Looking for weird things to do in North Carolina? We’ve been crisscrossing the state in our 35ft skoolie, checking out the stops you don’t find on typical travel lists.
Fun Facts About North Carolina
North Carolina has more lighthouses than any other state, because apparently, the Atlantic enjoys testing navigation skills.
Mount Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi, proving the Appalachians still have bragging rights.
Pepsi was invented in New Bern in 1893 — a pharmacy experiment that escalated quickly.
The Wright Brothers made their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, giving North Carolina permanent aviation flex.
North Carolina delivers a mix of roadside oddities, outdoor escapes, and creative spaces worth detouring for. Some of these we’ve explored, others are queued for future wandering. When we’ve visited, links lead to our pages — otherwise, you’ll head to official sources when available.
Unique Attractions & Weird Things to Do in North Carolina
Weird Roadside & Oddities
Beech Mountain
Land of Oz – Open only in the fall
Bladenboro
World’s Largest (Real) Tire – Located at 13422 Hwy 131 N.
Blowing Rock
Mystery Hill – where the laws of physics take a vacation
Bryson City
Six Painted Trout Statues
The Road To Nowhere – Unfinished highway tunnel on Lakeview Drive East. Coordinates: 35.4591, -83.5379.
Cashier’s
Grimshawes Post Office – North Carolina’s Smallest Post Office – measures 5 by 6 feet.
Charlotte
Huge Jukebox – Located at the Penguin Drive-In
Metalmorphosis – Giant steel sculpture made of 40 pieces in 7 segments, independently rotating 360 degrees.
Durham
Bronto The Brontosaurus – the last remaining dinosaur from the Dinosaur Trail built by the Museum of Life and Science in the 1960s, he is located on the Ellerbee Creek Trail.
Ellerbe
World’s Largest Strawberry – Giant strawberry monument.
Fayetteville
Eiffel Tower Replica 🚌 – Mini Paris in North Carolina.
U.S. Arsenal Ghost Tower – Historic military ruins.
Germanton
Pigfoot Statues – Bigfoot walking a pig, with a deer. Located at Creekside Supply.
Harper’s Crossroads
Devil’s Tramping Ground – A mysterious, barren circle where nothing grows.
High Point
Metal Atlas Holding Giant Globe – Located at 833 Montlieu Ave.
World’s Largest Chest of Drawers 🚌 – Furniture capital landmark.
Jamestown
World’s Largest Highboy – Located at Furnitureland South (also the world’s largest furniture store), 5635 Riverdale Drive.
Little Switzerland
Emerald Village – Explore the North Carolina Mining Museum and take an underground tour of the historic Bon Ami Mine. Choose from a variety of gem buckets available. Keep everything you find!
Littleton
Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum – All things Bigfoot and unexplained.
Mt Airy
The Whittling Wall 🚌 – Brick people sculptures.
Metal Man Sign 🚌 – Giant metal figure by Young Enterprises.
World’s Largest Granite Quarry 🚌 – Massive working quarry.
Five Faces of Andy Griffith Mural 🚌 – Tribute to the hometown legend.
Mt Olive
Mt Olive Pickle Mural – Located at the corner of Main & Center!
Murphy
World’s Largest 10 Commandments – Located in The Fields of the Wood, 10000 NC-294.
Prospect Hill
Shangri-La Stone Village – Started in 1968, 27 unique structures including school, church, theater, hospital, and mill built from local quarry finds.
Raleigh
Art Trail – Sensory Deprivation – North Carolina Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Rd.
The Daily Planet Cafe – Giant Earth lookalike building.
Gotno Farm Dog (Big Pink Dog) – Located behind Preservation NC HQ, 814 Oberlin Rd.
Muffler Man (Giant Decorator Man) – Located at Bradsher Landscape Supplies, 3729 Overlook Rd.
“Nutzilla” (Big Acorn) – Located in City Plaza, 443 Fayetteville St.
Rose Hill
World’s Largest Frying Pan 🚌 – Massive cast iron pan monument.
Smithfield
Hills of Snow – Huge sno-cone sculpture.
St Pauls
Half-Horse-Half-Tractor Being Driven By A Cat 🚌 – Located at 3101 E. Great Marsh Church Rd.
Stedman
Blues Brothers in a Cage 🚌 – Jake and Elwood behind bars.
Sylvia
The American Museum of the Housecat – dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of art, artifacts, and literature of the HouseCat
Thomasville
World’s Largest Duncan Phyfe Chair 🚌 – 30-foot-tall furniture landmark.
Wendell
Transformer Tractor – Located at 6300 Kioti Rd.
World’s Largest Tobacco Worm – Located at 15 W 4th St.
Wilmington
Museum of the Bizarre – Oddities and curiosities collection.
Winston-Salem
Art-O-Mat – Repurposed cigarette machines dispensing art. 11 locations in Winston-Salem.
Last Seashell Shaped Shell Gas Station 🚌 – Historic roadside architecture (not in operation).
Major Tomms Oddities & Curiosities – oddities & curiosities shop 😁
Mickey Coffee Pot Marker 🚌 – Vintage coffee pot landmark.
Periodic Picnic Table – Located at Wake Forest University, Salem Hall, Gulley Drive.
The Quarry at Grant Park – Overlooking the old Piedmont Quarry.
Factory Tours & Behind-the-Scenes
Julian
Homeland Creamery Tour – Working dairy farm tours.
Seagrove
Carolina Bronze Sculpture – Factory tour and sculpture garden. Must call or email to schedule tour.
West Jefferson
Ashe County Cheese Factory – Viewing room open year-round.
Creative Reuse / Thrift / Maker Spaces
Mebane
McKay’s Mebane – Used Bookstore with books, music, movies, electronics, games, musical instruments, collectibles, and more.
Greensboro
Reconsidered Goods – Creative Reuse Center
Hickory
Safe Harbor’s Resource Warehouse – Thrift warehouse
Pineville
ReClectic – Overstock for URBN Brands (Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters, and Nuuly) New & Thrift. Apparel & Accessories
Parks, Trails & Waterfalls
Andrews
Andrews Valley Rail Trail – 9-mile, 2-hour round-trip on old railroad tracks; RailBikes, Passenger Cart, Conductor Experience, and Choo-Choo.
Bernardsville
Craggy Pinnacle – panoramic 360-degree views, hiking through rhododendron and wildflowers.
Canton
Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower – Short hike, panoramic views. Five flights of stairs to near-top platform.
Cashier’s
Upper Whitewater Falls – Largest waterfall in North Carolina (411′ drop)
Ivanhoe
Black River Preserve – Eastern bald cypress, the fifth-oldest tree species.
Plan Your North Carolina Road Trip
We’re always adding new weird things to do in North Carolina to this list, so check back for our latest skoolie travel and roadside discoveries!
Where to next? Explore more offbeat treasures in our South Carolina Roadside Oddities Guide, get our best tips for traveling with pets in an RV, or head back to the Right at the Light Homepage for more weird Americana.
Interactive Map: North Carolina’s Weirdest Stops
Click below to see all our verified locations on Google Maps!