Open Doors! Museums, Heritage Sites Issue Special Invitation on May 23

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. – Citizens from around the Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia will get a treat on May 23. 
The Heritage Alliance, located in Jonesborough, has partnered with local museums and historic sites throughout the region to raise awareness of the cultural and historic resources located in our own backyards. 
The Doors Open! program will open 20 sites throughout Abingdon, Blountville, Bristol, Elizabethton, Johnson City, Gray, Greeneville, Kingsport, Erwin and Jonesborough to the public free of charge for a day of learning and fun. 
Many sites are extending normal visiting hours and all are waiving admissions fees for this event. Sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and participants are encouraged to visit as many sites as possible.
The sites participating in this year’s Doors Open! are:
—Andrew Johnson Museum and Library, Tusculum College Campus, Route 107, Greeneville, (423) 636-7348.
— Carter Mansion, 1013 Broad St., Elizabethton, (423) 543-6140.
—Col. J.F. Toney Memorial Library, 201 Nolichucky Ave., Erwin, (423) 743-6533.
—Deery Inn, Main Street, Blountville, (423) 323-4600.
—Dickson-Williams Mansion, 108 N. Irish St., Greeneville, (423) 787-0500.
—Exchange Place, 4812 Orebank Road, Kingsport, Tenn., (423) 288-6071.
—Fields-Penn House, corner of Cummings and Main streets, Abingdon, (276) 676-0216.
—Gray Fossil Museum, off Interstate 26 at Exit 13, (423) 439-3659.
—Hands On! Regional Museum, 315 E. Main St., Johnson City, (423) 434-4263.
—Museum at Mountain Home, on the VA Grounds, Johnson City, (423) 439-8069.
—Nathanael Greene Museum, 101 W. McKee St., Greeneville, (423) 636-1558.
—Oak Hill School, 212 E. Sabin Drive, Jonesborough, (423) 753-9580.
— The Paramount Center for the Arts,  518 State St., Bristol, Tenn., (423) 274-8925.
—Reece Museum, ETSU Campus, Johnson City, (423) 439-4392.
—Salvage Warehouse, intersection of 3rd Avenue and Depot Street, Jonesborough, (423) 753-9580.
—Sullivan County Regional History Center and Archives,  Main Street, Blountville, (423) 323-4600.
—Sycamore Shoals State Park,  6151 W. Elk Avenue, Elizabethton, (423) 543-5808.
—Tipton Haynes State Historic Site, S. Roan Street, Johnson City, (423) 926-3631.
—Tours of Tusculum College Historic District begin at Andrew Johnson Museum at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Route 107 in Greeneville.
—Unicoi County Heritage Museum, 1523 Sane Whitson Drive, Erwin, (423) 743-9449.
—William King Regional Arts Center, 415 Academy Drive, Abingdon, (276) 628-5005.
Doors Open!  is a program of the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia as part of Preservation Month 2009. 
The Heritage Alliance, a local partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation,  is dedicated to the preservation of the architectural, culture and historical heritage of our region. 
For more information on the Doors Open! program or the organization, visit http://www.heritageall.org or call Justin Sanders at (423) 753-9580.