The House of Mugs – Collettsville, North Carolina - Atlas Obscura

The House of Mugs

Collettsville, North Carolina

A cabin completely covered in coffee mugs, where visitors are welcome to leave one of their own—if they can find an empty nail. 

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The House of Mugs (a/k/a, the Collettsville Cup House) is a true labor of love created one nail and mug at a time.

At the very end of an unpaved country road stands a cozy home, completely covered in coffee mugs. The owners, Avery and Doris Sisk, created their quirky attraction almost by accident. It started over 15 years ago with a box-lot of 15 mugs picked up at a flea market. It seemed like a good décor decision at the time, so they hung them up. More and more have been added over the years, and now – at least 20,000 mugs later – Avery and Doris have created a destination. Their cabin in the woods is dripping in cups and mugs of all kinds, the gates and fencing too.

The Sisks are both artists as well as collectors, welcoming and happy to show off their home. If you catch them on the porch you’ll likely be invited inside to see their other collections of dolls and police memorabilia too, but it’s the cups and mugs are what draw people in. Most have been collected by the Sisks themselves, but some have been added by the tourists who stop, something the Sisks encouraged. If you can find an empty nail, you’re welcome to leave one too. 

Know Before You Go

There's no charge to see the Sisk's collection, but donations are welcome. To see the Cup House, follow NC Route 90 north/west out of Collettsville for about half a mile and turn left onto Old Johns River Road. Follow for about 2 & 1/2 miles to a gravel road turn-off on the right. Bear right onto the gravel road and follow all the way to the end. No GPS out there, but locals will generally know where the Cup House is, in case you need to ask for directions.

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