11 Abandoned Places in North Carolina: Ghost Towns, Ruins, & a Hunger Games Set

Like much of the South, you’ll uncover quite a few abandoned places in NC, including towns, theme parks, construction areas, and even former plane wreckage sites.

Today, many of the NC ghost towns are popular visitor attractions, including Henry River Mill Village—think The Hunger Games District 12 (it’s worth a visit; I promise)—and the Outer Banks’ Portsmouth Village.

Others have a much darker, tragic, and somber history with limited to no access. However, they provide invaluable lessons so that history may never repeat itself. Witness quite a few broken promises, too.

✨ Warning: Some of the information in this post may be triggering. 🖤 Christine of Uncorked Asheville 📸 All photos are our own unless otherwise stated and credited.

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11 Abandoned Places In North Carolina

This list is written in collaboration with dark tourist historian and our good friend, Jeremy Paterson. As North Carolina locals, Tom and I have visited many of the abandoned sites near Asheville. I also have my undergrad degree in English and History (plus an MLIS degree) with a passion for unique and bookish travel, which is reflected below.

The Road to Nowhere (Lakeview Drive), Bryson City, NC

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In the 1940s, to create Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Fontana Lake and dam, the government forced residents to relocate, leaving behind the villages they’d lived in for generations. The government also removed much of Old Highway 288, which connected communities to the outside world, promising residents that the road would be replaced —and, most importantly, that it would provide access to the cemeteries they had to leave behind.

Unfortunately, an environmental issue halted construction of the new “Lakeview Drive,” just six miles into the park. Because of the expense, it was never completed.

Today, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a “Road to Nowhere,” which ends at a dark, echoing tunnel. Drive six miles to the tunnel and park in a designated dirt lot to explore the area. Lakeview Drive also has multiple pull-over areas, including a stunning view of Fontana Lake.

This is one of the most bittersweet abandoned places in NC; the Road To Nowhere is a sore spot for locals, but also provides a beautiful recreational strip for hiking, cruising, and biking.

Stonewall Jackson Manual Training and Industrial School, Concord, NC

This monument to mistreatment—a place of cruelty and horrific crimes against children—sits off Old Charlotte Rd SW in Concord, NC.

Back in the 19th century, they did not have many laws for how to process juveniles for petty crimes. In fact, any young boy convicted of a minor crime was given the same sentence as an adult, meaning some teenagers did years of hard labor.

To combat this, residents, led by James Cook, petitioned to have a place for young offenders. In 1909, the North Carolina General Assembly opened the Stonewall Jackson Training School.

Originally, the school operated in a strict but tolerable manner. But following the end of World War II, the school descended into something quite inhumane, with beatings, sterilizations, and much worse. Over the years, the population dwindled with prison reforms.

Now, the buildings of the original complex stand empty, surrounded by barbed wire fencing. The Stonewall Jackson Manual Training and Industrial School remains one of the darkest abandoned places in North Carolina.

Crashed Passenger Aircraft, Waterrock Knob near Balsam, NC

✨Please note that in 2023, the National Park Service removed the plane from this site. The Parkway asks that visitors no longer hike here. Tom and I hiked this trail before the removal, when it was OK to be in the area.

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One of the more morbid abandoned places in NC, in the winter of 1983, Pilot Ernest Martin and his secretary, passenger Centa Jarrett, flew down from Illinois, intending to land at Jackson County Airport.

Unfortunately, in low-lying clouds and rain—and without having filed a proper flight plan—the Cessna 414A airplane crashed into the side of Waterrock Knob in the Smoky Mountains, killing both Martin and Jarrett. Crews recovered both bodies, but the wreckage of their aircraft stayed on the mountain until 2023.

Located near the top of Waterrock Knob, this was (quite literally) the peak of dark tourism in North Carolina. Before its removal, hikers could reach the site by hiking from Waterrock Knob up to Browning Knob and then veering down a treacherous side trail.

Waterrock Knob Visitor Center | BRP Milepost 451.2 (Basic restrooms, no running water on-site)

Portsmouth Village, Ocracoke, NC

Situated across from Ocracoke Village on the Outer Banks, Portsmouth Island is home to Portsmouth Village. Established in 1753, this tidal island settlement remained inhabited for over 200 years, until the last resident left in 1971.

Walking around this area is like stepping back in time. Find 21 buildings still standing in Portsmouth Village, including a church, a post office, and a general store, as well as plenty of wood-paneled period-style housing. What visitors won’t find: drinkable water, food, or electricity.

Ocracoke Island Visitor Center | 38 Irvin Garrish Hwy, Ocracoke, NC 27960

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Land of Oz Theme Park, Beech Mountain, NC

There is no place like home. The Land of Oz closed temporarily due to Hurricane Helene but has returned for 2026. September marks the annual Autumn at Oz—the largest Oz celebration in the world, running across three weekends. General admission starts at $70.

Expect 20,000+ visitors to walk the Yellow Brick Road, comprised of 44,000 gold-glazed bricks that stretch across three-quarters of a mile to a temporary Emerald City on Beech Mountain.

But this begs the question: Is the Land of Oz theme park still “abandoned”? Sorta. In off-festival months, it is the quiet, slightly eerie ruin that put the theme park on this list to start. Imagine crumbling yellow bricks, empty character sets, and eerie mountain fog. Of course, during Autumn at Oz and Tea with Dorothy, it’s jumping with non-ghosts.

Land of Oz Theme Park | 2669 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain, NC 28604

✨Nearby, Tom and I highly recommend staying—or at least eating and playing—in Banner Elk, Boone, or Blowing Rock. We have a complete Banner Elk overnight itinerary.

Henry River Mill Village

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So many iconic movies were filmed across NC. Henry River Mill Village earned its fame as Katniss and Peeta’s home, better known as District 12, in The Hunger Games.

