Posted in North Carolina
August 09, 2018
The Hidden Village in North Carolina That Almost No One Knows About
If you know where to look, you can find a variety of hidden treasures in the Tar Heel State, like the castle found at this link. Not many people, except for the locals, know about a Utopian village that sprang up beginning in 1968 outside of Raleigh. It’s called Shangri-La, and it’s much like the fictional Shangri-La written about in 1933 by author, James Hilton – only it is better, because it has come to life and you can visit!
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Shangri-La is a village in Prospect Hill, but it's not like any other village you've ever visited; it's a storybook town with buildings that are around five feet tall and made of stone from a local quarry.
The village is the sole creation of one man, Henry Warren, who began building Shangri-La in 1968 at the age of 72. The retired tobacco farmer hand-picked the rocks, and single-handedly built every single aspect of this lovable little stone village. In 1972, he placed this plaque in his village... it reads, "Let me live in the house by the side of the road and be a friend to man."
Warren's roadside village welcomes visitors from all over who hear about it from the locals, or find it on the Internet and show up out of curiosity. In all, there are 27 buildings in the village, including a school, a church, a theater, a hospital, and a mill.
The Utopian village of Shangri-La is a living testament to the dreams of a retired North Carolina tobacco farmer who probably spent his life envisioning his roadside town. In 2018, Shangri-La is officially half a century old. Have you discovered Shangri-La yet? We'd love to know — and see your photos!
Shangri-La is located on
