Roadside Attractions in North Carolina

Worth the detour in North Carolina

World's Largest Chest of Drawers

High Point, North Carolina

Built in the 1920s to champion High Point's status as the "Home Furnishings Capital of the World," this whimsical 36-foot-tall dresser is a quintessential slice of American roadside kitsch. The building-sized structure was remodeled in 1999 to look like a classic Goddard-style block-front chest, complete with two giant socks dangling from a drawer as a nod to the local hosiery industry. It stands as a towering, delightfully bizarre monument to the city's manufacturing history.

Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum

Littleton, North Carolina

Housed in a historic storefront, this museum is a treasure trove of the bizarre, dedicated to cryptids, ghosts, UFOs, and local hauntings. Founded by a former journalist, the museum features plaster footprint casts of Bigfoot, reputedly haunted dolls, and artifacts from paranormal investigations. It is a delightfully eerie stop where the owner is often on hand to share chilling stories about North Carolina's own supernatural mysteries.

Mystery Hill

Blowing Rock, NC

This classic roadside attraction features a gravitational anomaly room where water flows uphill and physics seems to defy gravity. Visitors can also explore historic museums, blow giant bubbles, and experience hands-on science exhibits. It is a delightfully quirky slice of vintage Americana that has entertained families since 1948.

Shangri-La Stone Village

Prospect Hill, North Carolina

Handcrafted over a nine-year period by retired well-driller Henry L. Warren, this whimsical folk-art environment features nearly thirty miniature stone buildings built entirely to a one-inch-to-one-foot scale. Using local quartz, arrowhead flint, and river rock, Warren painstakingly constructed a tiny hospital, church, water tower, and theater. It is a delightfully strange roadside marvel that invites travelers to peer into a pint-sized, perfectly preserved fantasy village.

Tarboro Town Common

Tarboro, North Carolina

Established in 1760, the Tarboro Town Common is one of the oldest and most intact town commons in the United States outside of New England. This beautiful, canopy-shaded park spans several blocks in the heart of Tarboro's historic district, featuring walking paths, historic monuments, and an iconic 19th-century bandstand. It is a rare, living piece of colonial-era town planning that offers a serene step back in time.

The Devil's Tramping Ground

Bear Creek, North Carolina

Deep in the pine woods of Chatham County lies a mysterious, perfectly circular 40-foot clearing where no plants will grow and animals refuse to cross. Local legend dating back to the 1800s says this is the spot where the Devil himself paces in circles at night, plotting his mischief against mankind. It remains one of North Carolina's oldest and most famous unexplained mysteries, drawing curious travelers and paranormal enthusiasts who want to test the legend by placing objects in the circle to see if they are cleared away by morning.

Browse by town in North Carolina

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