until the first group has finished. We strongly encourage all groups to arrive before 2:30 to allow time for a museum tour prior to our 3pm closing time.
Please be aware that the Museum does not have air conditioning and during very hot weather, we may be required to close should the internal temperature of the building go above 80 degrees. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Oral History Recording Program (Free Recording Room Admission for Participants) We welcome our Avery County neighbors to share their personal history to be recorded and archived for posterity and future research. We began this program in 2025 to respond to the historic event of Tropical Storm Helene, its flooding and recovery and now we welcome any reminiscences of life in Avery County. Please see our Oral History Recording page for more information.