121 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in North Carolina - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky

This woodland architectural installation acts as a camera obscura for the heavens.

Added by mishamcmurtray

Hendersonville, North Carolina

Blue Ghost Fireflies

These eerie outliers of the lightning bug family glow a mysteriously blue color, for too long, and it's awesome.

Added by 318jmitch

Littleton, North Carolina

Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum

Bigfoot prints, Feejee mermaids, and haunted dolls on display in a tiny North Carolina town.

Cryptozoology Paranomal Museum

Added by Cryptozoology Paranomal Museum

Hildebran, North Carolina

Abandoned Henry River Mill Village

An abandoned village that doubled as "The Hunger Games"' post-apocalyptic wasteland is up for grabs.

Mark Casey

Added by Mark Casey

Sylva, North Carolina

Judaculla Rock

Mysterious ancient boulder carved with petroglyphs in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Added by eSlacktish

Beech Mountain, North Carolina

Land of Oz Theme Park

An Oz-themed attraction that has fallen into disrepair but still holds some of that original magic.

Added by Katacha

Rougemont, North Carolina

Castle Mont Rouge

A sculptor's dream studio turned fantastical ruin.

Added by ckwhitt

Wilson, North Carolina

Whirligig Park (Formerly Acid Park)

A piece of outsider public art accompanied by a strange urban legend.

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Unique
Food & Drink
in North Carolina

Snow Cream

Gastro Obscura

Snow Cream

Ice cream made with fresh snow is a beloved Southern tradition.

Gastro Obscura

Sam OBrien

Added by Sam OBrien

Peanut Pie

Gastro Obscura

Peanut Pie

The Virginia treat can “make even your deepest-dyed Yankee start complimenting you with a southern accent.”

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Deep-Fried Peanuts

Gastro Obscura

Deep-Fried Peanuts

You eat the shell, too.

Gastro Obscura

davidplotz

Added by davidplotz

Collard Sandwich

Gastro Obscura

Collard Sandwich

Greens and crispy corn bread combine in this North Carolina specialty.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

See all 15 things to eat in North Carolina See all 15 things to eat in North Carolina

Community Forums / United States / US: South

Top Discussions in the US: South Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
New Orleans suggestions?	13 June 04, 2019	1554	June 04, 2019
Louisiana Hog's Head Cheese	21 June 21, 2019	830	June 21, 2019
Carolina House with a Natural Cavern underneath	8 August 09, 2019	830	August 09, 2019
Abrams Creek Underwater Bridge	4 June 21, 2019	1548	June 21, 2019
The Grave of Florence Irene Ford	3 June 27, 2019	711	June 27, 2019

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flocomotion wants to go to The Mother Vine

LouKYgreen wants to go to Whirligig Park (Formerly Acid Park)

LouKYgreen wants to go to Körner’s Folly

7miae8685yN1 has been to Pine State Creamery Butter Churn

LouKYgreen wants to go to Clyde's Critter Crossing

Stories
About North Carolina

Bat biologist Kristi Confortin checks for—what else—bats.

North Carolina’s Abandoned Gold Mines Don’t Have Gold, But Do Have Bats

A deadly disease could devastate these thriving colonies of winged critters.

by Sabrina Imbler

August 14, 2019

The cufflink found at the site of the Brunswick Town tavern.

Found: A Seditious Cufflink From the Colonial Resistance Wardrobe

It holds a semi-secret message of opposition to the king.

by Isaac Schultz

Some of the trees along Black River are more than 2,000 years old.

Some Bald Cypress Trees in This North Carolina Swamp Are Older Than Cleopatra

New research suggests that Black River's gnarled conifers are even more ancient than we thought.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

A tubeworm growing from under an outcrop, surrounded by other deep sea species.

Found: For the First Time, Deep Sea Tube Worms Near the U.S. East Coast

You never know what you'll find when you turn over a rock.

by Jonathan Carey

A Divine Pine oyster from N. SEA. Oyster Company in Topsail Sound, North Carolina.

How North Carolinians Learned to Love Their Green Oysters

The seasonal delicacy was discarded for decades.

by Jennifer Rice

A sand tiger shark swims with the fishes, not far from one of the North Carolina shipwrecks.

Sand Tiger Sharks Are Drawn to North Carolina's Shipwrecks

They return to the same sunken vessels over and over again, and researchers are trying to figure out why.

by Jonathan Carey

My, what big marginal spikes you have.

Venus Flytraps Are a 'Horrid Prison,' But Only for Certain Insects

Medium-size bugs beware.

by Noor Al-Samarrai

Joe Littlejohn's racecar (No. 7) is seen outside “Little Joe’s” tavern in the late-1930s.

How a Group of Daring Bootleggers Created NASCAR

Moonshine money fueled the sport's rise.

by Tove Danovich

January 23, 2019

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