North Carolina Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series) [Paperback]

Kent Priestley (Author), Jon Elliston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007 | Series: Curiosities Series

This laugh-out-loud guide will introduce readers to the offbeat people, places, and events of the Tar Heel State.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Tar Heel State has to offer!

• Visit the remains of a mysterious shipwreck; the sulfur springs said to promote good health; and the country’s very first gold-nugget doorstop.
• Learn how dozens of dachshunds dominate a town on Wiener Dog Day; how Christmas in July is a hot holiday to celebrate; and how locals make melodic mouth music at the International Whistlers Convention
• Meet an out-of-this-world “ufologist”; a quirky exotic-animal-collecting rancher; and a real-life pirate and his homemade ship—definitely a treasure to behold!

Whether you’re a born-and-raised North Carolinian or a recent transplant, authors Jon Elliston and Kent Priestley will have you laughing out loud as they introduce you to the neighbors you never knew you had and take you to places you never knew existed—right in your own backyard.

About the Author

Jon Elliston is an award-winning news editor of the Mountain Xpress, western North Carolina’s most widely circulated independent weekly newspaper. Elliston lives in Ashville.

Kent Priestley is a staff writer at the Mountain Xpress. His writing and photography have appeared in numerous North Carolina magazines. He lives in Asheville.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 1st edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762743662
• ISBN-13: 978-0762743667
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,822,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great curious, quirky and odd fun!, May 3, 2007

By 

M. Massey (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: North Carolina Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series) (Paperback)

What a treasure of unusual information! My family are yearly visitors to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I'm always looking for travel ideas "off the beaten path." After reading this book I can't wait to visit the rest of the state.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!, July 22, 2007

By 

Joshua P. Warren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: North Carolina Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series) (Paperback)

This book is worth every penny. The authors did an exceptional job of finding fun, weird, quirky material that often falls through the cracks. Even though I'm a lifelong resident of North Carolina, I learn something new every time I read it. It's written in digestible bits, perfect for all ages.

You can turn the book into an activity, actually visiting many of the sites and events included. It's top-notch entertainment for all, and classic "bathroom" reading.

3.0 out of 5 stars OK but not great, July 26, 2008

By 

Jack in NC - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: North Carolina Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series) (Paperback)

I very much enjoyed the previous edition and visited many of the sites. I was looking forward to the updated version but found it a bit disappointing. I was hoping to find it chock full of interesting places to visit. Although there are some, it alos contains a lot of just descriptions of unusual things that happended in North Carolina. Maybe a minor point for some people but most of the print is small sized font and very light.