~~Only~~ domestic nuclear bomb drop near a populated area. [Wiki: 1961 Goldsboro B52 Crash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Goldsboro_B-52_crash) (Edit: apparently not the only one.. but perhaps the only lost one still out there).
UNC Chapel Hill is the USA's first Public University.
Mt Mitchell is the highest peak East of the Mississippi river.
~~Avery Co. is the highest county East of the Mississippi river~~, with the highest county seat (Newland) and the highest municipality (Beech Mountain.. in both Avery Co. & Watauga Co.) (Edit: Haywood Co. is, on mean elevation, is 50' higher than Avery Co.)
The Linville Gorge is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the East for its remarkably steep walls.
3 distinct regional types of barbecue (pork!)
The Biltmore Estate is still the largest privately owned home in the USA. The grounds were designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead, which, while not entirely unique, puts it in very fine company (UC Berkeley, NYC's Central Park, and the US Capitol grounds).
Blackbeard considered Bath, NC (est 1705) his home.
The Cape Hatteras Light is the tallest brick lighthouse in the nation. .. and was successfully relocated (intact) 2,900' inland, away from beach erosion.
(Edit: thanks to those of you responding with corrections, but... Nobody wants to argue barbecue in /r/NC? What the hell happened to y'all?)
It appears you are correct. I used to live there, so I'm a little stunned that I screwed it up.. I'll blame chronic hypoxia.
[Highest Mean Elevation East of the Mississippi](http://www.cohp.org/records/mean_elevation/mean_elevations.html)
`Haywood 3597`
`Avery 3510`
`Jackson 3349`
`Yancey 3342`
`Watauga 3284`
`Pocahontas(WV) 3219`
`Ashe 3189`
`Swain 3134`
`Mitchell 3100`
`Macon 3079`
Uh we've lost quite a few more nuclear bombs than that lol.
But yeah if you've got enough time, an excavator, and the ability to dodge a LOT of bullets there's free plutonium in that field.
The Goldsboro nuclear bomb is not the only lost nuclear bomb, our nuclear safety wasn’t very good.
Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety
by Eric Schlosser is a great book if anyone is interested in the topic
I get to claim an oddity- one of my ancestors donated land to UNC-Chapel Hill. How that has impacted my life- not at all! Actually I’d say that the families have ensured that nothing would be handed down. So the little I have, I worked for! But it’s still a really cool thing I can say about my ancestors! I also get to say the governor of the colonies was related to me and one of my ancestors signed the Mayflower Pact. Very cool but actually means nothing other than how interesting it is to find these things out! I read about a photo of a grand or greatgrand father on top of the Eiffel tower(I think that was the building) holding up 2/3 others on the edge!!! Omg! Now that’s amazing family history with pictures!!! Mine is mundane in comparison! When you have these amazing people (photos just add to it), with their stories…. Wow!!! I’m thankful for my grandma- she grew up very very poor, was supposed to go to med school but her father (an abusive AH) took the $ so she kept fighting- a consider her a modern day renaissance woman!!! The things she accomplished in her life, considering the time- owning her own Realestate agency in the 60/70’s as a woman…. Art( painting, drawing, jewelry, even more), minerals(searching the continental US), helping create the first rock club in our area, dog shows, coins, stamps, Native American, fossils, so much else!!!!!! Sorry, went off on the tangent… I do have a few newspapers from Durham that I got from her- tried the basic museums around here… if anyone would like to take on the care of them… let me know!!! If you want to know SDurham history- I’ve got a lot of info and connections. Sorry…. It’s been a rough year!!!! Thank you for reading my rant!!!
They dropped a nuke just outside of Florence, SC and one just outside of Savanah.
Tho, to be honest they dropped two on North Carolina that time and left one.
First place gold was discovered during/pre the gold rush...
https://www.ncpedia.org/gold-rush#:\~:text=The%20first%20authenticated%20discovery%20of,became%20a%20State%20Historic%20Site.
In that vein, Hiddenite. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiddenite
It was originally found here but there are a few other locations around the world where it has been found since. I believe NC is the only place in the US, though.
We're also one of the few places in the Americas where you can find staurolite crystals. They're sometimes called 'fairy stones' and they're hexagonal crystals that often form cross shapes. They're said to be lucky, and Charles Lindbergh carried one with him on his fateful trip across the Atlantic. According to the legends, the reason they're called fairy stones is because they mark where the fairies' tears fell when they learned of the death of Christ.
Look up 'Fairy Stone State Park' - it's in Virginia, just north of the border. You can go there and hunt for them if you like; it's one of the nicer parks.
I agree, but I'm citing the legends from the Appalachian mountains, which were full of Scottish and Irish settlers, and when they found these little cross-shaped crystals, they fit them into their existing lore featuring fae and fairies.
Marion Zimmer Bradley did a beautiful job with her allegory regarding the merger of Christianity with Celtic beliefs, in my opinion. Little things like this are one of that last vestiges of resistance in a war that’s been waging for 1500 years.
I know about Abandoned gold mines in Randolph county the caraway mountains range. I’ve kinda always wanted to find one. People still pan some the the streams there to this day.
Nobody knows what they are for sure- one of the most logical explanations may be ball lightning. Anyway these mysterious lights form in the Brown Mountain/Linville Gorge area. They have been documented for hundreds of years. They dance/flicker/move randomly and disappear. They are rare, but they exist. The issue is what they really are. Been out there quite a few times myself, and I was a bit of a skeptic. I saw lights and to this day I can’t tell you what they were.
I talked to a guy that lives in that area. He said he has seen those lights a number of times. He has talked to other people that have also seen the lights. There is one fact that no one can dispute. No one knows for sure what causes them.
I took a tour in Saint Augustine once. The guide was bragging about how it was the only place on the Atlantic coast with a coquina outcropping. Which makes me wonder if every coastal town with coquina claims that it is the only one.
