Things to Do in Smithfield

Ava Gardner was studying to be a secretary at the Atlantic Christian College when 12-year-old Thomas Banks met her while playing at the school's campus in 1940. A year later, the young boy learned his friend had signed a movie contract with MGM to become a movie star. From then on, he collected newspaper clippings and memorabilia tracing her film career, from her breakout role in 1946's The Killers to her lauded work in 1953's _ Mogambo_ with Clark Gable. Tom and Ava remained friends over the years, and, at her request, he unveiled his collection—more than 50 years in the making—in 1979 in Smithfield, her birthplace and eventual resting place.

Tom amassed more than 20,000 artifacts from Ava's career and private life, which now, among other pieces, fill the 6,400-square-foot Ava Gardner Museum. Among movie posters and awards stand the silk satin cape that Ava wore in publicity shots for The Barefoot Contessa and the black dress she donned in The Great Sinner. Her personal items include china, jewelry, 40 portraits of her by Bert Pfeiffer, and the engraved watch she gave to her third husband, Frank Sinatra. In addition to its permanent collection, the museum celebrates the starlet with its annual Ava Gardner Festival, which includes screenings of her classic films and heritage tours.

Shrouded in groves of leafless trees, Darkside Haunted Estates looms ominously. Dilapidated black shutters hang from the two-story house's white, weather-beaten siding, and behind its black door, nightmares have stirred to life for more than two decades. Throughout its eerie grounds, the staff has installed dynamic special effects on a collection of attractions that has ballooned to more than a dozen, including a quarter-mile haunted trail and a backwoods hayride. Unsettling sites tell the estate's sordid story through the Darkside Mortuary, Rottenkorr Cemetery, and The Orphanage. They’ve also installed a "Fame of Shame" board, which keeps track of visitors who bail early and of monsters who faint at the sight of their own fake blood.

Though she had already established four fitness businesses and accrued more than 20 years of experience as an instructor, Blythe Bracey’s introduction to hot yoga was reformative. The art helped her overcome the emotional turmoil of divorce and fueled her tenacity in life, so much so that she opened me. to spread the word about hot yoga’s many benefits. Blythe guides students through classes in a room heated to 100–105 degrees, the known boiling point of inspiration. She encourages guests to make the experience a personal one—just as it was for her—and highlights hot yoga's capacity to boost mental as well as physical health.

Ballet-inspired workouts, boot camp, and Pilates courses are also part of Blythe's curriculum, facilitated by the gym's two floors and trove of equipment. Regardless of their background, all guests progress through routines at their own pace in an effort to cultivate self-awareness.

With 18 acres of blooming gardens and natural North Carolina wetlands, the Sylvan Heights Bird Park provides a home for more than 2,000 ducks, geese, and exotic egg layers. As they stroll along the trails and waterfront, guests can observe birds hailing from almost every continent, such as peacocks, flamingos, and toucans. In addition to the walk-through aviaries, the park aims to educate and entertain visitors with interactive children’s programs, tours, and activities such as scavenger hunts. Among its many attractions are the Bird’s Nest Treehouse and Beaver Pond Blind, both of which showcase the state’s native plants and animals and highlight the importance of wetland conservation.

Deborah Reavis, the resident artist at Wine, Paint & Canvas, has nearly two decades of teaching art under her belt, making her an excellent tutor for classrooms full of fledgling painters of all ages. Seated in front of rows of provided easels and surrounded by the works of past classes, students follow their instructors’ directions to produce the evening’s piece. Though everyone works from the same template, each student has the chance to stylistically personalize their work by mixing colors or painting only the coolest facial hair on self-portraits. Before brush touches canvas, guests can mingle over glasses of BYO wine and bottles of beer, with soda available for purchase.