N.C. Transportation Museum

The N.C. Transportation Museum is a historic site, once home to Southern Railway’s largest steam locomotive repair facility in the southeast, and a museum featuring all types of transportation history – railroading, automotive, aviation, and more. 20-minute train rides are available on Saturdays and Sundays around the 60-acre museum site. The N.C. Transportation Museum is located in Spencer, NC about five minutes off I-85, about an hour’s drive from Charlotte, Greensboro or Winston-Salem.
1 Samuel Spencer Drive
Spencer , NC , 28159
Phone: 704-636-2889
35° 41' 25.1736" N, 80° 25' 46.9488" W

The Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium

Visitors can discover wildlife displays, American Indian artifacts, gems and minerals, dinosaur fossils, and a state-of-the-art planetarium. The Schiele also has a replica Catawba Indian Village, a Nature Trail, and The Farm, a showcase of local agriculture and live animals.
1500 E. Garrison Blvd.
Gastonia , NC , 28054
Phone: 704-866-6900
35° 15' 11.5848" N, 81° 9' 32.3532" W