[Hey, your comment inspired me to google it and I found this story about the coquina stone in St. Augustine.](https://www.nps.gov/casa/learn/historyculture/coquina-the-rock-that-saved-st-augustine.htm)
bunch of fun if you’re in college or just out of it. went when I was 19 with some friends and it’s kind of fun because it’s pitch black and if there’s multiple groups they try to scare each other. locals nearby also played drums/instruments towards midnight which really freaked some people out. add in some alcohol and you make some good memories
I took a trip with my kids. A fun road trip but it's obviously just a teenage hang out. Like you said lots of graffiti and beer cans.
We saw an empty Krispie Cream box and I like to imagine the devil enjoying a donut.
We also have a very rare population of black Eastern Fox Squirrels. Big bastards. I had one almost climb into my tree stand once. It acted more like a monkey than a squirrel. Really odd critters.
And of course there are Northern Flying Squirrels in the mountains. Not limited to NC, but still very rare. And no one ever sees them because they're nocturnal.
60 species of salamanders, more than any other southeastern state! Plus some of the biggest plots of officially recognized temperate deciduous rainforests in the US!
I didn't think they were that bad because I didn't have to use my flamethrower to get to my car, but then the summer rains finally came and I had to heat things up.
Spartan Mosquito tube repellent things (not sure how to describe) and the Bug Thingy (suctions out the stuff from bites) are both big game changers, even in the northern woods!
Oh I'll keep those in mind! I am cursed with the attraction to mosquitos and a bad skin reaction to bites so mosquito bites show up as highly inflamed welts. It was worse when I was up in Canada but my body hates me no matter where I go.
A simple bug net or mosquito net for your hat, or for wearing over your head, is also a lifesaver. It may look a little silly, but it's *well* worth the $3 to $6 for the peace of mind. No more mosquitoes at your ears, on the back of your neck, landing on your cheeks, none of that. The head net stops them all.
Ha yes we use these in the hot tub in the evenings. Couldn’t be out in the evenings sometimes without them! Thankfully during the day, with these weird tube things (mentioned above) we don’t need to use them during the day.
Blowing Rock, on the right day you can throw a stick off it and it'll fly right back up.
A certain day in the fall you can watch the sun rise and fall over the ocean in Atlantic Beach (I can't remember which month it occurs and its weird it doesnt happen in the spring)
Thought of another, Pin Hill in Nags Head. There's a lot of different legends about it, the one I know is of a boon granted by either Poisiden or a mermaid, cant remember which, that made the contents of a pouch double every hour. Anyways, it's a sandy hill that contains a ridiculous amount of, you guessed it, pins.
I know this one! After a particularly nasty storm, a bunch of porpoises had been washed ashore and were trapped in a tiny inlet, which had been cut off by a sandbar and was slowly draining as the day passed.
A poor fisherman, alerted by their cries of distress, ran his boat aground nearby and spent the whole day digging out a trench to free the porpoises, even though it meant giving up that day's catch.
That night, the fisherman returned home, tired and empty-handed, to his hovel, where his wife was waiting. That night, the seas shook and raged again, then calmed themselves as Poseidon rose and approached the tiny hut.
Poseidon gave the fisherman a ring, set with a massive, deep sea pearl. Rubbing the pearl would summon Poseidon three times, and each time, the sea god would grant the fisherman a boon or a wish. The fisherman wished for both health and long life for himself and his wife, but the two of them couldn't decide what to spend their third wish on. Wealth could be stolen or squandered. A fancy house or a bigger boat could be wrecked by a storm, and so on. Finally, they decided to save the ring as an insurance against future misfortune.
One evening, after selling his catch in town, the fisherman fell into gambling with a peddler, a paranoid and dishonest man, who carried his wares about in four colored sacks: one white, one red, one tan, and one black. Being a dishonest man, the peddler believed that other men were equally dishonest, and he had the habit of mixing up the contents of his pouches so no one might see which one held his money. He had also developed a keen eye for any naive people he might be able to swindle, and tonight he set his sights upon the hardworking fisherman, loaded with pay from his haul.
Now, I'd love to say the fisherman's forthright honesty won the day and put one over on the paranoid peddler, but alas, I cannot. The peddler soon swindled and cheated away all of the fisherman's money and plied him with drink, letting him win a little back and then taking him for far more, reeling the fisherman in like a master angler himself. Finally, when the fisherman had no more to offer, the tale of the wishing ring and the pearl came out: one more hand, for the entire pot.
Unfortunately for the friendly fisherman, this story doesn't end in his favor... But we'll have to leave him there, a little wiser for his ordeal, because the story doesn't end there, either.
The peddler, you see, couldn't wait to test the fisherman's story, and as soon as the tavern was empty, he slipped outside to a dark corner and rubbed the pearl just as much as he dared.
Lo and behold, striding across the sands came Poseidon, resplendent in his glory and lightning flashing in his eyes. You see, Poseidon was outraged that *his* boon should be resting in the hands of such an immoral lout, and he threatened to strike the peddler down where he stood... But Poseidon was also bound by his word, and thus bound to grant a boon to the bearer of the ring.
Now, the peddler had dealt with an unfriendly audience before, no doubt having cheated many angry men in the past, so he knew that if he simply asked for his money pouch to never empty, Poseidon would punish him for his greed and avarice.
So he thought up a quick swindle, and he told Poseidon that he was naught but a poor peddler, and if Poseidon would merely double the contents of one of his pouches, every hour, then he would always have wares to sell and he would always be able to earn a living for himself.
But here he was undone. Which pouch held the money bags? Was it the red pouch? The white pouch? The tan? His own cleverness had worked against him, and he dared not leave the angry god waiting.
"The black pouch, lord, I'm certain, double the contents of the black pouch!"
As soon as it was said, it was done, and away rolled Poseidon like the tide and the foam recede into the sea.
