Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 036 March 2014 | Page 26

Visit the
Ava Gardner Museum

#106

V

isitors to Smithfield can celebrate the legacy of Holly wood
golden age film star Ava Gardner in the hometow n museum
ded ic ated to her l i fe. Pa r t of Nor t h C a rol i n a’s r ich f i l m
legacy, Gardner appeared in more than 50 mov ies including Night
of the Iguana, The Killers and Show Boat, and was married to Frank
Sinatra and Mickey Rooney spanning a 50-year career as a leading
Holly wood actress. She was bor n and raised in Johnston County,
a r ural area of central North Carolina, until New York and Holly wood called her to fame. The museum tells the stor y of her life
w ith an extensive collection of
memorabilia, and each item has
a personal connection to Ava or
he r f a m i ly. More t h a n 20,0 0 0
pieces of memorabilia are in the
Project 543 tells the story of
collection, including costumes
unique spots across North
l i ke t he d re s s f rom The Gre at
Carolina we hope will become
S i n n e r (w h i c h s h o wc a s e s h e r
some of your favorite places.
18 -i nc h w a i st), mov ie p o ster s
Why 543? Because that’s the
and award s. The museum al so
number of miles from Manteo,
s h o wc a s e s a m i x o f p e r s o n a l
on the coast, to Murphy, in the
mountains, and is traditionally
item s, includ ing a gold-pl ated
considered to be the width of
derr inger pistol given to her by
our state. The entries in this
John Huston to diffuse tension
project are in no particular
bet ween R ichard Burton and
order, and we’ll add to them
Liz Taylor during the filming of
each week. Check in often to
Night of the Iguana, and an en- find inspiration for your next
trip, or start planning today at
graved watch she gave to Sinatra.

VisitNC.com.

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Dashboards and Saddlebags The Destination Magazine™