Entry No. 22 — the Raleigh file — filed under: roadside oddities
Angus Barn Self-Kicking Machine
Standing outdoors near the woods behind a renowned steakhouse, this hand-cranked wooden novelty contraption features a shoe on a wheel built to give users a gentle kick in the pants.
The story
The Angus Barn has been a Raleigh steak staple along Glenwood Avenue since June 28, 1960, when Thad Eure Jr. and Charles Winston first opened the doors to the big red barn. But if you slip out past the lounge and head into the treeline behind the main restaurant, you'll find something far less polished: a standalone wooden contraption built specifically for self-administered retribution.
It is a purely mechanical novelty—a hand-cranked wooden wheel fitted with a boot, standing outdoors near the woods. The setup requires no electricity, just user participation: step into position, grab the handle, and turn the wheel to deliver a gentle, comical kick to your own backside. It exists as an unpretentious piece of folk-art mechanical humor quietly sitting behind one of the region's most well-known dining institutions.
What it's like
Wander out toward the woods behind the restaurant complex to find the contraption standing in the open air near the trees. There is no line, no fee, and no staff member supervising it. You simply position yourself in front of the wooden frame, grab the handle, and crank the wheel at your own pace. The move here is to grab a drink or appetizer in the lounge first, then step outside into the brush to take turns cranking the wheel for a quick boot to the rear.
The move: Grab a drink or appetizer at the restaurant's lounge, then head outside into the trees to take turns cranking the wooden wheel for a comical boot to the backside.
- 📍 Northwest Raleigh
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Dry Cleaners — Follow up a boot to the backside in the woods with upscale cocktails hidden behind a dry-cleaner facade 15 minutes east.
- Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky — Trade mechanical novelty for optical physics by heading south to step inside this stone camera obscura hut.
- Yayoi Kusama's "Light of Life" — Pair outdoor folk art humor with fine art by driving over to the NCMA to peer into Yayoi Kusama's mirrored infinity chamber.
Good to know
Where is the self-kicking machine actually located?
It stands outdoors near the treeline directly behind the main Angus Barn restaurant complex at 9401 Glenwood Avenue in Northwest Raleigh.
How does the machine work?
It operates on simple manual mechanics. You turn a wooden hand crank, which rotates a wheel fitted with a boot that swings around to deliver a light kick.
Do you need a dinner reservation to access it?
No reservation is required to walk around the outdoor grounds behind the barn, though stopping into the restaurant's lounge for a drink or bite beforehand makes a complete visit.
Does the kick actually hurt?
No. Because it is manually hand-cranked, you dictate the rotation speed and the exact impact of the shoe yourself.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · strangecarolinas.com · Facebook · Roadside America
last checked: 2026-07-21