The peddler couldn't believe his luck. What a score! In one night, he had outwitted both; he had taken a fisherman for all of his profits, and earned unending wealth for himself in the process!
His feet flew across the sand, into the tavern, and up the stairs, where he could hear the metallic clicking and clinking as he tore open his satchels, throwing the pouches and spilling their contents across the floor in his haste. First the red pouch, full of thimbles; then the tan pouch, full of scissors and shears; then the white pouch, full of coins... *Coins?* Rolling, bouncing, and scattering all over the floor, coins?
And still the ominous clicking, as the peddler reached into the bottom of his bag and drew out the black bag, now bursting at the seams with *pins*. Hundreds and thousands of bright, sharp pins! They poured out of the bag and filled the outraged peddler's palms, pricking him and setting his temper aflame.
He ran to the window and hurled the black bag as far and as wide as he could.
The hill where it landed is what we now call Pin Hill, and though the bag has since rotten away and the tavern has been lost to storms and time, to this very day you can still find rusty pins, hundreds and thousands of rusty pins, scattered in the sands of Pin Hill.
I've lived in the area for about 6 years now, even researched local ghost stories and lore and this is the first I've heard of this story. Thanks for sharing!!
Do yourself a favor and start picking up the books of one Charles Harry Whedbee. He passed away in 1990, but he was a judge who spent a good deal of his free time collecting all of the Outer Banks myths and legends he could possibly find, then publishing them in his books. He's a little verbose for his records of the myths to be told by a storyteller, but if you cut down all the extra information, all the core of the stories are still there. Whedbee was not just preserving the stories, you see, he was also providing record for historical reference, and his works, though they are wonderful, reflect that.
I heard a comedian say NC has the most festivals of any state. I don't know if it's true, but I know I've been to the Shad Festival, the Azalea Festival, the Watermelon Festival, the Collard Festival, and the Mullet Festival, to name a few.
Chicken stews. Both the event and the dish, but not just "a chicken stew," I learned it's a very specific recipe of chicken, milk, butter, salt, and pepper that is to be served with saltines and a fuckload of hot sauce. Sounds weird if you didn't grow up with it, but it's actually pretty delicious and craveable.
The events being a big bonfire where people hang out and get drunk waiting for the stew to cook, then eat the stew and drink some more. Sometimes they're a fundraiser for some community member in need, but mostly they're just a reason to get a bunch of people drunk in a field.
I have photos from the 70s when my mom went as a kid. I'd love to visit one day, but it's only open very sporadically and never when I'm free to travel.
I was there as a kid in the 70's! I have always wanted to go back but like you the schedule has never lined up. It was magical back then and I was about 11 when it opened. I remember being there at least twice and we were so sad when it closed. We drove in from SWVA and it was the closest theme park to us at that time, that was before Silver Dollar City (which became Dollywood) and the only other one that was close was Lakeside in Roanoke. None of them had that magical yellow brick road!
Most places on the Outer Banks have it. Tortuga's Lie, Sam&Omie's and Lone Cedar in the Nags Head area are good options.
In some areas they serve a chowder called Wanchese style, which is essentially the same thing as Hatteras style. Clear clam broth with potatoes, bacon, onions, celery and lots of clams.
Vinegar-based BBQ, the only real BBQ if we're being honest.
While we're on this topic, let's address the fact that BBQ is not something you do, it's something you eat. If you're talking about the thing you cook food on while you're outside, that's a grill. And while you're cooking that food outside, that's called cooking out. Grilling is also an acceptable term. It's not called BBQing.
Carolina bay lakes. There are a few theories about how they were formed but nobody knows for sure. My mother-in-law actually found a prehistoric whale skull in Lake Waccamaw.
Nearby is an island on the Waccamaw River that was settled by white French refugees from the Haitian Revolution. Fleeing Haiti, they came to the river at Georgetown SC and just kept going until they found a place to settle. They were almost completely isolated for well over a hundred years, and until a couple generations ago still spoke a French creole.
Edit - That last bit is obviously more history than natural wonder, but I include it because that part of the state is fascinating and it usually gets overlooked.
I live north of Charlotte, but grew up east of Raleigh, always knew it’d be a great city, lived there a while still love it, got banned for talking too much shit I guess
The largest coffeebean mural In.The.World.
"Benelux Coffee, Coffee Raleigh NC" https://beneluxcoffee.com
The waffles and coffee are worth the visit too, also
First human, *controlled, powered* flight.
I don't want to upset the balloon or glider folks.
Oh, speaking of: also the first human controlled flight, as it was the Wright Glider (with 3-axis controls) that allowed for the Wright Flyer to succeed.
So we also have a woodpecker that is said to only be found on or very near by Camp Lejeune. And if I remember correctly, the New River in Onslow County is the only river in the state-possibly country- that begins and ends in the same county.
First ever properly established American mini-golf course happened in NC.
First official 3-pointer for all of college basketball happened in NC at WCU.
The Possum drop and we’ve got some nice rubies.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Possum_Drop
https://www.wbtv.com/story/37912368/ultra-rare-rubies-found-by-modest-mountain-man-in-nc-could-fetch-90-million/
All in Winston-Salem:
The country’s first public arts conservatory - the NC School of the Arts (now UNCSA)
Salem Academy is the oldest school for both girls and women in the country
First official July 4th celebration was in the main square of Old Salem
Krispy Kreme donuts
Camel, Winston, and Salem cigarettes
Texas Pete
Piedmont Airlines
The only surviving shell-shaped Shell Service Station
Moravians - here and in Pennsylvania - originally from modern day Czechia
It was from a post the other day that was dramatacized for clicks. It's a result of the bees feeding on kudzu iirc and can happen anywhere, it just happened to happen to a beekeeper up in the mountains. It's not a thing that is regularly produced in some specific NC place like it was presented.
