A fun roadside attraction! It's much bigger than I expected…read moreit to be but also don't expect a full-blown village. Lots of structures to look at with significant detail. Take your time and enjoy this special roadside attraction. Don't forget to sign the guest book in the mailbox.

Shangri-La Stone Village is in Prospect Hill, NC. It is near the volunteer fire department, so if…read moreyou can find that, you will see Shangri-La. Admission is free and there was not anywhere to leave a donation but they do have a notebook that you can sign in and share your thoughts. The notebook in the box was from April and there have been many visitors since then. The Village was created with stone from a local quarry. He quarried the stone himself. Henry Warren created this village when he was 72 back in 1968. He was battling cancer at the time. He was a retired tobacco farmer and created 27 buildings that are pretty tall, I'd guess 4-6 feet tall, out of stone. He selected each piece and constructed it all himself. He used white flint rock, quartz, brick, and cement to create this masterpiece. I like that he used other items in his work like door knobs, table legs, ceramic and glass. The art in the designs is remarkable. His workmanship needs to be applauded as his work is still standing after decades. The Village has a mill with water wheel, a school, a church, a theater, a water tower, a farmhouse, a doghouse, an outhouse, a motel, a general store, a jail, a library, a liquor store, and City Hall. He was working on the hospital when he died and his family completed that for him. He finished in 1972 and put up a plaque in the front that says, "Let me live in the house by the side of the road and be a friend to man." Visitors are welcome to tour his creation at any time and for free. Children who came to visit would leave toys to enjoy the village so it was fun to see who was living in the village. Warren died at 84 years old back in 1977 but left behind his work of love for all of us to still enjoy. So if you get a chance, stop by and enjoy his work and take in the whimsy and feel the magic.

This marker is along US-158 just outside Leasburg. It points out the history of someone who was…read moreborn here and went on to serve in government both in the United States and the Confederacy. The marker reads, "Jacob Thompson. Secretary of Interior, 1857-1861, Confederate secret agent in Canada, U.S. Representative from Mississippi. Birthplace stands 100 yds. southeast." Online, there is more information. "Jacob Thompson played a little remembered role in the Civil War. Appointed a Confederate ambassador to Canada, he operated a spy network and helped orchestrate several failed schemes to attack the United States from across the Great Lakes." There is some room to pull over here to read the marker. [Review 2475 of 2024 - 3929 in North Carolina - 23487 overall]

This was such a neat place to visit. This is American history at its core and the spot where the…read morecivil war actually ended instead of what is taught in the school. Walking around this beautiful area you hear the bird song and you could imagine that you're walking in the footsteps of history. If you're in the area of Durham North Carolina this is a must if you're a history buff.

Interesting spot to walk around and learn about some Civil War history. You can walk inside some of…read morethe structures and the house on the property. The staff were all very friendly - they were setting up for a field trip the morning we visited. Next time, I'd like to go on a guided tour to learn more about the site. We also took a walk through the trails in the woods, that only took us about 15 minutes. The trails were easy but they do have a lot of roots, so you need to be careful not to trip! Some parts of the trail were a little overgrown, but still passable.

Hello everyone, I had an absolutely fantastic, once in a lifetime experience at Patrick Henry's Red…read moreHill. The property is beautiful, relaxing and well-maintained. I highly recommend checking out this place. The admission is very affordable and the experience is worth the cost. I really enjoyed learning about the property from Patrick Henry's descendant. He was very kind and well-informed about the life of Patrick Henry. The first part of the experience includes a short film about Patrick Henry's life and family. Patrick Henry's descendant explained everything about Patrick Henry and was passionate about history. My family and I were very fortunate to have the whole property to ourselves. The property has breathtaking views and is very peaceful. I enjoyed walking the grounds and seeing the different historical buildings. The whole experience was truly memorable and enjoyable. I will definitely visit again when I travel to Virginia from Florida. I went to purchase a book in the gift shop about Patrick Henry and his descendant gave me a free copy. I really appreciated that and enjoy learning more about the founding fathers.

It's off the beaten path but a neat look back to Colonial times. A great patriotic look at one of…read morethe more outspoken voices of the American Revolution. Also has a nice display to honor the slaves and freedmen who made their homes there. It was a nice history lesion and afternoon spent in the beauty of the Virginia countryside

Tony and I stopped in High Point NC at the roadside attraction to see the World's Largest Chair…read moresince they are the furniture capital of the world. Free to enjoy! On Street Parking located near the RR tracks in Center of town.

It was fun to see! Went because we were in the area. Go see the chest of drawers too! Wouldn't go…read moretoo far out of my way for it.

Super cute spot. Looked like someone had just gotten married there because there was confetti…read moreeverywhere. Great stop for pictures and easy to walk too. Wheelchair accessible as well.

A beautiful covered bridge in the Historic district. This modern (1998) covered bridge connects the…read moreVisitors Center with the Historic district. We stopped here for a little walk about on a Sunday morning so we didn't happen upon many people and nothing was open at the time. It was peaceful walk in a pretty area.

This granite monument was dedicated on May 20, 1922 and is a sculpture of a Confederate soldier in…read moreuniform complete with cap. He is crossing his arms and resting them on his rifle. The sculpture stands atop a stone pedestal. The soldier depicted is Captain E. Fletcher Satterfield who was killed on July 3, 1863 while bearing the flag of his regiment, the 55th NCT, at Gettysburg. There is a separate stone marker to the side that indicates Captain Satterfield was "Farthest at Gettysburg - Killed in Action" and lists several others with rank and regiment. The monument is quite corroded and needs some steam cleaning. [Review 18075 overall - 3323 in North Carolina - 1597 of 2022.]

