Charlotte, North Carolina: Billy Graham Library: Talking Robot Cow

Airlock doors and omnipresent guides offer opportunities to be saved. Also: a talking robot cow, and a $5 check from Richard Nixon. Built with the help of Disney consultants.

The Billy Graham Library is one of the best places to visit around Charlotte. It includes the childhood home of one of the greatest evangelists in the last century. Billy Graham, his wife Ruth, George Beverly Shea, and Cliff Barrows are all buried here. You can visit their grave sites. Christmas at the Library features carolers, horse-drawn carriage rides, a live manger scene, and Christmas story times for kids.

I visited here as a day trip with my out-of-town parents. It was much greater than I expected. There were so many things I did not know about Billy Graham. It was very moving to see how God has used him. I think it is a must see for any believer. I did not have the same experience as the the last tip commenter of being pressured to be saved. Maybe because I am already a believer. It was an awesome experience for me as well as my parents and children.

I was stranded in Charlotte, NC on a business trip so I decided the check out the Billy Graham Library. When the first thing I saw was an animatronic talking cow, I knew I was in for a treat.

You walk your way through elaborate exhibits and film strips dedicated to the life of mega-preacher Billy Graham. You move at their pace and guides are lurking everywhere, a little too excited to chat about how great Billy is. Doors slam behind you automatically as you enter a room where a new guide is waiting to engage you in awkward conversation. As you make your way through the place it becomes less and less about the history of Billy Graham and more about converting you.

Finally you are handed a card where you can check whether or not your soul was saved on this day. You also get to visit the burial site of Billy's wife.