SEEN IN N.C

Durham

Seen N.C.in

Drivers beware: The aptly nicknamed Can Opener Bridge takes no prisoners. Though this quirky Durham landmark was raised eight inches from its original 11-byeight-foot clearance in 2019, it’s still claimed the lives (or at least the scalps) of more than 160 trucks since it was built as a train trestle in the 1940s – and the viral fame of its dedicated YouTube channel proves it.

Raleigh

The legs don’t lie. When Hendersonbased artist, and backhoe contractor, Ricky Pearce created the 40-foot-long and 17-foot-tall concrete ode to Marilyn Monroe’s (reclining) legs, titled “Reminiscing” in 2005, not everyone was amused. Said to be inspired by the legendary actress’ film The Seven Year Itch, the barefoot archway lies across the road from a fashionable pair of similarly sized concrete high heels.

NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST…which is helpful to remember since there aren’t really any shortcuts to the Outer Banks. No matter what direction you’re coming from (or departing), though, chances are you’re already traveling a route that isn’t exactly direct – so why not take in a few more sights along the way? From odd to awe-inspiring, these are our picks for relatively close roadside attractions you won’t find in any guidebook – but will earn you bragging rights during your next trivia night.

Story by Amelia Boldaji Map illustration by Natalie Rollins

Fayetteville

C’est la vie; not all of us are Paris-bound. Good thing, then, that there are literally HUNDREDS of Eiffel Tower reproductions worldwide – and for those of us in the Tar Heel state, the 80-foot-tall replica that’s graced the Bordeaux Center shopping plaza in Fayetteville since 1971 (predating the famed Las Vegas copy by almost 30 years) might just be our pièce de resistance. Prepare to be dazzled. Located behind the NC Museum of Art, the “Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky” was conceived by British landscape artist Chris Drury in 2003. Once you enter the chamber and seal the door behind you, a small hole in the roof acts as a camera obscura (technology that dates back to the Middle Ages), projecting an inverted image of the sky above onto the chamber’s walls – which offers you the opportunity to take a walk among the clouds.

Bladenboro

Tires are a dime a dozen – even oversized ones – but only ONE tire can rule them all, and that’s the 10,400-pound, Michelinmade tire in Bladenboro. This enormous rubber dump truck accessory is hailed as the world’s largest functional tire, and it’s also on permanent display as an advertorial beacon for the local auto shop, Hester Tire.

Zebulon

Yep, it’s unofficial: Zebulon’s town mascot is a two-story-tall cougar. Originally manufactured by a company whose clients included Disney, the figure was one of a pair created in the ‘70s to promote Ford Motor’s now-discontinued line of Mercury Cougars. One statue was sent to Washington, D.C., and the other to North Carolina, where it stood sentinel over Lincoln-Mercury stores in Raleigh before winding up in Zebulon. While its home dealership has long since gone out of business, the beloved cat snarls on.

Smithfield

Actress Ava Gardner was Hollywood royalty during her nearly 50-year career, but well before her time in the limelight, she was simply the youngest of seven children growing up on a rural farm seven miles east of Smithfield. Initially established by an earnest fan, the Ava Gardner Museum houses the definitive collection of memorabilia and personal effects from Gardner’s remarkable life.

Lizard Lick

What’s in a name? That’s what the town of Lizard Lick would like to know, and a directional signpost near an old used car dealer might just have the answer. Rather than listing nearby cities, this signpost is dedicated to recording places with equally outlandish monikers – including the 196-mileaway Kill Devil Hills.

If you’ve always wanted to know more about things that go bump in the night, Littleton’s Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum should be your next destination. Supernatural activity is basically the norm in this town with a population of less than 700 – and their flagship museum boasts everything from UFO testimonials to Bigfoot artifacts…and even a selection of haunted dolls.

Wilson

Pikeville

Designing metal dinosaurs started out as a way to pass the time during an economic slump at Benton & Sons’ steel fabrication shop – but these larger-than-life creatures have since put the town of Pikeville on the map. While Ben Benton Jr.’s initial project (an 18-foottall Tyrannosaurus rex) was unceremoniously dubbed “Useless” by his dad at first, years of curious crowds have changed his mind as well – the T-rex is now affectionately known by the name “Awesome.”

Wilmington

Vollis Simpson made his first kinetic contraption while he was serving overseas as a pilot during WWII: a windpowered washing machine for the troops. Many years later in his 60s, Simpson dedicated his retirement to transforming junkyard scrap into an extraordinary array of enormous whirligigs – the bulk of which are now part of an internationally acclaimed collection at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum in downtown Wilson.

Rose Hill

Keep ‘em cooking. The world’s largest frying pan isn’t only located in Rose Hill – it’s also fully operational. Though the best time to see it in action is during the annual fall NC Poultry Jubilee – when it can reportedly hold up to 365 whole chickens – this 15-footwide, two-ton pan (with an admittedly unusable six-foot handle) is a sight to behold anytime.

Though it merely looks like an upright pinball machine, pachinko is a serious business that currently brings in about $200 billion annually in Japan where the game first became popular following WWII – and Wilmington’s Pachinko World is the only pachinko parlor in North America. It won’t break the bank either: Pachinko balls only cost two cents apiece, with a $1 minimum buy in.

Elizabeth City

Is it a bird, is it a plane? Believe it or not, blimps were an integral part of the United States’ defense against German U-boats during WWII, and this steel hanger in Elizabeth City was designed to house a dozen of those massive airships. Viewable from the main road (it’s now on private property), this historic structure is the only remaining evidence of the once-strategic Weeksville Naval Air Station.

Sneads Ferry

Enter at your own risk! All your beachwear essentials beckon at the Shark Attack surf shop in Sneads Ferry – the only catch is that in order to enter the store, you first have to venture inside the gaping jaws of a 110-footlong Great White. Billed as the world’s largest shark sculpture, its creator, artist Bob Duato, is also responsible for an 80-foot alligator on the other end of Topsail Island.

New Bern

The “that’s what I like” soft drink had a rather inauspicious start in New Bern, where it was invented in 1893 by a humble pharmacist named Caleb Davis Bradham as a natural alternative to more narcoticlaced drinks available at the time – and the local Pepsi Store & Museum pays homage to its founder and the company’s oft-unsung beginnings.