UFO Welcome Center: South Carolina’s Galactic Welcome Mat
Contrary to popular belief, the UFO Welcome Center is not located in Roswell, New Mexico. South Carolina resident Jody Pendarvis constructed a silver flying saucer in his backyard in order to attract the attention of roving extraterrestrials. A series of spray painted signs direct visitors to a slightly lopsided UFO that clearly isn’t constructed out of the most cutting edge space-age materials. Jody Pendarvis is convinced that his ever-evolving flying saucer constructed out of discarded odds and ends will someday convince aliens interested in interacting with humans on planet Earth that Pendarvis is the ideal representative to foster seamless human-alien relations.
Jody Pendarvis gleefully offers visitors tours of his creation, for a small fee. Pendarvis spends the warmer months living in the lower portion of the towering flying saucer that he built since the air conditioning that he installed keeps him cooler than he would be in his nearby trailer. The smaller silver saucer that rests atop the larger saucer is reserved strictly for space travel. Jody Pendarvis states that aliens who are curious about human beings will someday use advanced technology to transport the smaller saucer into space, with Pendarvis inside. Pendarvis never bolted down the smaller saucer so that it is ready to ascend into space at any moment. Perhaps if you visit at just the right time, you will be lucky enough to observe Jody’s communion with aliens, and ascent into space.
Maybe all the aliens of the cosmos are truly searching for is a warm welcome. Jody Pendarvis and his seemingly junky flying saucers could very well serve as the galactic welcome mat that extraterrestrials circling Earth have been waiting for. A trip to Bowman, South Carolina to visit the UFO Welcome Center will help you decide if Jody Pendarvis is truly humanity’s anointed alien greeter.
Address:
4004 Homestead Road
Bowman, South Carolina
United States
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- Former UFO Welcome Center site, Homestead Road, Bowman, South Carolina, USA (destroyed; no visitor attraction)
- Access
- The UFO Welcome Center was destroyed by fire on May 9, 2024; SPACES Archives lists it as non-extant, and Atlas Obscura marks it permanently closed and no longer accessible to visitors. The adjacent home was also destroyed. No public visitor facility or viewing point is verified; do not enter any remaining property without authorization.
- Admission
- Not applicable: the attraction was destroyed in 2024 and no visitor admission is offered.
- Time needed
- No visit is possible; the structure no longer exists and there is no public visitor route.
- Best season
- Not applicable: the attraction was destroyed in 2024; there is no visitor season.
- Opening hours
- No public hours; the attraction was destroyed and is not accessible to visitors.
- Facts checked
- 2026-11-01
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