For Educators
The Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site preserves the historic boarding house in downtown Asheville known as the Old Kentucky Home. The house, a National Historic Landmark, has been a memorial to Asheville’s native son and North Carolina’s most famous author, Thomas Clayton Wolfe, since 1949.
Thomas Wolfe lived in the Old Kentucky Home boardinghouse from 1906, at age six, until he left for college in 1916, at age 15. The historic home interior is much like Wolfe would have remembered it as a child. Today, it offers an excellent opportunity for students of all ages to learn about Asheville history, early 20th-century household technologies, and a giant of American literature, Thomas Wolfe.
Access more information on Elementary, Middle, and High School programs, and Reading and Writing Activities below…
Read & Write: Thomas Wolfe Short Stories
Field Trip Information
Admission is FREE for our K-12 and Home School group programs. A visit to Thomas Wolfe Memorial will last about an hour and a half. Because of the limited capacity of the house and visitor center, we can accommodate about 60 students on-site at a time. Once scheduled, you will receive a written confirmation of your trip along with important information.
Explore our website and view the Tours and Activities page for our current program offerings. We can easily adapt the programs to a range of age groups and courses.
For more information, please call our Education Specialist, Bonnie Showfety, at (828) 253-8304 or email her at Bonnie.Showfety@dncr.nc.gov.
Post-Visit Survey
After your visit, please complete a quick survey and share your feedback about your experience. We are committed to making a field trip to Thomas Wolfe Memorial a memorable part of your student’s classroom experience.
“Our fourth graders have visited the Thomas Wolfe Memorial for the past several years and we are always welcomed, the staff is very patient, and the students learn a tremendous amount. Visiting the Old Kentucky Home goes right along with the North Carolina Heroes theme that fourth graders explore. Furthermore, the site’s education specialist comes to our school for a pre-visit and orients the students with Thomas Wolfe and the site by showing them artifacts and a PowerPoint. The Thomas Wolfe Memorial is a great experience"
-Debra Coleman, West Buncombe Elementary
This page was last modified on 09/15/2026