Entry No. 19 — the Raleigh file — filed under: giant sculptures
Thomas Dambo's Trolls at Dorothea Dix Park
Five colossal, handcrafted troll sculptures made entirely from reclaimed wood, fallen branches, and discarded whiskey barrels are hidden throughout the woods and fields of Dorothea Dix Park.
The story
Danish artist Thomas Dambo doesn't buy raw lumber; he scavenges. Scattered throughout the quiet pine groves and rolling fields of Dorothea Dix Park, five towering wooden trolls have quietly taken up residence, hand-built from construction offcuts, fallen branches, and discarded whiskey barrels. They aren't lined up along the paved drives under floodlights—they are hidden back in the tree lines, requiring you to step off the asphalt and go hunting.
Each creature has its own distinct build, but Mother Strong Tail is the clear engineering marvel of the bunch. Her squatting frame sits tucked in the woods, but her tail—a 645-foot snaking spine built out of overlapping whiskey-barrel staves—winds through the pine needles like a wooden labyrinth. Dambo’s work is an aggressive lesson in circular reuse, proving that commercial waste can be turned into mythology if you have enough screws, time, and salvaged oak.
What it's like
Ditch any expectation of a manicured museum walk. You'll be navigating pine-needle trails and open fields, so wear shoes you don't mind getting dusty. While you can pull up trollmap.com on your phone to track coordinates, the real satisfaction comes from spotting a massive wooden forearm or snout breaking through the leaf canopy before your screen catches up. Access is completely free from sunrise to sunset seven days a week. If you want to examine the barrel-stave joinery without weaving around kids and photo takers, aim for a crisp weekday morning.
The move: Download the online troll map and hunt for all five giant creatures, taking time to examine Mother Strong Tail, whose 645-foot barrel-stave tail winds through the pine grove.
- 📍 Southwest Raleigh
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2105 Umstead Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Dorothea Dix Hospital Cemetery — Since you are already on the park grounds, walk over to this quiet three-acre plot where over 900 hospital patients rest beneath numbered stone markers.
- Foundation — After tracking down Mother Strong Tail's whiskey-barrel tail in the woods, head downtown to drink bourbon inside a subterranean vault carved out of a former dirt crawl space.
- Spring Hill House — Cross over toward Centennial Campus to inspect Wake County's oldest marked grave beside an 1820 plantation house.
- Sauna House Raleigh — Soak your trail-weary legs in a cold plunge and Nordic sauna half a mile down the road in the Warehouse District.
Good to know
Is there an admission fee to see the trolls?
No. Dorothea Dix Park is public land, and viewing the trolls is completely free seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.
How do I find all five trolls across the park?
Pull up trollmap.com on your phone or check the Dix Park Conservancy map before setting off, as the figures are spread out across woodlots and open fields.
What materials were used to construct the sculptures?
Danish artist Thomas Dambo built them using reclaimed lumber, discarded whiskey barrel staves, pallet wood, and fallen branches sourced nearby.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · trollmap.com · dixparkconservancy.org · southparkmagazine.com
last checked: 2026-07-21