If you’re looking for something unique to do in Moore County, NC check out the Carthage Digital Mural Trail where murals are combined with QR codes that have an audio history of the town.
For more help planning your trip, check out all of our posts about the Sandhills region.
When my mom and I went to Moore County for Peach Week last year, she was looking up other things to do in the area and came across the Carthage Digital Mural Trail.
At first, it might sound underwhelming because, lately, murals are everywhere. So many cities have butterfly wings painted on brick walls, waiting for people to take a snap for social media.
But this digital mural trail is different.
Each mural has a QR code to scan, which brings up an audio clip with history about the town. So instead of just looking at a pretty painting, trying to figure out what it depicts and why it was selected, you can actually listen to someone narrate about the mural, the town, and the mural’s significance to the town.
It’s interactive, in a way, and just so much more interesting than staring at a brick wall.
Carthage is also home to The Buggy Factory, a Southern Pines Brewing location in the old Tyson & Jones Buggy Company building. There’s the Tyson & Jones speakeasy bar, an outdoor beer garden, and more.
It’s one of the stops on the Sandhills Pour Tour, so definitely check it out and get your Pour Tour passport stamped when you’re in town looking at murals.
Carthage Digital Mural Trail History
The Carthage Digital Mural Trail was launched in May 2023, making it the first digital mural trail in North Carolina.
The project was the third initiative taken by the area’s visitor’s bureau (CVB) as part of Visit NC’s Year of the Trail program. The CVB also launched the Pinecone Pathways Program as part of that initiative.
The Carthage Digital Mural Trail is five murals total. Four of the murals were painted by Scott Nurkin, a Chapel Hill-based muralist who also painted the artwork in the NC Musician Murals Project. The fifth was painted by brothers Dan and Jordan Dreyer.
What makes a digital mural trail different is that it combines the art of a mural with the technology of a QR code. Each mural has its own code that you scan and, in Carthage anyway, it brings up a YouTube video.
You hit play on your phone and listen while the history what the mural depicts is narrated to you.
Each YouTube videos along the trail averages about five minutes. That’s a long time to stand in front of a mural, but it does really give you a lot of history about the town, so it’s worth it.
Every mural is in a public space and you can easily walk between them all in about 10 minutes (if you’re skipping the videos). But, if you don’t want to walk, they actually are all in parking lots, so you can drive.
What’s great about that is there are handicapped spots within every parking lot, so this mural trail is accessible to everyone.
The Murals
There are five murals along the trail, all of which are minutes away from each other. You don’t need to worry about walking too far to see them all.
The route will take you about 10 minutes total, but keep in mind that each accompanying video is about five minutes long, so that will add to the total time.
Landmarks and Legacies
This mural is the one painted by the Dreyer brothers. It depicts Moore County News, the local newspaper in the area, and Fry and Prickett Funeral Home, the longest continuously operating business in town.
Carthage Water Tanks
Carthage had two water tanks in town, one built in 1913 and the other in 1920. Each night, a siren would go off from the tanks at noon, signaling lunchtime.
The Carthage water tanks were removed in 2018, but they remain thanks to the mural.
When Tobacco Was King
Tobacco was the main cash crop in Carthage in the 1940s and ’50s and this mural is an homage to that.
What’s fun about it is there are actually some (unrelated) hidden objects inside that you can look for while you’re looking at the mural.
Tyson & Jones Buggy Co.
The South’s largest carriage maker, the Tyson & Jones Buggy Company, operated in Carthage from 1850 to 1929 when the car took over and put the company out of business.
Carthage honors its memory annually with the Carthage Buggy Festival, held in May, and with metal horse and buggies on signs around town.
Flying for France
James Rogers McConnell, author of Flying for France and former resident of Carthage, was enlisted with the American Ambulance Corps in France and later became an aviator during World War I.
He passed away when his plane was shot down in 1917 and was buried at the site of his death in in France near Flavy-le-Martel, which has become a sister city to Carthage in his memory.
Fun fact: The private airport, Gilliam-McConnell Airfield and James Rogers McConnell Air Museum in Carthage are named after him.
The mural depicts him, his plane, and other memorabilia.
The QR Codes
Each mural has a gold plated QR code that will bring you to a YouTube link with a video that corresponds to the mural.
So, that means you do need a smart phone with a data plan in order to access them. There isn’t any town-wide WiFi that you can use.
To scan, just open your phone’s camera app and hold it in front of the QR code. A link will pop up on your screen. Click that and you’ll go to the YouTube video.
We also have the YouTube videos linked above (at the name of each mural), so you can virtually take the tour if you want.
Have you checked out the Carthage Digital Mural Trail? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
Jennifer Wise
Monday 6th of October 2025
Wow, this is just fascinating! How very fun. :)
Lydia C. Lee
Tuesday 30th of September 2025
I love the qr codes - how clever!! (Great murals!!)