The Country Doctor Museum accepts
cashless payments only for admission and gift shop sales.
The museum accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards.
This policy aligns with an initiative from our governing organization, East Carolina University.
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In observance of scheduled holidays, the Country Doctor Museum will be closed May 25, July 4, August 31, November 28-30 and December 23 - January 1.
We hope to see you soon!
Tickets and Tours
In planning your visit, please be aware that all tours are guided and run approximately 45-60 minutes. Tours are offered every hour, on the hour beginning at 10am and the final tour of the day begins at 3pm. For admission and gift shop purchases, the museum accepts cashless payments only (no cash or checks.) The museum accepts VISA, MasterCard and Discover.
Admission prices including tax are as follows:
$10.68 includes tax – Adults
$8.54 includes tax – Seniors, persons 55 years or older
$5.34 includes tax – Students, age 5-18 years old and college students with ID
Your museum experience will include a guided walking tour of several buildings on our campus and all public buildings are ADA accessible. The tour starts at the Farmer Annex where our gift shop and history of nursing exhibit are located. The Freeman-Brantley building features an apothecary, doctor’s office and sick room. In the Carriage House, you will see our transportation collection and polio display. During the spring and summer seasons, the museum’s medicinal garden is part of the tour.
Handicap parking spaces are provided just outside the entrance to the gift shop at the Farmer Annex building. Our large parking lot can accommodate busses and RVs. The museum’s restrooms are located in the Farmer Annex building and are ADA compliant. One restroom features a baby diaper changing station. The museum offers picnic tables under a covered shelter in the parking lot area. A pet waste station with plastic bags is available on site, although pets are not allowed on guided tours (service animals are welcome). Food and drink are not allowed in the museum’s buildings and smoking, vaping and tobacco use are prohibited on the museum’s campus.
Hours and Days of Operation
The Museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday. All tours are guided and available at the top of every hour starting at 10:00 A.M., with the last tour beginning at 3:00 P.M. In planning your visit, please be aware that all tours are guided and run approximately 45-60 minutes.
The Museum is closed to the public on most major holidays. Please check our calendar of events to stay updated on the Museum’s closures.
Group Tours
Group tours must be scheduled in advance and the museum currently can accept reservations for group tours with up to 18 guests.
Group Tours
The Museum offers guided tours of the museum buildings and each tour lasts about 45-60 minutes. Typical groups we serve include school, church, senior, and home school groups as well as community organizations. A docent guides each group through the Museum’s exhibits and encourages participants to discover, appreciate, and inquire about nineteenth and twentieth-century rural health care. Contact us to reserve your group tour!
Group tour admission is $8.00 + tax (= $8.54) for adults and seniors, and $5.00 + tax (= $5.34) for students.
Contact Us
Educational Tours and Programs
The Country Doctor Museum offers educational tours for public, private, and home school students of all ages. A docent guides each group through the Museum’s extensive exhibits and encourages participants to discover, appreciate, and inquire about nineteenth and twentieth-century rural health care. Each guided tours lasts about one hour. As part of the student group tour experience, the Museum offers a hands-on educational activity for elementary and middle-school aged students. Please inquire about the selection of activities when reserving your group tour.
Things to Know Before You Go:
- Feeling Ill? Please stay home and make plans to visit another day.
- Clean hands. Hand sanitizing stations are positioned in every tour building. Please use them, as well as the hand washing facilities in our public restrooms.
- Wear a mask if needed. Free masks are available for you at the museum entrance if you need one. Masks are optional for all guests.
- Drop-ins welcome! You are welcome to stop by the museum for a tour, but you might need to wait until the next available tour time.
- A friendly distance. Please be respectful of other’s personal space while at the museum.
- Shop for gifts! Our gift shop is open for purchases.
Museum Etiquette
- Please do not touch any artifacts or furniture.
- Food, drink, and gum are prohibited while inside the Museum’s buildings.
- Smoking is prohibited inside the Museum’s buildings and on the Museum’s grounds.
- Photography of the Museum is welcomed, however, please refrain from using flash.
- While touring the Museum, please switch your cell phone ringer off.
- Hand sanitizing stations are positioned in every tour building. Please use them, as well as the hand washing facilities in our public restrooms.
- Stay Connected! Please follow the Museum on Facebook and Instagram!
Photography Policy
Visitors are welcomed to take photographs of the Museum and its campus, including the historic buildings and medicinal garden. You are requested to not use flash photography while inside the Museum’s buildings, as this deteriorates many of the artifacts on exhibit. Also, videotaping is prohibited. Thank you for helping protect our collection!
Directions and Parking
The Country Doctor Museum is conveniently located off of US Highway 264 in the quaint town of Bailey, North Carolina. Positioned directly between Raleigh and Greenville, the Museum can be easily accessed by many visitors of eastern North Carolina. Take exit 30 off US-264 (NC-581, Bailey/Spring Hope) and follow 581 south into Bailey. At the first traffic light, turn right on Deans Street (HWY 264 ALT). At the first left, turn left onto Peele Road. The museum’s parking lot entrance is two blocks up Peele Road on the left. The Museum offers a large parking lot free of charge to its visitors.
Local Dining
- Need a quick bite before heading home? Swing by Hardee’s for convenient fast-food on the way back home. (0.3 miles from the Museum)
- El Paso Mexican Restaurant offers affordable Tex-Mex in Bailey (0.6 miles from the Museum) and Tacos Matehuala is also nearby.
- Other places to grab a meal or snack include Ming Garden Chinese restaurant, The Leaning Tree Italian restaurant, or the The Dessert Cake Company for a delicious slice of cake.
Gift Shop
The Country Doctor Museum offers fun and unique items for sale in its gift shop. You’ll be sure to find the perfect, thoughtful gift for anyone with an interest in medical history or gardening. Plus, we have tasty teas, sweet treats and souvenirs. All proceeds from admission and gift shop sales are used by the museum for education programs, to care for the collections, and improve the museum’s facilities. Thanks for your support!