Etar is the essential Gabrovo sight: an open-air ethnographic museum on the edge of the Bulgarka Nature Park, laid out like a 19th-century craft street. Wooden balconies, stone roofs, workshops, water channels, and small bridges recreate the world of Balkan artisans without feeling like a theme park.
The best part is that many of the mechanisms work. You can watch water drive traditional machinery, see craftspeople at benches, and buy simple local sweets or bread rather than just stare at labelled rooms. Allow at least two hours, more if you like craft museums or are travelling with children.