Country Doctor Museum
Country Doctor Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Museum highlights American rural medicine during 19th and early 20th centuries. Guided tours hourly through three buildings.
Duration: < 1 hour
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4.5
28 reviews
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Just Get in the Car
Philadelphia, PA787 contributions
Aug 2021
We were staying in Wilson, on our way down to Disney, and took a side trip here. It is not that far off I-95 (about 8 miles off the highway).
The museum tour was very interesting, and was about an hour long. It covered a lot of the country experience of medicine in the South. We had our kids with us (11, 9 and 5), and they were pretty good for the tour. Just make sure you plan your timing right, so you don't have a lot of down time with the kids between tours.
A nice hidden gem, especially if you need a break from your trip on I-95.
The museum tour was very interesting, and was about an hour long. It covered a lot of the country experience of medicine in the South. We had our kids with us (11, 9 and 5), and they were pretty good for the tour. Just make sure you plan your timing right, so you don't have a lot of down time with the kids between tours.
A nice hidden gem, especially if you need a break from your trip on I-95.
Written January 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick C
Toledo, OH7 contributions
Feb 2020
Don't let the quirky name fool you, this is an interesting little museum. It's an hour guided tour on the hour and our guide was fantastic. It looks at the trials and tribulations of rural medicine from the civil war up to the 1920s. It has a little something for everyone. Very well curated. It has an association with East Carolina University. Right off the highway so it's an hour well spent.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JMinNC
Durham, NC457 contributions
May 2013 • Solo
Founded in 1967, this museum is one of the oldest museums in the U.S. dedicated to sharing the stories, challenges, and triumphs of health care in rural America. In addition to three rooms of historical artifacts and information, there is also a carriage house with antique buggies and cars, an iron lung, a medicinal herb garden, and a small gift shop. Tours are small and personal, and are conducted approximately hourly (check schedule before going) by a well informed tour guide. Admission is currently $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for those over 55, $3.00 for students. The museum is located in the very small town of Bailey, NC, just a few minutes south of U.S. 264.
Written May 3, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NCTraveler2015
Raleigh, NC5,149 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
The Country Doctor Museum is a hidden gem. It is located in Bailey, NC which is a small town that is charming itself. The Country Doctor Museum is staffed by East Carolina University. Admission to the museum for the guided tour is $5. The tour will take you into three buildings and end at the gift shop area. The first building is an older house and there are displays of what was used to compound medicines. There are also some tools that were used to make pills. Another room is setup like a doctor's office. There are all kinds of medical instruments and displays as to the types of things that were used years ago. I liked that there was a display on nurses. Another building has various vehicles that were used from a buggy to a model T. There was an iron lung in this building which was an impressive piece of equipment. There is a large parking lot and the museum was easy to get to from the highway if following directions from the website. I highly recommend this museum to those passing through the area or who are looking for a neat and interesting place to visit. Before or after your visit make sure to stop at the Bailey Cafe for great food!
Written June 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B K
Raleigh, NC6 contributions
Jun 2013 • Couples
Stop at this neat little museum and see what people used to do to get well! You'll be grateful for modern medicine but you'll also learn about time-tested remedies and get a view of how tough our great-grandparents were.
The museum has everything from old herbal apothecary jars, surgical instruments, and a doctor's horse-drawn buggy and old turn-of-the-century Ford for making house calls. There are exhibits aplenty, very well presented, and the tour guides are so friendly and well-informed.
Nice little spot if you are interested in country life, medical history, and folk life.
There's a medicinal herb garden in the back that overlooks a beautiful farm field with a view of the woods beyond. A very special spot full of Eastern North Carolina charm.
The museum is also a beautiful and well-preserved example of a turn-of the-century frame house -- great for those interested in historic preservation.
The museum has everything from old herbal apothecary jars, surgical instruments, and a doctor's horse-drawn buggy and old turn-of-the-century Ford for making house calls. There are exhibits aplenty, very well presented, and the tour guides are so friendly and well-informed.
Nice little spot if you are interested in country life, medical history, and folk life.
There's a medicinal herb garden in the back that overlooks a beautiful farm field with a view of the woods beyond. A very special spot full of Eastern North Carolina charm.
The museum is also a beautiful and well-preserved example of a turn-of the-century frame house -- great for those interested in historic preservation.
Written February 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
traveler49463
Raleigh, NC23 contributions
May 2012
Interesting museum divided between two small buildings in the quiet little town of Bailey. This museum is now owned by a university, so staff is informed and helpful. Check hours before you go. Every spring there is an open house with lots of activities. Worth checking out for a side trip sometime. Bailey has a Hardees and small diner for lunch. It's located 15 minutes west of Wilson and 30 minutes east of Raleigh.
Written April 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RaleighFrench
Raleigh, NC276 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
We arrived at 20 minutes after the hour and learned that tours are only offered on the hour. Therefore, we left and came back. Other reviewers have listed in detail what can be seen. Great tour guide. Interesting artifacts. If driving that way, it is definitely worth the stop.
Written June 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DeeDeeNC070
Greenville, NC209 contributions
The Country Doc is a small museum jam packed with artifacts from earlier medical days. Just think -- your ancestors likely survived medical treatments from this stuff. It is a little much to take in but is nonetheless fascinating. The physicians in your family should love it as well. I don't know of a larger collection of medical devices. It is well displayed in a period house.
Written March 5, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
c5mjb
Wake Forest, NC1,353 contributions
Mar 2016 • Friends
We became aware of this place from seeing the signs while enroute to visit East Carolina University. We later discovered that it is actually now owned by ECU, and when our Corvette club decided to plan a day trip there, we were eager to go check it out. The museum is two buildings that were actual doctors' offices 100 years ago, plus a restored barn. Parking is an unpaved lot across the street. Admission is budget-friendly at $5 ($ for seniors, $3 for kids). It is a 50 minute tour guided by well-informed docents, whose narrative brings the museum to life. The old medical equipment and devices really dramatize how far medical science has come. In the barn, along with the restored doctor's car (Model T Ford) and horse-drawn surrey is an actual iron lung from back when people still got polio before the vaccine was invented—something to think about! The garden in the back yard grows some medicinal herbs and plants. It's amazing to see the contrast between what was considered state-of-the-art medicine back in the so-called "good ol' days" and today's life-saving procedures.
Hold on to your ticket/receipt, it is good for 10% off at the nearby Bailey Café.
Hold on to your ticket/receipt, it is good for 10% off at the nearby Bailey Café.
Written June 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bartoncobert
Ellicott City, MD301 contributions
Oct 2015 • Couples
Pleasant visit to a restored country Doctor's office. Nineteenth and early twentieth century medical and surgical instruments, a pharmacy, nursing and dental exhibits and buggies with a charming guided tour hourly that takes about 45 minutes. A lovely visit if you're in the area. Hard to find as the GPS seems to get it wrong. Check their website for directions.
Written October 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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