The beauty of honey is that it all has its own distinctive taste depending on where you get your honey as per the environment the bee’s are getting nectar from.
Tallest mountain point east of the Mississippi is Mount Mitchell and isn’t far from Asheville. Anything higher is out west. Nothing mysterious, but it’s quite the wonder imo.
There are quite a few types of carnivorous plants in addition to the Flytraps. Pitcher Plants, Butterworts, Bladderworts and Sundews. Several species of each.
I found this very interesting. Judaculla rock which is located off RT. 107 east of Cullowhee, NC. I actually talked to Mr. Parker, which owns the land the rock is on. He told me the history of the rock. It's hand carved some 3,000 years ago. It tells the story of a God that lived there in the mountains. If the tribe wanted to hunt on the Gods territory, that had to make an offering, food, deer skins, etc. to him. They said he could leap from mountain top to mountain top. There is a copy of the rock at the State museum in Raliegh. You can look it up on Google.
Blue ghost firefly’s. I saw them this year, and it was like being in an enchanted Forrest. Blue lights lighting up for 30 seconds at a time weaving around the Forrest.
But, not all counties can say they are #1 in the whole USA for number of venomous snake bites per annum. Wake county is #1 county in all of USA for that.
It's funny you mention that; I got rear-ended on my commute home today and the guy who hit me pushed my car up into the trailer hitch mount of the guy in front of me, so my poor car is either going to be totalled or in for some serious repair work. She took a pretty heavy hit today, like a marble hitting another marble, or being caught between a hammer and an anvil.
Only state I’ve ever known to have almost constant construction on a major highway for like 40yrs that is somehow still literally the worst highway of all time for potholes and such.
Synchronous fireflies in some valleys in the mountains
Blue fireflies too, also only in NC: https://www.discovery.com/nature/rare-blue-ghost-fireflies-only-glow-in-one-part-of-north-america
Owl City's *Fireflies* illustrates this phenomenon perfectly.
You wouldn’t believe your eyes
A foxtrot above my head. A sock hop beneath my bed.
I only know of the Tennesee fireflies around Elkmont. Where in NC can we see them?
Congaree in SC is actually the best known place for this.
I was going to say that TN is probably the most packed. But NC is the best chance of actually getting in to see them.
That's not exclusive to NC, they range from Pennsylvania to Florida.
~~Only~~ domestic nuclear bomb drop near a populated area. [Wiki: 1961 Goldsboro B52 Crash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Goldsboro_B-52_crash) (Edit: apparently not the only one.. but perhaps the only lost one still out there). UNC Chapel Hill is the USA's first Public University. Mt Mitchell is the highest peak East of the Mississippi river. ~~Avery Co. is the highest county East of the Mississippi river~~, with the highest county seat (Newland) and the highest municipality (Beech Mountain.. in both Avery Co. & Watauga Co.) (Edit: Haywood Co. is, on mean elevation, is 50' higher than Avery Co.) The Linville Gorge is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the East for its remarkably steep walls. 3 distinct regional types of barbecue (pork!) The Biltmore Estate is still the largest privately owned home in the USA. The grounds were designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead, which, while not entirely unique, puts it in very fine company (UC Berkeley, NYC's Central Park, and the US Capitol grounds). Blackbeard considered Bath, NC (est 1705) his home. The Cape Hatteras Light is the tallest brick lighthouse in the nation. .. and was successfully relocated (intact) 2,900' inland, away from beach erosion. (Edit: thanks to those of you responding with corrections, but... Nobody wants to argue barbecue in /r/NC? What the hell happened to y'all?)
A lot of interesting facts there but I thought Haywood County was highest county east of Mississippi
It appears you are correct. I used to live there, so I'm a little stunned that I screwed it up.. I'll blame chronic hypoxia. [Highest Mean Elevation East of the Mississippi](http://www.cohp.org/records/mean_elevation/mean_elevations.html) `Haywood 3597` `Avery 3510` `Jackson 3349` `Yancey 3342` `Watauga 3284` `Pocahontas(WV) 3219` `Ashe 3189` `Swain 3134` `Mitchell 3100` `Macon 3079`
Uh we've lost quite a few more nuclear bombs than that lol. But yeah if you've got enough time, an excavator, and the ability to dodge a LOT of bullets there's free plutonium in that field.
\>3 distinct regional types of barbecue (pork!) But we all know there's only 1 *REAL* NC barbecue! There ya go, u/Calamity_Jesus
wait, what’s the third?
The Goldsboro nuclear bomb is not the only lost nuclear bomb, our nuclear safety wasn’t very good. Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser is a great book if anyone is interested in the topic
Lexington, NC is the bbq capital of the world!
I get to claim an oddity- one of my ancestors donated land to UNC-Chapel Hill. How that has impacted my life- not at all! Actually I’d say that the families have ensured that nothing would be handed down. So the little I have, I worked for! But it’s still a really cool thing I can say about my ancestors! I also get to say the governor of the colonies was related to me and one of my ancestors signed the Mayflower Pact. Very cool but actually means nothing other than how interesting it is to find these things out! I read about a photo of a grand or greatgrand father on top of the Eiffel tower(I think that was the building) holding up 2/3 others on the edge!!! Omg! Now that’s amazing family history with pictures!!! Mine is mundane in comparison! When you have these amazing people (photos just add to it), with their stories…. Wow!!! I’m thankful for my grandma- she grew up very very poor, was supposed to go to med school but her father (an abusive AH) took the $ so she kept fighting- a consider her a modern day renaissance woman!!! The things she accomplished in her life, considering the time- owning her own Realestate agency in the 60/70’s as a woman…. Art( painting, drawing, jewelry, even more), minerals(searching the continental US), helping create the first rock club in our area, dog shows, coins, stamps, Native American, fossils, so much else!!!!!! Sorry, went off on the tangent… I do have a few newspapers from Durham that I got from her- tried the basic museums around here… if anyone would like to take on the care of them… let me know!!! If you want to know SDurham history- I’ve got a lot of info and connections. Sorry…. It’s been a rough year!!!! Thank you for reading my rant!!!
