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 is a great walking trail in the heart of rockingham county, Wentworth. It's right next door to…read morethe old Chinqua Penn mansion, which is now closed. The parking lot is semi well lighted but they do close the trail at night. Not officially like with a gate or anything, but I wouldn'r stay out there after dark because there is no lighting on the trail. During the walk, you'll get to see a pond, koi pond, cows, water fall and most likely a lot of critters. Dogs are always welcome there leashed. We take our German Shepherd on walks there and she loves it. We let her play in the creek during the hike. I believe it's 1.5 miles total. I wouldn't say it's a hard hike by any means, but there are some hills throughout. They do have benches in case you need to take a break. Very pretty and a great place to relax and get some steps in.

Talk about a hidden gem in Reidsville! This trail was absolutely beautiful. Over a mile and a half…read morewalk that completes the trail. We stumbled across some birds and cows. Everything appeared well maintained and clean which was lovely. There are benches throughout the pathway where you may enjoy some sightseeing. Do stay hydrated during the hotter days, there are no shortcuts back to the parking lot. It is one way in and one way out that loops for roughly 1.6 miles. Overall a great experience. Dog-friendliness: Doggies are allowed.

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.

Darlin family farm is not an actual farm. Instead it is a homage and building facade to characters…read moreof the famed tv show the Andy Griffith show in historic downtown mount Airy North Carolina aka Mayberry. This barn and truck are simply Photo ops and sit next to other Mayberry photo ops and the gift stores inside Wally's and the Mayberry hotel. Overall a really fun photo ops and it's cool to see an homage to the whacky darlin family that was lovable reoccurring characters in the show.

Darlin family farm is not an actual farm.My buddy and I visited Mayberry over the summer. We had a…read moregreat time and it was very fun to see all the sights and scenes from the beloved TV show. This is a great addition to the tour and the town. I would recommend checking it out as it has many fun tidbits from Andy and Barney. Goober says hey! Hey to Goober.

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!!

This place is a dream!…read more This Victorian house museum is located in Kernersville, NC, about a 10-minute drive of Winston-Salem (about an hour drive north of Charlotte).  My wife and I came here for the first time during Christmas week to celebrate my birthday, and what a treat it was! I mean, WOW! We absolutely loved it. The entire house features 22 rooms, 7 stories, 15 fireplaces and the first little theater in the U.S., and as you will see from the posted photos they do a beautiful job decorating it for Christmas.  Parking is free but a bit limited, so make sure to make it ahead of time. Also, I highly recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time as the house gets pretty tight where there are large groups of people.  Overall, 100% recommended.

What a great experience! This house is so cool with so much rich history. Highly recommend checking…read moreit out on a cold winter day or rainy day. Great way to spend an hour or two. We took an hour and a half. We went during Christmas time and it was extra special! The staff was kind and full of knowledge on the place. A must see!

A piece of history in my back yard. The docents were great. Take the kids/grandkids.read more

This is a great side trip for anyone in the area sightseeing. Tours are offered from April to…read moreOctober on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but the grounds are open for touring even when the tours are not going on. I haven't made it to a tour yet but I really enjoyed walking around the grounds. Things to see include: the main house, a smoke house, a creamery, the family cemetery, a tobacco barn, the African American cemetery, and the friendship garden. They have been working on the African American cemetery, which needs a lot of help/maintenance. There is also a short woodland trail that goes to a platform within a dense grove of pines. If you can make it out in the fall, this place is absolutely stunning but it's pretty all throughout the year.

We recently visited Carolina Field of Honor as part of our day at Triad Park, and be sure to check…read moreout the full video on Dingus Guide, which includes plenty of kid friendly silliness and educational moments, since we are all homeschoolers now! Copy and paste the link into your browser and be sure to give a Like and Subscribe for more! https://youtu.be/GSBGgT7ojMY Let us know in the comments where we should check out next! The field of honor memorial is a beautiful and peaceful place to come and pay respects to those who served in the military as well as to learn and educate about some aspects of this country's history. My daughter especially enjoyed the fountain and the quotes from great presidents of the past, and she also learned a bit about 9/11 and the twin towers at the World Trade Center. My wife and I, having grown up on Long Island, NY, remember that day very vividly, and we had a moment of realization together to understand that our daughter never knew about those towers or the events surrounding that day. I recommend taking the kids sometime to Triad Park and making a stop there (or coming on your own, of course). There is also a playground within walking distance, so the kids were able to get a little extra enjoyment on top of their educational moment lol!

Carolina Field of Honor lives up to its name & promise to honor all Veterans!…read moreIt is a place of peace and proof of American Patriotism.

This marker is located just outside of Reidsville and points out the history of this school. There…read moreis here to pull over and read the marker. And then you can read the below to learn more about it. The marker reads, "First free school in the state, established under Common School Law of 1839, opened January 20, 1840, in this vicinity." Online there is more information. "It has long been known that the first public school in the state opened in Rockingham County on January 20, 1840. That fact is cited in several textbooks. Less well known is the basis for this claim and especially difficult to determine is where that school was located in the county. The Common Law of 1839 authorized counties to hold elections in which voters might vote for or against taxes for public schools. In elections in late 1839 sixty-one of sixty-eight counties voted to support school taxes. The remaining seven counties soon followed course. By 1846 every county had at least one public school. "Notice of the opening of the Rockingham school appeared February 18, 1840, in the Greensborough Patriot and was reprinted the same month in the Raleigh Standard. The article indicated that the "first free school in Rockingham County went into operation on the 20th of January 1840." Further, it stated that "this is probably the first free school commenced in the State." The story did not specify the location of the school but did indicate that the county had been divided up into districts with houses to be completed and schools in operation in each "in a short time." "Tradition has it that the first school was located in the present Williamsburg community in the southeastern part of Rockingham County. Some accounts even refer to the "Williamsburg School." Since the community was known by other names as late as 1960, the reference appears to be ill-founded. However, support may be found for the claim that the general vicinity was the site of an early school. Deeds drafted in April and December 1840 transferred ownership of one acre from local parties to the Literary Fund for the "advancement of education and promotion of common schools." The tracts were in the general area of Hogan's Creek north of the Williamsburg community. It is impossible, with the available documentation, to fix precisely the location of the first school cited in the newspaper account but local tradition strongly supports the general vicinity of the site." This is marker number J-94 and it was erected in 1991 by the Division of Archives and History. [Review 2482 of 2024 - 3936 in North Carolina - 23494 overall]

The House In the Horseshoe is a historical gem for North Carolina. The property is on over 2500…read moreacres of land. The house is named after the Deep River that bends like a horseshoe. The house is a mile from the river but the views are stunning. The cotton gin has been turned into a museum. There are a lot of displays you can read to learn more about the property. There is also a short video that is a great introduction to the house. Guided tours of the house occur on the top of the hour. A $2 donation is asked at the visitor's center to help reserve the property. The tour ran about 45 minutes and covered the history of the time, the residents of the house and the architecture. The house is also known as the Alston House. Alston was attacked in his house during the Revolutionary War and there are still bullet holes from the pellet guns. Governor Benjamin Williams also lived in the house. He planted the cotton and had a racetrack. The house is furnished with period pieces of the Colonial and Revolutionary Wars. Four rooms are on the tour. It was worth the drive to see this property and learn of its historical background.

A well preserved colonial house in a rural setting with beautiful vistas over fields of grain. A…read moreskirmish was fought in the house during the Revolutionary War. Many bullet holes were left unfixed. A very interesting story of the skirmish and the actions of the wife of the house is told by the tour guide. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided a detailed description of the house and the events that occurred there. The experience was interesting and relaxing.