WHIRLYGIG PARK FAST FACTS
LOCATION: Wilson, North Carolina
HOURS: 5am-Midnite
COST: Free
TIME TO COMPLETE: 30 min-1 hour
ACCOMODATIONS: Street parking, public restrooms, covered pavilion with picnic tables
Vollis Simpson was a fascinating man and a testament to never being too old to begin pursuing a dream. In downtown Wilson, North Carolina there is the wonderful Whirligig Park that attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually to view these whimsical wind-driven creations. While Simpson was always tinkering with machinery, he created his first kinetic motion machine while serving as a pilot in WWII, his famous pieces of art weren’t created until he reached the tender age of 65.
After WWII Simpson, along with several friends, opened a machinery repair shop and later a house-moving business. These occupations allowed him to accumulate a great deal of scrap parts over the years. Upon retiring in 1984 he began to create art resembling weather vanes or art more commonly seen on mail boxes or fence posts only much, much, much larger. Originally the works of art were erected at Simpson’s farm, in an open field on his property surrounding a large lake, where they became a favorite roadside stop and local legend.
In 2010, with the 91 year-old Simpson’s health declining, a plan was devised to move the sculptures into town as part of the revitalization of downtown Wilson and Whirligig Park became a reality. Today the 2-acre park is home to 30 different whirligigs along with a stage for concerts, a large flat heart-shaped grass area for lounging, an ode to the pond on Simpson’s property where the whirligigs originally were placed, and an expansive Pavilion with park benches.
Although Simpson never saw himself as an artist, the New York Times felt different as stated in a 2013 article which described Simpson as “a visionary artist of the junkyard…who made metal scraps into magnificent things that twirled and jangled and clattered when he set them out on his land.” Some of the whirligigs weigh over 3 tons (2.72 mt) and stand at heights in excess of 50’ (15 m). They are made of materials as common as ceiling fans and aluminum sheeting to more eclectic items like cotton spindles and milkshake mixers.
There is an annual 2-day NC Whirligig Festival every November, where it’s still warm in North Carolina, that attracts more than 50,000 visitors a year. It features local musicians, bands and artists celebrating the park and the heritage of Wilson, NC. In 2013 North Carolina declared the whirligigs as the official folk art of the Tar Heel State. They’ve even established a museum across the street that includes close-up looks at several whirligigs, more about Simpson the man and a great little gift shop. If you love searching for old music albums and movies make sure to pop around the corner and say hi to Phil’s Music Exchange.