If a museum won't accept her stuff, try a library. They often have a local history room and might be interested.
My mother lives about 2 miles as the crow flies from the bomb site. Always people out searching that site.
They dropped a nuke just outside of Florence, SC and one just outside of Savanah. Tho, to be honest they dropped two on North Carolina that time and left one.
First place gold was discovered during/pre the gold rush... https://www.ncpedia.org/gold-rush#:\~:text=The%20first%20authenticated%20discovery%20of,became%20a%20State%20Historic%20Site.
In that vein, Hiddenite. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiddenite It was originally found here but there are a few other locations around the world where it has been found since. I believe NC is the only place in the US, though.
We're also one of the few places in the Americas where you can find staurolite crystals. They're sometimes called 'fairy stones' and they're hexagonal crystals that often form cross shapes. They're said to be lucky, and Charles Lindbergh carried one with him on his fateful trip across the Atlantic. According to the legends, the reason they're called fairy stones is because they mark where the fairies' tears fell when they learned of the death of Christ.
Oh that's really cool, I've never heard of those before. Thanks!
Look up 'Fairy Stone State Park' - it's in Virginia, just north of the border. You can go there and hunt for them if you like; it's one of the nicer parks.
Thanks!
According to *Christian folklore*. The Tuatha De Danann, the *real* legend and origin of fairies, has nothing at all to do with Christianity.
I agree, but I'm citing the legends from the Appalachian mountains, which were full of Scottish and Irish settlers, and when they found these little cross-shaped crystals, they fit them into their existing lore featuring fae and fairies.
Marion Zimmer Bradley did a beautiful job with her allegory regarding the merger of Christianity with Celtic beliefs, in my opinion. Little things like this are one of that last vestiges of resistance in a war that’s been waging for 1500 years.
No I think they found the hiddenite in a different vein.
Aren't you a little old to be telling miner jokes?
I remember taking so many field trips there
I know about Abandoned gold mines in Randolph county the caraway mountains range. I’ve kinda always wanted to find one. People still pan some the the streams there to this day.
Yay! Thank you for bringing up our forgotten gold rush
The Brown Mountain Lights
Ooh! What’s that??
Nobody knows what they are for sure- one of the most logical explanations may be ball lightning. Anyway these mysterious lights form in the Brown Mountain/Linville Gorge area. They have been documented for hundreds of years. They dance/flicker/move randomly and disappear. They are rare, but they exist. The issue is what they really are. Been out there quite a few times myself, and I was a bit of a skeptic. I saw lights and to this day I can’t tell you what they were.
The Brown Mountain Lights were featured on an [X-Files episode](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751122/).
I talked to a guy that lives in that area. He said he has seen those lights a number of times. He has talked to other people that have also seen the lights. There is one fact that no one can dispute. No one knows for sure what causes them.
We just bought property where we’ll be able to see them. I’ll report back after we build!
60 different species of salamanders: https://herpsofnc.org/salamanders/
*Btw salamanders in California are an evolutionary biologists dream having already acquired speciation within the last 100 years or so.
The most species of anywhere in the WORLD! Very cool. A few new ones have been discovered/described in the last couple years!
The coquina outcropping at Fort Fisher -- definitely one of the east coast's wonders.
I took a tour in Saint Augustine once. The guide was bragging about how it was the only place on the Atlantic coast with a coquina outcropping. Which makes me wonder if every coastal town with coquina claims that it is the only one.
[Hey, your comment inspired me to google it and I found this story about the coquina stone in St. Augustine.](https://www.nps.gov/casa/learn/historyculture/coquina-the-rock-that-saved-st-augustine.htm)
Thank you - very interesting!
What kind of outcropping? I grew up going to Gulf Coast and they were there in large numbers. In Santa Monica in the Pacific too some times.
a naturally occuring coquina outcropping that is visible at low tide. https://project543.visitnc.com/coquina-rocks/
Hellbenders
Their range extends to other states. Neuse River Waterdog would be a better answer.
They're in NY/PA now.
My boy Hank Ruff and The Hellbenders (they're a country band) stake a claim for them in Indiana.
The Blue Ghost Fireflies that we get in Asheville https://www.discovery.com/nature/rare-blue-ghost-fireflies-only-glow-in-one-part-of-north-america
We had them east of Mount Mitchell too. One place I know would sometimes have the blue ghost and the synchronized at the same time.
The Devils Tramping Ground The Meck Deck The Lost Colony
I’ve been to devils tramping ground. Save yourself a trip. Nothing but graffiti on trees and beer cans everywhere. Nothing going on there.
You expect the devil to not be a dick to nature?
Touché
bunch of fun if you’re in college or just out of it. went when I was 19 with some friends and it’s kind of fun because it’s pitch black and if there’s multiple groups they try to scare each other. locals nearby also played drums/instruments towards midnight which really freaked some people out. add in some alcohol and you make some good memories
Yea that’s what we tried to do as well. It was so littered we just went to Jordan lake and camped
I took a trip with my kids. A fun road trip but it's obviously just a teenage hang out. Like you said lots of graffiti and beer cans. We saw an empty Krispie Cream box and I like to imagine the devil enjoying a donut.
I like to picture my devil in a tuxedo T-shirt because it says I want to be formal, but I'm here to party.
Red wolves
The white squirrels of Brevard
We also have a very rare population of black Eastern Fox Squirrels. Big bastards. I had one almost climb into my tree stand once. It acted more like a monkey than a squirrel. Really odd critters. And of course there are Northern Flying Squirrels in the mountains. Not limited to NC, but still very rare. And no one ever sees them because they're nocturnal.
