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The Angus Barn Kicking Booth: A Southern Rite of Ridiculousness

ByNancy Lynn
Empty red-and-white gazebo at the Angus Barn that houses the Kicking Booth, with white benches and lanterns, surrounded by pine trees.

Zach mid-scream at the Angus Barn Kicking Booth, bent over the crank while the boots swing toward him.

Look at that face. That’s the face of a man who watched a turkey squawk its head off and said, “Of course the noisy one is the female.”

I informed him he clearly needed a swift kick in the a**.

Then I took him to get one.

📍 At a Glance: Angus Barn Kicking Booth

Location: Angus Barn Steakhouse parking lot, Raleigh, North Carolina

Address: 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617

Where Exactly: Under a little red-and-white gazebo at the back of the lot, by the pine trees

Admission: Free. Self-serve.

Hours: It’s outside and unattended. Be respectful.

Big-Rig Friendly: Yes. The lot is huge. We didn’t bring the bus this time, but there was plenty of room for it.

Pets: Fine for photos at the booth. Not inside the restaurant.

Website: Angus Barn

A Turkey Started This

We were staying at Vollmer Farms in Bunn, NC. It’s a Harvest Host, and it turned out to be one of our favorites. It was the off season, so we had the whole place to ourselves: a bounce pillow, a water balloon slingshot range, downhill wagon racing, a burlap bag slide, and an obstacle course.

Zach went down the burlap bag slide twice. Twice.

Then a particularly loud turkey crossed our path, and Zach felt the need to point out: “Of course the noisy one is the female.”

Sure, Zach.

The Kicking Booth was already on our list. That comment just settled who was going first.

So What Is This Thing?

The Angus Barn is a Raleigh steakhouse famous for prime rib and a giant wine cellar. But the reason we came is out back.

In the parking lot, there’s a wooden machine that does exactly one thing: it kicks you in the butt.

You stand on the platform, bend over, grab the handle, and crank. A wheel with four boots on it spins around behind you. The boots do the rest. You control the speed, so the harder you crank, the harder you get kicked. Nobody’s doing this to you. You’re doing it to yourself.

There’s a sign with the rules: use at your own risk, one person at a time, don’t stand facing the boots. And the restaurant isn’t responsible if you don’t like how you got kicked. Which, honestly, is fair.

Zach Went First. Obviously.

You make comments about “noisy females,” you go first. That’s the rule. I just made it up, but it’s the rule.

He bent over. He cranked. The boots connected. That face at the top of this post is what came out of him.

I could NOT stop laughing.

Then It Was My Turn

Here’s what nobody tells you: it’s really hard to crank a machine that’s kicking you when you can’t stop laughing.

Every single photo of me in that booth is me bent over, cackling, still not over Zach’s face. I was not quiet. That turkey had nothing on me.

We both cranked. We both got kicked. Ten out of ten.

📸 The Evidence

The Real History: A Country Store Gimmick From 1937

The Angus Barn’s booth is a copy. The original was built in 1937 by Tom Haywood, who put a “self-kicking machine” in front of his general store in Croatan, NC, east of New Bern on US 70, to get people to stop. It ran for 56 years. President Truman stopped to look at it in 1941. There’s no record he took a turn. Coward.

The original now lives in the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, a few miles from its copy.

As for the Angus Barn’s version: the story goes that the owner’s grandfather saw Haywood’s machine and wanted one. The Haywoods wouldn’t sell, so her dad built his own. The original used old shoes; this one has boots, and the toes are curled up from years of doing their job. Supposedly the staff use it when they screw up at work. I respect that.

💬 Tips for Future Kick-ees

Bring a friend. One to crank, one to take pictures. You can’t do both.

Use burst mode. The face happens fast. You will want the face.

Bring the dogs. They can’t go in the restaurant, but they’re fine for photos at the booth.

Make a Raleigh day of it. Grab dinner at the Cowfish (the TANKED aquarium restaurant) or do a ghost tour through historic Raleigh.

🎉 Final Thoughts: Would Get Kicked Again

Does it count as cardio? Only if you scream. Zach screamed. I laughed. We both got our workout.

It’s ridiculous. It’s free. And it gave us one of our favorite photos from this whole adventure.

If someone in your life needs a kick in the butt, now you know where to take them.

🧭 Keep Exploring

More North Carolina weirdness in our Things to Do in North Carolina guide. Some stops are elegant, some are feral, and yes, the Kicking Booth made the list. Staying in Raleigh? The Cowfish and the Raleigh ghost tour are next.

Spread The Weird!