Crossing That Off the Bucket List!

Most everyone has a "bucket list" of things they want to do or accomplish before they die. One of the places I've wanted to visit for a long time is the town of Love Valley in North Carolina. I came across one of their brochures several years ago and vowed that if I was ever in the area, it was definitely a place I wanted to experience. Somehow I pictured a town similar to Tombstone, AZ - a bustling old west town full of life and nostalgia.

The town was created by Andy and Ellenora Barker in 1954 as a way of preserving the past. No cars are allowed on Main Street, but you may walk, or ride your horse there, and tie it to a hitching post while strolling along the wooden walkways, shopping at the rustic businesses or grabbing a drink or bite to eat at the local saloon.

Picture of Main Street from their website

The pictures in the brochure make you envision an adventure awaiting you. But the reviews on TripAdvisor were less than flattering. There were some positive reviews, but most were very negative and mentioned dilapidated buildings, rotting wooden sidewalks, closed up shops, mostly a ghost town.

Now, I've never been one to pay much attention to the critics. If the critics don't like a movie, I usually like it. Some of the campgrounds we've been at this year have had some negative reviews and I found them delightful. After all, some people just like to complain.

This is one time, however, I should have paid more heed to those reviews. We drove about an hour from where we were staying to visit this old west town. As we approached the area, we drove past houses that looked like junk yards. Farms can sometimes appear a bit unkempt if they have old tractors or farm implements stored haphazardly on the property. But this went way beyond that. There were dozens of junk cars, trucks, trackers and various farm implements strewn about or piled up in scrap piles. We took a drive to the rodeo arena area to find falling down fences. As we parked in the lot just outside the main street there was only 1 or 2 other cars there. 

Even deserted it should
have looked like this. It didn't!

Granted it was a weekend when there wasn't an event planned, and we are still in the middle of the Covid crisis, but this was a Saturday afternoon in April. North Carolina is warm enough in April for the "tourist" season to start.

What we found was a deserted town, shops closed, sidewalks with boards so rotten you didn't dare step on them. It was worse than a ghost town, it was a falling down reminder of how Mother Nature will reclaim anything that isn't constantly looked after. We found only one shop open - a used clothing and saddlery shop. There were no horses anywhere and only 2 other couples walking their dogs. I was so disappointed I didn't even take pictures.

Well, this is one place I can cross off my bucket list. Perhaps it might be more interesting if we visited during an event, but those sidewalks and falling apart buildings didn't happen overnight and I'd guess they won't be repaired before the next event. One review I read ended with these words, "Don't go to Love Valley. It's a dump." I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment.