One of the things that I like about traveling is discovering the quirky local gems that a town or county might have to offer. Forget the bustling downtowns or the outlet malls- give me the strangest and oddest roadside attractions you can find. Give me the parks with life size fiberglass dinosaurs from the 70’s, gigantic elephant statues that used to be a hotel, or the toy store shaped like a stealth bomber. These are the things I want to see.

When we settled into Rocky Mount the other night, I took some time to scour the internet to see if I could find something worth looking at. That’s when I came across the Wilson Whirligig Park located less than 30 minutes from our hotel. I was pretty convinced I had found our gem!

After eating breakfast at the hotel and packing up, we wandered around Rocky Mount for a little while before hitting the road south. Our journey took us through rural North Carolina and into the quaint, and seemingly abandoned town of Wilson. When we pulled up to the Whirligig Park, it was everything that I hoped for. Each contraption towered over us like a metal giant. Their many parts moved by wind power alone, they fluttered and twirled in their own time. It was a sight to be seen. And my how amazing it sounded. I could have sat there all day listening to them twirl.

The kids were just as enthralled as I was, pointing out the details- a plane here, a man playing a guitar there. It was truly magical. And absolutely, perfectly, exquisitely quirky!