Built in 1905, this Burke County cotton mill village ran for decades before shutting down in the 1970s. Workers lived on-site with their families, and the mill employed children until child labor laws stopped that practice.

Laborers earned a dollar a day, and for a while, the village even paid workers in its own currency, the “doogaloo,” which families spent at the on-site grocery store. The village later added a boarding school, which has since burned down.

Today, visitors can tour the property with a ticket. Movie buffs and book lovers alike can walk through one of the only houses you can safely enter (the Everdeens’ place), spot Peeta’s bakery (the former general store), and picture Katniss hunting in the surrounding woods.

Beyond guided tours, the village hosts special events, runs an on-site Bed & Breakfast, and offers photoshoot bookings, with renovation plans reportedly in the works.

There are no indoor restrooms (just a porta-potty), and many homes are crumbling after decades of neglect. Be sure to follow posted signs and staff instructions; you don’t want to fall through a floor.

Despite its spooky reputation, Henry River Mill Village owes its comeback to the movie. The owners denied production access for sequels after learning the crew literally blew up one of the dilapidated houses without permission, a story I learned on their guided tour. Be sure to read The Hunger Games before visiting.

Henry River Mill Village | 4255 Henry River Rd, Hickory, NC 28602

Castle Mont Rouge, Rougemont, NC

A European castle is not something you might expect to find among the ghost towns in NC, but thanks to one American artist, you can…

Tucked away in the forestry of Rougemont, half an hour’s drive north of Durham, stumble upon one of the most unusual buildings in the state. The brainchild of sculptor Robert Mihaly, Castle Mont Rouge started as an artistic retreat, a combination private home and studio where Mihaly could create art in peace.

The structure boasts a turret, 18 pinnacles, gargoyles, cone rooftops, and no blueprints, which may explain why it looks like a mess. People also spread romantic rumors about why the castle wasn’t finished: Did the builder’s wife die, and was he too broken-hearted to continue!? (Mihaly later debunked this myth: he and his wife split up, and he had other projects to complete.)

The castle became a hangout for graffiti artists until 2017, when Mihaly began work on it once again.

Castle Mont Rouge | 957 Mountain Brook Rd, Rougemont, NC 27572

St. Agnes Hospital, Raleigh, NC

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The original St. Agnes Hospital building opened in 1896. However, the structure suffered damage in a fire (1904), with work completed in 1909.

During segregation, St. Agnes Hospital was the only hospital to treat Black patients between Atlanta and Washington. The hospital closed to the public in 1961.

Quite rightly, St. Agnes Hospital became a Raleigh Historical Landmark in 1979 and sits on the southwest corner of the grounds of Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh. It is one of the most important historically abandoned places in North Carolina for the Black community.

Saint Augustine’s University | 1315 Oakwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27610

Endor Iron Furnace, Cumnock, NC

In a 426-acre nature reserve and park, Endor Iron Furnace is one of the oldest abandoned places in North Carolina on our list.

Constructed to make use of the iron deposits along the Deep River in Lee County, this 35-foot-tall pig iron furnace first operated in the 1860s and worked up until 1874. It’s one of the oldest structures still standing in Lee County, and as such, conservationists maintain it with full restoration in sight.

Because of the delicate nature of this historic relic, the site is not easily accessible to the public. Contact the NC Historical Society if you want to visit.

Ghost Town Village/Ghost Town in the Sky, Maggie Valley, NC

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People keep talking about reopening Ghost Town Village, and plenty of Uncorked Asheville readers remember visiting as kids. Today, you’ll find the remains of the theme park, but please respect all “no trespassing” signs. Police monitor the site, and they will arrest you.

High atop Buck Mountain sits one of the most extensive and talked-about abandoned towns in North Carolina. NC has its fair share of theme parks, but Ghost Town Village (also known as Ghost Town in the Sky) carries a richer history than most.

Ghost Town Village opened on May 1, 1961. Its mountaintop location earned it the nickname “North Carolina’s mile-high theme park.” Visitors could only reach this wild-west-themed complex via a 3,370-foot chairlift or a funicular railway. The park staged mock gunfights on the main “street” and drew half a million visitors a year at its peak.

In 2002, the chairlift got stuck for over two hours, forcing the park to close. This malfunction capped a long list of breakdowns and needed renovations, so the owners put the park up for sale.

Since then, Ghost Town Village has lived up to its name, aside from a brief stretch when new owners renovated and reopened the park in May 2007, only to shut it down again in 2009.

Ghost Town In The Sky | 16 Fie Top Rd, Maggie Valley, NC 28751

Lost Cove, Yancey County, NC

Straddling the North Carolina-Tennessee border in Pisgah National Forest, Lost Cove is the ghost town Google won’t help you find. There is no address, because there’s no road.

Founded around the Civil War era, local lore says that a man named Morgan Bailey built the first homestead here after a debatable “real estate” transaction/trade. The town grew into a self-sufficient logging community. Once the railroad arrived around 1910, Lost Cove had its own legend: the state-line ambiguity and isolation made it a legendary haven for moonshining. The last family left in 1957.

Today, hikers who make the steep, timely trek down from Flattop Mountain will find collapsing structures, rusted-out relics, and a small cemetery.

Unlike most entries on this list, there’s no visitor center, no parking lot, and no cell signal—this is strictly for brave, curious, and experienced hikers who don’t mind working to find their ghost town. It’s an NC “bucket list” item for us.

According to Facebook hikers, the USDA Forest Service, and AllTrails, the most direct trailhead for the Lost Cove ghost town is the unlabeled Lost Cove Trailhead off Forest Service Road 278 (Flattop Road) in Yancey County, North Carolina. Please do more research and preparation before going. The NC forest is no joke.