Shangri-La is a village in Prospect Hill, but it’s not like any other village; it’s a storybook town with buildings that are around five feet tall and made of stone from a local quarry. The village is the sole creation of one man, Henry Warren, who began building Shangri-La in 1968 at the age of 72. In all, there are 27 buildings in the village, including a school, a church, a theater, a hospital, and a mill.
Warren, a retired tobacco farmer, hand-picked the rocks, and single-handedly built every single aspect of this lovable little stone village. In 1972, he placed a plaque in his village; it reads, “Let me live in the house by the side of the road and be a friend to man.” This is always open and visitors are welcome to come anytime for no charge.