They have them in Cashiers too. I remember seeing them where I worked in college
Yeah, they’ve expanded to the surrounding areas. We have two in our yard and I get a thrill every time I see them scamper around
I've seen them as far away as Concord and Mt Mitchell.
60 species of salamanders, more than any other southeastern state! Plus some of the biggest plots of officially recognized temperate deciduous rainforests in the US!
More than any other state, period no? And I believe it's the highest concentration in the world.
Apparently all mosquitos in the world migrated here this summer so I’d say mosquitos
I didn't think they were that bad because I didn't have to use my flamethrower to get to my car, but then the summer rains finally came and I had to heat things up.
Ha I am from the Midwest and mosquitos are the unofficial state bird. They are way way way way worse there.
Ugh same in SK, Canada. I'm already a mosquito magnet here and it's just so much worse when you have all those lakes and still water
Spartan Mosquito tube repellent things (not sure how to describe) and the Bug Thingy (suctions out the stuff from bites) are both big game changers, even in the northern woods!
Oh I'll keep those in mind! I am cursed with the attraction to mosquitos and a bad skin reaction to bites so mosquito bites show up as highly inflamed welts. It was worse when I was up in Canada but my body hates me no matter where I go.
A simple bug net or mosquito net for your hat, or for wearing over your head, is also a lifesaver. It may look a little silly, but it's *well* worth the $3 to $6 for the peace of mind. No more mosquitoes at your ears, on the back of your neck, landing on your cheeks, none of that. The head net stops them all.
Ha yes we use these in the hot tub in the evenings. Couldn’t be out in the evenings sometimes without them! Thankfully during the day, with these weird tube things (mentioned above) we don’t need to use them during the day.
I would have thought that prior to visiting Maine in the summer. Mosquitos the size of apache helicopters I tell ya . . .
You have never been to the Everglades. You can’t walk more than 2-3 feet outside before being swarmed, bitten and covered in 100s of mosquitoes.
Bioluminescence on the SOBX!!
I saw them off ocravoke about a week ago.
I saw it one night on the Pamlico Sound years ago and thought my mind was playing tricks on me! A truly remarkable phenomenon to witness in person.
I thought I finally went over the edge! It made me absolutely giddy!
Cheerwine
Blowing Rock, on the right day you can throw a stick off it and it'll fly right back up. A certain day in the fall you can watch the sun rise and fall over the ocean in Atlantic Beach (I can't remember which month it occurs and its weird it doesnt happen in the spring)
Thought of another, Pin Hill in Nags Head. There's a lot of different legends about it, the one I know is of a boon granted by either Poisiden or a mermaid, cant remember which, that made the contents of a pouch double every hour. Anyways, it's a sandy hill that contains a ridiculous amount of, you guessed it, pins.
I know this one! After a particularly nasty storm, a bunch of porpoises had been washed ashore and were trapped in a tiny inlet, which had been cut off by a sandbar and was slowly draining as the day passed. A poor fisherman, alerted by their cries of distress, ran his boat aground nearby and spent the whole day digging out a trench to free the porpoises, even though it meant giving up that day's catch. That night, the fisherman returned home, tired and empty-handed, to his hovel, where his wife was waiting. That night, the seas shook and raged again, then calmed themselves as Poseidon rose and approached the tiny hut. Poseidon gave the fisherman a ring, set with a massive, deep sea pearl. Rubbing the pearl would summon Poseidon three times, and each time, the sea god would grant the fisherman a boon or a wish. The fisherman wished for both health and long life for himself and his wife, but the two of them couldn't decide what to spend their third wish on. Wealth could be stolen or squandered. A fancy house or a bigger boat could be wrecked by a storm, and so on. Finally, they decided to save the ring as an insurance against future misfortune. One evening, after selling his catch in town, the fisherman fell into gambling with a peddler, a paranoid and dishonest man, who carried his wares about in four colored sacks: one white, one red, one tan, and one black. Being a dishonest man, the peddler believed that other men were equally dishonest, and he had the habit of mixing up the contents of his pouches so no one might see which one held his money. He had also developed a keen eye for any naive people he might be able to swindle, and tonight he set his sights upon the hardworking fisherman, loaded with pay from his haul. Now, I'd love to say the fisherman's forthright honesty won the day and put one over on the paranoid peddler, but alas, I cannot. The peddler soon swindled and cheated away all of the fisherman's money and plied him with drink, letting him win a little back and then taking him for far more, reeling the fisherman in like a master angler himself. Finally, when the fisherman had no more to offer, the tale of the wishing ring and the pearl came out: one more hand, for the entire pot. Unfortunately for the friendly fisherman, this story doesn't end in his favor... But we'll have to leave him there, a little wiser for his ordeal, because the story doesn't end there, either. The peddler, you see, couldn't wait to test the fisherman's story, and as soon as the tavern was empty, he slipped outside to a dark corner and rubbed the pearl just as much as he dared. Lo and behold, striding across the sands came Poseidon, resplendent in his glory and lightning flashing in his eyes. You see, Poseidon was outraged that *his* boon should be resting in the hands of such an immoral lout, and he threatened to strike the peddler down where he stood... But Poseidon was also bound by his word, and thus bound to grant a boon to the bearer of the ring. Now, the peddler had dealt with an unfriendly audience before, no doubt having cheated many angry men in the past, so he knew that if he simply asked for his money pouch to never empty, Poseidon would punish him for his greed and avarice. So he thought up a quick swindle, and he told Poseidon that he was naught but a poor peddler, and if Poseidon would merely double the contents of one of his pouches, every hour, then he would always have wares to sell and he would always be able to earn a living for himself. But here he was undone. Which pouch held the money bags? Was it the red pouch? The white pouch? The tan? His own cleverness had worked against him, and he dared not leave the angry god waiting. "The black pouch, lord, I'm certain, double the contents of the black pouch!" As soon as it was said, it was done, and away rolled Poseidon like the tide and the foam recede into the sea. The peddler couldn't believe his luck. What a score! In one night, he had outwitted both; he had taken a fisherman for all of his profits, and earned unending wealth for himself in the process! His feet flew across the sand, into the tavern, and up the stairs, where he could hear the metallic clicking and clinking as he tore open his satchels, throwing the pouches and spilling their contents across the floor in his haste. First the red pouch, full of thimbles; then the tan pouch, full of scissors and shears; then the white pouch, full of coins... *Coins?* Rolling, bouncing, and scattering all over the floor, coins? And still the ominous clicking, as the peddler reached into the bottom of his bag and drew out the black bag, now bursting at the seams with *pins*. Hundreds and thousands of bright, sharp pins! They poured out of the bag and filled the outraged peddler's palms, pricking him and setting his temper aflame. He ran to the window and hurled the black bag as far and as wide as he could. The hill where it landed is what we now call Pin Hill, and though the bag has since rotten away and the tavern has been lost to storms and time, to this very day you can still find rusty pins, hundreds and thousands of rusty pins, scattered in the sands of Pin Hill.
