Dinosaur Kingdom, Roadside Weeds And The Bus On The Rock, Inside Appalachia

Dinos fight Civil War soldiers at a theme park throwback — Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia. 

Also, one person’s roadside weed is another’s “golden” treasure. So says a North Carolina fiber artist.  

And, the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

• Civil War Soldiers In The Dinosaur Kingdom
• Spilling Some Tea About The World’s Largest Tea Pot
• Ice Cream Eating Competition On The Appalachian Trail
• Roadside Plants Used For Natural Dyes

Civil War Soldiers In The Dinosaur Kingdom

Every summer, Americans hit the road for vacation. In Appalachia, families pile into cars and drive from the hills and mountains to, well, other hills and mountains like the Smokies or to the ocean in places like Myrtle Beach or the Outer Banks. The tradition of summer road tripping dates back for as long as there have been automobiles.

On these long drives, people needed breaks. So, they’d stop at fruit stands, or fireworks stores or bizarre roadside attractions. A lot of those weird old-style attractions have disappeared, but some have managed to hang on.

In 2020, Host Mason Adams visited artist Mark Cline’s Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia.

Spilling Some Tea About The World’s Largest Tea Pot

Summer road trips are an annual tradition. Out on the roads of Appalachia, you never know what you’ll see. Fireworks and fruit stands can pull motorists off the road, of course. But every once in a while, you pass something that makes you say, “What was that?” Like, a gigantic basket towering over the edge of a town or a lighthouse in the middle of the mountains.

In 2023, WVPB’s Zander Aloi took a trip to Chester, West Virginia, in the Northern Panhandle, to learn the story behind a classic roadside attraction there — a souvenir stand known as the “World’s Largest Teapot.”

Ice Cream Eating Competition On The Appalachian Trail

Gardners, Pennsylvania has a food tradition that sounds like a belly ache. See, Gardners is the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail. So, thru-hikers celebrate the milestone with something called the half-gallon challenge. That’s right, a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting.

In this story from 2023, WITF’s Rachel McDevitt takes us to the Pine Grove Furnace General Store, to meet some of the challengers. Abiding by trail rules, we’re only using the hikers’ trail names for this story.

Roadside Plants Used For Natural Dyes

Dede Styles is passionate about weeds. Using common roadside plants, Styles makes natural dyes for fabrics. It’s a skill she teaches to eager students. And it’s part of a mission much bigger than brightly colored yarn.

In 2024, Folkways Reporter Rebecca Williams brought us this story from Swannanoa, North Carolina.

At Inside Appalachia, we love roadside attractions. Got a particular favorite in the region? Drop us a line at InsideAppalchia@wvpublic.org. We might feature it in a future episode.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Hello June, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Dinosaur Burps, David Odell, Dave Bing and Blue Dot Sessions.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Jennifer Goren.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and X @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.