Places voluntearmom Wants to Go

The branches of this sprawling cedar tree are laden with wishes big and small.

A former mental hospital founded in the 1930s by a eugenicist who advocated for the forced sterilization of patients.

Rotting dome home spotted near Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

A sculptor's dream castle turned fantastical ruin.

This family-owned diner has been slinging chili dogs since 1940.

A giant concrete churn carries the legacy of American resilience, unity, and greed.

In a pedestrian tunnel on North Carolina State’s campus resides an expressive and artistic free-for-all.

The birthplace of a tobacco empire.

Between 1930 and 1946, a tobacco farmer laid his beloved horses and mules to rest in this small patch of pine forest.

This fallen red oak tree has been transformed into a piece of trailside art.

This research center for rare prosimians is studying how they sleep to help prolong human life.

Artisans have been gathering in North Carolina since 1989 to show off whimsical takes on an everyday item.

The scene of the largest surrender of Confederate troops at the end of the American Civil War.

One of the few surviving original NASCAR dirt-track speedways.

Wander through more than 20,000 square feet filled with an amazing collection of orchids.

The humble horn finally finds a place in the sun.

One tiny triangular park commemorates the victims of a yellow fever epidemic—many of whom are buried right below the grass.

The scant remains of this flooded historic village can be explored in one of the most remote areas of the Great Smokies.

Visit the art studio of an early 20th-century painter, hidden amid the Great Smoky Mountains.

In one of America’s oldest mountain ranges, a long-awaited section of a scenic highway is now open to the public.

Mile-long cave system near Great Smoky Mountains.

This 19th-century building inadvertently preserved the handprints of its builders within its walls.

Abandoned for 60 years, this submerged bridge was completely forgotten until the lake was drained.

A historic dam made famous for its turbines and feature in a Hollywood classic.