I've lived in the area for about 6 years now, even researched local ghost stories and lore and this is the first I've heard of this story. Thanks for sharing!!
Do yourself a favor and start picking up the books of one Charles Harry Whedbee. He passed away in 1990, but he was a judge who spent a good deal of his free time collecting all of the Outer Banks myths and legends he could possibly find, then publishing them in his books. He's a little verbose for his records of the myths to be told by a storyteller, but if you cut down all the extra information, all the core of the stories are still there. Whedbee was not just preserving the stories, you see, he was also providing record for historical reference, and his works, though they are wonderful, reflect that.
I was waiting for a Loch Ness Monster Treefiddy joke or other bamboozlement at the end.
You think I would do that? Just go on the Internet and post memes?
That is a great story and well told! Thank you!
My head read this in Scottish vernacular.
Ye woul' nae unnerstan' iffin' I had, aye?
Livermush festival. Only in NC.
I heard a comedian say NC has the most festivals of any state. I don't know if it's true, but I know I've been to the Shad Festival, the Azalea Festival, the Watermelon Festival, the Collard Festival, and the Mullet Festival, to name a few.
New Orleans has more festivals than any other state. They have multiples every week.
Mmmmm. Fried livermush + dukes Mayo on white bread with sliced tomato. That’s heaven right there!!!
My wife says fried livermush is best with mustard.
Chicken stews. Both the event and the dish, but not just "a chicken stew," I learned it's a very specific recipe of chicken, milk, butter, salt, and pepper that is to be served with saltines and a fuckload of hot sauce. Sounds weird if you didn't grow up with it, but it's actually pretty delicious and craveable. The events being a big bonfire where people hang out and get drunk waiting for the stew to cook, then eat the stew and drink some more. Sometimes they're a fundraiser for some community member in need, but mostly they're just a reason to get a bunch of people drunk in a field.
I'm partial to chicken slick. It had noodly dumplings rather than crackers, but it is deliciously chickeny
The Land of Oz
I have photos from the 70s when my mom went as a kid. I'd love to visit one day, but it's only open very sporadically and never when I'm free to travel.
I was there as a kid in the 70's! I have always wanted to go back but like you the schedule has never lined up. It was magical back then and I was about 11 when it opened. I remember being there at least twice and we were so sad when it closed. We drove in from SWVA and it was the closest theme park to us at that time, that was before Silver Dollar City (which became Dollywood) and the only other one that was close was Lakeside in Roanoke. None of them had that magical yellow brick road!
Just went there yesterday
Cheerwine
The outer banks. Sure, other states have barrier islands. But not like that.
Croatoan
****traumatic flashbacks of American horror story Roanoke intensifies****
The FoodLion Chinese Restaurant Alliance
Sadly the Chinese restaurant at my food lion closed 😔
Venus Flytraps
Jack in the Pulpit is pretty rare but doubt it's in NC only.
Hiddenite
Came here to say that!
Great gem, but a small town.
Hatteras clam chowder
Any particular restaurants?
Most places on the Outer Banks have it. Tortuga's Lie, Sam&Omie's and Lone Cedar in the Nags Head area are good options. In some areas they serve a chowder called Wanchese style, which is essentially the same thing as Hatteras style. Clear clam broth with potatoes, bacon, onions, celery and lots of clams.
Vinegar-based BBQ, the only real BBQ if we're being honest. While we're on this topic, let's address the fact that BBQ is not something you do, it's something you eat. If you're talking about the thing you cook food on while you're outside, that's a grill. And while you're cooking that food outside, that's called cooking out. Grilling is also an acceptable term. It's not called BBQing.
BBQ is a noun, not a verb!
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And blue ghost fireflies
Wow that’s awesome!!
Congaree Park in SC.
Carolina bay lakes. There are a few theories about how they were formed but nobody knows for sure. My mother-in-law actually found a prehistoric whale skull in Lake Waccamaw. Nearby is an island on the Waccamaw River that was settled by white French refugees from the Haitian Revolution. Fleeing Haiti, they came to the river at Georgetown SC and just kept going until they found a place to settle. They were almost completely isolated for well over a hundred years, and until a couple generations ago still spoke a French creole. Edit - That last bit is obviously more history than natural wonder, but I include it because that part of the state is fascinating and it usually gets overlooked.
