Architecture in North Carolina

Discover 15 places to experience unusual architecture in North Carolina.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Bath, North Carolina

Thomas Episcopal Church

The oldest church building in the state.

Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore McDonald's

Classy up your Big Mac with bow-tied servers and chandeliers at the world's fanciest McDonald's.

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Flat Rock, North Carolina

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

The author's beautiful and historic home is also a fully functioning goat farm.

Asheville, North Carolina

Flat Iron Sculpture

This giant iron playfully pays tribute to an early 20th-century architectural trend.

Breakfast Room hidden door.

Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore Estate's Secret Passages

The enormous 250-room Vanderbilt mansion conceals hidden doors and secret passageways.

Saint Lawrence Basilica in Asheville.

Asheville, North Carolina

Basilica of Saint Lawrence, Asheville

This rare basilica nestled right in downtown Asheville is an architectural marvel, inside and out.

Permanently Closed

The abandoned Futuro house.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Abandoned Dome House

Rotting dome home spotted near Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Permanently Closed

What’s left of the house.

Frisco, North Carolina

Outer Banks Futuro House

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

The House of Mugs a/k/a The Cup House

Collettsville, North Carolina

The House of Mugs

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

The Last Shell Oil Clamshell Station.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The Last Shell Oil Clamshell Station

This bright yellow relic is the final survivor of a short burst of seashell-shaped petrol pumps.

Shangri-La Stone Village

Prospect Hill, North Carolina

Shangri-La Stone Village

A retired tobacco farmer's pet project turned into a sturdy miniature city.

Lighthouse

Corolla, North Carolina

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

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

11 foot 8

Durham, North Carolina

The Can Opener

This too-low North Carolina railroad trestle is still a notorious big rig executioner.

Abandoned Henry River Mill Village

Hildebran, North Carolina

Abandoned Henry River Mill Village

An abandoned village that doubled as "The Hunger Games"' post-apocalyptic wasteland is up for grabs.

World Methodist Museum in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. (Amanda Riera-Gomez)

Lake Junaluska, North Carolina

World Methodist Museum

Largest display of Wesleyana anywhere in the world.

Körner's Folly House and Museum.

Kernersville, North Carolina

Körner’s Folly

Jule Körner's house full of bizarre architectural details.