Whippoorwill Academy and Village

"Daniel Boone and Tom (Dooley) Dula"

Whippoorwill Academy and Village is a collection of reconstructed log cabins owned and operated by a retired educator.  North Carolina legends and history are the focus of the village’s displays. One building is a replica of the home Daniel Boone and his family lived in during the 1760s.   The artifacts and set up of this cabin are an excellent depiction of what a typical home would have been like at that time.   I was impressed by the extensive collection of artifacts and the attention to detail in each building.  Another log cabin houses the Tom (Dooley) Dula Museum where visitors can watch a video about Tom Dula, see memorabilia such as Tom’s original tombstone and admire an exhibit of paintings by the director of Whippoorwill Village.  On a side note, Tom’s grave and the grave of Laura Foster are both a short distance from Whippoorwill Village.  Each building houses books filled with newspaper clippings, pictures and information for visitors to look through.   Only a few items are secured behind Plexiglas and there are no signs reminding visitors not to touch.  My children were picking items up to study them closely and then putting them back, turning cranks and playing with things in every building.  In the jail, my girls were delighted to find several toy badges and some handcuffs on the desk.   They played in the jail for a while and learned a lot through the play.   They were still talking about details of the cabins they visited at Whippoorwill Village the day after our visit.  They even got a kick out of the two-seat outhouse for girls.  At one point the owner’s dog decided to hang out with us making my dog-lovers very happy.    When we finished our leisurely tour of the village, the owner gave my kids popsicles and chatted with our family while the girls enjoyed their treat.  

The village is free to visit but has limited hours unless you make an appointment.   There are items for sale including some work by local craftspeople.  Whippoorwill Academy and Village is designated as a North Carolina Birding Trail site, a Letterboxing location and an NC agritourism site.