This is such a cool little museum and place to see if you are wanting to do something unique in…read moreDurham that's rich in the city's history. Museum: 5/5 The museum has a ton of cool displays that show the early days of the tobacco industry and Duke family. Right outside of the museum is a large area with a trail that takes you by the Dukes original house, tobacco plants and the tobacco field. You are free to wonder the grounds. However, I recommend paying for the guided tour. With that you get to go inside the structures and hear all about the history of the property and early tobacco industry. In addition you get to learn a lot about the events that shaped the city. Price: 5/5 The museum and grounds is FREE! The guided tour is only $4. Coming from CA, it doesn't get much better than this! Customer Service: 5/5 The guide was great! Very friendly and very knowledgeable in the content. Parking: 5/5 Huge parking lot right in front. Parking was great.

I think it best to take the guided tour, you get a great history of the Duke family's transition…read morefrom farming to production - leading to an efficient industry. Highlights include entering the 2nd factory and the Duke family home. (And I can't get "Duke, duke, duke... Duke of Earl, duke, duke out of my head). You even get to whack tobacco. While the tobacco industry goes back earlier, it is just about the time after the Civil War ends that it really gets interesting, as soldiers coming home chew (or is that "chaw"), smoke, or sniff tobacco. Washington Duke capitalized on it. And now... there's a university and gardens named after the family - with a top notch basketball program, of course! The tour is about an hour. There are other building to see from the outside. Can ask as many questions as you like!

Yes, I drove an hour round trip to take a picture of a sign but this one is special. It denotes the…read moretime that the United States bombed North Carolina, nearly a hundred years after the end of the Civil War. The marker reads, "Nuclear Mishap. B-52 transporting two nuclear bombs crashed, Jan. 1961. Widespread disaster averted; three crewmen died 3 miles south." Okay, all kidding aside. Three Air Force crew died and in the process, prevented what would have been an unspeakable tragedy. It is a serious matter. During the height of the Cold War, the United States had a policy of keeping armed aircraft in the air at all times in the event of a conflict. Nuclear deterrence and all that. Well, this B-52G Stratofortress took some structural damage during an air refueling and while preparing to land at nearby Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, it experienced a major failure of the right wing. The plane broke up and exploded at 8000 feet. "As a result of the breakup of the plane, two MK39 nuclear weapons were released at a height of between 10,000 and 2,000 feet. Seven of eight arming, fusing, and firing switches and devices in one bomb automatically actuated. Only a crew-controlled switch prevented a nuclear detonation. Since its parachute deployed, one bomb had only minor damage when it fell about a mile from the crash site. The second bomb fell free, without its parachute deploying, and broke apart on impact." "Components of the bomb were sought for several weeks. The decision was made to leave remaining portions of the weapon containing uranium, believed to have entered the water table, in the ground. As a precaution, the government purchased part of the site and still maintains an easement in order to prevent digging in the vicinity. Periodic groundwater tests, still conducted by the state, have revealed no contamination." As the sign mentions, the actual crash is three miles away and the grounds are secured. Here in downtown Eureka, there isn't much. A small sandwich shop is near the sign if you're hungry. [Review 15486 overall, 990 of 2021, number 3029 in North Carolina.]

Blandwood Mansion is a privately owned museum in Downtown Greensboro. The museum opened in 1984…read moreafter Preservation Greensboro acquired the property in 1966 as it was going to be demolished. After preserving the building and reconstructing out buildings that had been torn down. The museum offers tours on the hour. The house was the home of NC Governor John Motley Morehead. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1988 it was named at National Historic Landmark because of its architecture. It is the oldest Italianate architecture in the country. Governor Morehead was the 28th Governor on North Carolina and served two terms from 1841 to 1845. He had eight children that were raised at Blandwood. Eight women and nine men were enslaved at the home. The Blandwood Mansion is Italianate architecture. The current house is the original house and two additions. The original farmhouse was built in 1795 and the first addition was made in 1822. The second expansion was in the 1844-1846 in the Italianate style by AJ Davis. The house is decorated as it would have been when Governor Morehead lived there. The house is in great condition and contains original items of the Moreheads that were donated back to the museum by descendants. The kitchen is not original but one of the reconstructed buildings according to the plans they found during a dig. The kitchen also houses the gift shop. The museum does not have a parking area but you can park on a nearby street. I was charged $8 admission to take the guided tour throughout the house. Masks are required to tour the museum. Hand sanitizer was also available inside. I arrived on the half hour but was allowed to join a tour in progress and then complete the first half afterwards. I expected that I'd need to wait until the next tour so was pleasantly surprised. I also bought items in a gift shop and when a bag wasn't available the tour docent offered up his bag for me to use which was very thoughtful. After my tour I realized that I need to learn more about this house and Governor Morehead and his family. I highly recommend this tour to other history buffs.

Had an amazing tour guided by Thomas! Best historical tour I've ever experienced. He went, what…read morefelt like was, above and beyond to make our experience unique and memorable. His knowledge of the family and grounds had me in awe. Would recommend this incredible experience to anyone visiting or passing through this area. Blandwood Museum is lucky to have someone who cares so much about the building and history guiding visitors through the beautiful grounds!!