From the creepy to the beautiful to the legendary, our state has every kind of landmark to discover. It's not hard to do when you have three distinctly different regions of the state to travel. Here are some of the more infamous North Carolina locations you probably didn't even know about.
Devil’s Tramping Ground -- Bear Creek
If you follow this trail in Bear Creek, you will come across a barren patch of land where nothing has ever been able to grow. Legend says this is a spot where the devil enters our world. Many visitors leave items in the circle and check the next day to find they are completely out of sight, though the site is not maintained. Dogs whimper and run from the circle, and forget about the deer in these woods- they get nowhere near it. Ever. A brave journalist once camped right in the center of the circle and saw nothing but claims he heard chanting and dancing all night long.
Homeless Jesus -- Davidson
A strangely placed paradox, this monument shows the humble truth of our lord and savior. Timothy P. Shmalz, a sculptor, created this statue of a clothed Jesus Christ in his destitute times with stigmata in his exposed feet. The St. Albans Church of super-wealthy Davidson, North Carolina immediately purchased it and placed it outside their doors. The high-maintenance town regularly calls the police because the statue is so realistic it looks like a homeless man and many visitors sit in the space purposefully left on the bench next to the statue. The town has long complained the art “doesn’t fit” into their town, but many visitors love it.
The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge -- Claremont
Located in Catawba County of the Lake Norman area, this bridge is one of the absolute last of its kind in the country and is very well maintained and preserved. Constructed in 1985, it is a National Civil Engineering Landmark and is still quite sturdy. The bridge was originally constructed to make a former Native American trail now explorable.
Caste Mont Rouge -- Rougemont
A magnificent and beautiful castle that looks like something from Alice in Wonderland, the Rouge was the work of local artist Robert Mihaly. Hidden deep in the surrounding forest, the castle has unfortunately been abandoned and has fallen into disrepair due to vandals. There is a kickstarter from Mihaly to restore the castle as a tourist attraction currently.
The Can Opener -- Durham
An infamous and dangerous railroad trestle in Duke that claims on average one wreck victim a month. It has somehow avoided all maintenance as it was built 100 years ago right before standards for trestle height were enacted. It is deceptively short by vision, only 11 feet and despite countless speed limit changes and warnings to go around, many trucks still try and smash the top of their cargo to pieces. The Department of Transportation is responsible but can do nothing. Above obviously is an unchangeable train route and below is a 100-year old sewer main that risks many potential dangers by excavation. No one has been seriously injured or killed thankfully by the Can Opener but it has provided some immoral entertainment as people literally gather on faraway hills to see if they can witness a foolish truck test its luck.
Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky -- Raleigh
A popular tourist spot in our capital city, the Chamber is the work of British artist Chris Drury and is described by many visitors as an “actual hobbit hole.” The room is just 14 feet in diameter with sitting room and contains a light-proof door. The only natural light comes from a small hole in the center of the roof. The perfect location of the Chamber combined with this hole, referred to in architecture as a camera obscura, creates an illumination of the trees and sky that spans across the width of the walls. This gives those sitting inside the tranquil simulation of sitting high in the sky.
Abandoned Henry River Mill Village -- Hildebran
A popular Western ghost town, this mill village wasn’t even that widely known until Jennifer Lawrence stepped into it. It is the iconic filming site of District 12 in the Hunger Games film series. The buildings of the abandoned town stretch for quite a ways of walking if you can get past the eerie silence and memories that accompany it. Destined to go bust like most other small mill towns, the city shut all of its doors in 1973 as its mill went out of business. A simple 1.4 million can get you the town currently, though. It is up for sale.
Land of Oz Theme Park -- Beech Mountain
Our very own bright Emerald City. There’s no place like home. This park was made to celebrate the iconic film in 1970 and actually hoisted the great distinction of having Judy Garland’s dress from the film on display. Attendance sadly started to drop however and the park had to make business decisions. Even more unfortunately, a fire spread during this time and burned most of the park down including Garland’s dress. They closed in 1980 but parts of the park remain maintained and an Oz celebration takes place there once a year. The park is a super popular spot for legend tripping and exploring but it is regulated and is a no trespassing zone.
Judaculla Rock -- Sylva
The mountain town of Sylva boasts an attraction popular by daytime and feared at nighttime. Adjacent to an ancient cemetery, locals boast that this rock and the area surrounding it are severely haunted. Ghost sightings from locals is all too common in the area. The rock itself, however, is a scientific masterpiece that has somehow evaded scientific inspection. It is littered with engravings that are said to be from 3000 B.C. In simple terms, there is evidence that indigenous humans, or cavemen to be even more simple, wrote on this rock. This was a sacred rock for nearby Cherokee Indians in its' history who believe a legend that a seven-fingered giant hurled the rock across the land in a time before man, causing the marks.
Lost Cove Railroad Settlement -- Erwin, Tennessee
Allow me to explain. Part of the wonder of this early 1900’s settlement is that it is almost exactly on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. For over a hundred years, it’s been disputed which state actually owns it. It is, however, officially listed in this moment as in Erwin, Tennessee. The settlement was an absolute hotbed for making moonshine as its criminals who were caught all evaded arrest easily. Every case that went to trial was thrown out as either a Tennessee judge or a North Carolina judge would rule the case out of their jurisdiction as they couldn’t prove otherwise that it wasn’t. The site was abandoned and vacated once its' railroad operation went out of business and now hosts just the settlement and a graveyard over one hundred years old, causing many urban legend seekers to become paranoid about the long trip required to see it.