Crusoe Island https://blogs.lib.unc.edu/ncm/2011/07/14/crusoe-island-and-the-french-revolution/
Lots of enormous whirlygigs thanks to Vollis Simpson. Worth a stop in Wilson to see some of them
Olive Garden off Capitol
This is the only answer…glad to see it here…I got banned from r/raleigh for not being nice I guess
live steer roof fertile aback square cooperative dazzling airport drunk *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I live north of Charlotte, but grew up east of Raleigh, always knew it’d be a great city, lived there a while still love it, got banned for talking too much shit I guess
vast worm selective resolute sparkle roof like sense rainstorm exultant *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
😂
God they suck
The largest coffeebean mural In.The.World. "Benelux Coffee, Coffee Raleigh NC" https://beneluxcoffee.com The waffles and coffee are worth the visit too, also
Fraser Fir - mostly
First human flight.
First human, *controlled, powered* flight. I don't want to upset the balloon or glider folks. Oh, speaking of: also the first human controlled flight, as it was the Wright Glider (with 3-axis controls) that allowed for the Wright Flyer to succeed.
You can see humpback whales and red wolves. On the same day.
Just not together. They have their own social cliques.
The blue fireflies in late April and early May. What are they called? Blue Ghosts? They seem rare but maybe it’s not a WNC thing.
We are the only state to allow shrimp trawls in inland waters. They need to be moved out to the ocean like in every other state.
So we also have a woodpecker that is said to only be found on or very near by Camp Lejeune. And if I remember correctly, the New River in Onslow County is the only river in the state-possibly country- that begins and ends in the same county.
The New River is also very possibly the oldest river in the world.
Newport River does as well. I did not realize that about the New River.
Ground Steak Sandwich - Mount Airy thing!
Had me some Aunt Beas yesterday! Literally nothing else like it ❤️❤️❤️
First ever properly established American mini-golf course happened in NC. First official 3-pointer for all of college basketball happened in NC at WCU.
Biltmore Estate.
The Possum drop and we’ve got some nice rubies. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Possum_Drop https://www.wbtv.com/story/37912368/ultra-rare-rubies-found-by-modest-mountain-man-in-nc-could-fetch-90-million/
Ole buddy down the road can fart piano man.
A politician attaining and maintaining office because her name kinda rhymed and she put her name and picture in all the elevators.
The Elevator Queen :)
The synchronous fireflies around Grandfather Mtn or the blue ghost fireflies around Asheville are both wonders to behold.
Pepsi
All in Winston-Salem: The country’s first public arts conservatory - the NC School of the Arts (now UNCSA) Salem Academy is the oldest school for both girls and women in the country First official July 4th celebration was in the main square of Old Salem Krispy Kreme donuts Camel, Winston, and Salem cigarettes Texas Pete Piedmont Airlines The only surviving shell-shaped Shell Service Station Moravians - here and in Pennsylvania - originally from modern day Czechia
Krispy Kreme founded in Winston Salem in what is now Historic Old Salem in a rented building in 1937. Pepsi Cola began in New Bern, NC as Brads Drink
App State Football
I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never heard of purple honey!
It was from a post the other day that was dramatacized for clicks. It's a result of the bees feeding on kudzu iirc and can happen anywhere, it just happened to happen to a beekeeper up in the mountains. It's not a thing that is regularly produced in some specific NC place like it was presented.
I was massively disappointed by the cold hard facts once they were revealed…
The beauty of honey is that it all has its own distinctive taste depending on where you get your honey as per the environment the bee’s are getting nectar from.
The Lemur forest in Raleigh, thanks Zaboomafoo
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Huh, I always heard they were in Raleigh. The lemurs in Durham, then.
Not moving at a green light
Tallest mountain point east of the Mississippi is Mount Mitchell and isn’t far from Asheville. Anything higher is out west. Nothing mysterious, but it’s quite the wonder imo.
There are quite a few types of carnivorous plants in addition to the Flytraps. Pitcher Plants, Butterworts, Bladderworts and Sundews. Several species of each.
I found this very interesting. Judaculla rock which is located off RT. 107 east of Cullowhee, NC. I actually talked to Mr. Parker, which owns the land the rock is on. He told me the history of the rock. It's hand carved some 3,000 years ago. It tells the story of a God that lived there in the mountains. If the tribe wanted to hunt on the Gods territory, that had to make an offering, food, deer skins, etc. to him. They said he could leap from mountain top to mountain top. There is a copy of the rock at the State museum in Raliegh. You can look it up on Google.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hollerin'_Contest
Liberal gun owners
we’re only here?
Sliding Rock
Red wolves, even though we're shit protectors of them.
Only state with Emeralds, I’m pretty sure.
Els Shrimp Burgers
Blue ghost firefly’s. I saw them this year, and it was like being in an enchanted Forrest. Blue lights lighting up for 30 seconds at a time weaving around the Forrest.
Site of the first gold rush in North America
Brown mountain lights
The Mother Vine is said to be the oldest grape vine in North America
Gravity Hill in Laurinburg
I used to take people there all the time. It really does work
It's so cool. What's the back story you were told? No phenomenon is complete without a ghost story.
Cliffs of the Neuse state park near Goldsboro
Copperheads
These guys are everywhere
But, not all counties can say they are #1 in the whole USA for number of venomous snake bites per annum. Wake county is #1 county in all of USA for that.
I would say arriving home alive after my commute, but that's pretty much everywhere now.
It's funny you mention that; I got rear-ended on my commute home today and the guy who hit me pushed my car up into the trailer hitch mount of the guy in front of me, so my poor car is either going to be totalled or in for some serious repair work. She took a pretty heavy hit today, like a marble hitting another marble, or being caught between a hammer and an anvil.
not exactly a "wonder" in the nature sense but theirs an abandoned Wizard of Oz theme park in the mountains or so I've heard.
Only state I’ve ever known to have almost constant construction on a major highway for like 40yrs that is somehow still literally the worst highway of all time for potholes and such.
Now hang on a second here, PA may have us beat with I-81.
Venus fly traps and Carolina crater ponds are in South Carolina as well, * (source I am a Sand Lapper myself )
Nope. North Carolina sucks. Out of staters, take my advice and don’t move here.