An early life spent in this "Old Kentucky Home" inspired the writings of North Carolina's most famous novelist.

North Carolina's only restored fort from the French and Indian War.

Carrying on the legacy of a short-lived experimental school tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina.

Rural churches in the middle of nowhere with religious frescoes by famous artist.

The world's largest set of the ten commandments lay nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains.

This handcrafted, old western-style town is filled with deserted cars, retired movie props, and other forms of Americana.

This granite rock face is named for the magnificent reflection that occurs when the sun hits it just right.

This winding road of 318 curves is a must-visit for (careful) motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts.

Practice your Dirty Dancing lifts in the manmade lake where Johnny Castle himself did.

This roadside attraction has been serving out its fair share of hearty folklore and chaos since 1858.

This shifting North Carolina sand dune is an odd little desert surrounded by oceanic forest life.

Beautiful Gothic-inspired lighthouse stands out among the run-of-the-mill striped fare on Bodies Island.

Divinely-inspired village houses 6,000 dolls, plus strange and lovely outsider art.

This stunning home looks like it belongs in medieval Europe, not North Carolina.

Some North Carolina Cherokee have been keeping their history alive for decades with a single play.

A six-foot pair of socks hangs from a drawer of the world's largest bureau.

This abandoned lighthouse looks like a rusting oil rig, but has managed to survive a number of storms.

This Transylvania County city is home to a rare white squirrel population that is descended from an escaped carnival animal.

The U.S. Supreme Court's secret Cold War relocation facility in the mountains of North Carolina.

The only known Futuro house in North Carolina sits along a stretch of desolate highway on the Outer Banks.  .

A mailbox that saved a nature reserve.

This scented city oasis was a labor of love.

The highest point in North Carolina and the United States east of the Mississippi River, Mount Mitchell is named after argumentative explorer Elisha Mitchell.

Art museum based around the collections accumulated over 58 years by one eccentric thrift store owner.