As you walk in the door, there is a counter. The person at the counter will ask for your zip code and validate your parking ticket-for free parking which is nice. On Sunday's there is free parking on the street if you can find a spot. Follow the arrows, she says... So off I go...No need for maps, for you will not get lost like in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC which has endless displays and exhibits. Thinking more like the Frick Museum in NYC but in a smaller building.
First floors, is their permanent display exhibit "Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers". This is a very interactive museum. Do not forget to "Press the button" and hear the sounds and the stories of many of the displays. My favorite was feeling the cotton and trying to use one of the devices to manually make cotton. Very harsh life back in those days of farming and those working in the textile mills. Had no idea Cannon (towels and sheets) started in Charlotte and then developed out in Kannapolis, NC. You can spend more than an hour really taking the time to go through this exhibit and partake on the activities.
Second floor, is the "Cedar in the Pines: The Lebanese in North Carolina, 130 Years of History". Once you open the door and walk in to this exhibit and hear Arabic music. Not to be missed folks if you enjoy ethnic culture and cuisine. Bam! Right in front is the kitchen and get to try your sense and figure out the spices to recipes of Kibbeh, Tabbouleh and many more. Interesting history of the plight of the Lebanese immigrants coming to America and settling in North Carolina.
There were two other exhibits at the Levine Museum "And the Struggle Continues" and "Looking forward/Looking Back."
For a small museum there are so many items to go through and interact with.