North Carolina (NC)

North Carolina State Flag

 

"Old North State" and "Tar Heel State"

Why visit North Carolina?

Well known destination for their beaches, biking, birdwatching, boating, botanical gardens, camping, fishing, golf, hiking, historic homes, history, hunting, kayaking, lakes, lighthouses, marshes, mountain biking, mountains, museums, rock climbing, sailing, shopping, southern cuisine, stock-car racing, swamps, theme parks, waterfalls, white water rafting, wildlife and wineries.

Great Dismal Swamp, Elizabeth City, NC. Photo Credit: skeeze/Pixabay 

A popular destination for:

• Amateur & Professional Photographers
• Conventions, Meetings & Reunions
• Destination Wedding
• Groups: Family, Friends and Multigenerational
• Milestones: Anniversary, Bachelor Party, Bachelorette Party, Birthday, Honeymoon and Retirement

Charolette, NC. Photo Credit: 1778011/Pixabay 

At a Glance

• Capital: Raleigh
• State Bird: Cardinal
• State Dessert: None
• State Flower: Dogwood
• State Gemstone: Emerald 
• State Mammal: Gray Squirrel 
• State Rock: Granite

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC. Photo Credit: Dennis Elliott/Pixabay 

Fun Facts

• Many ships have been lost off Cape Hatteras ("Graveyard of the Atlantic"), the most famous Queen Anne's Revenge (1718). 
  
• In 1799, gold was first discovered in our country, Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site (Concord).
• Self proclaimed,  "Barbecue Capital of the World".
• Leads the nation in the production of furniture, sweet potatoes, textiles and tobacco. Ranks second for farming of Christmas trees, hogs, pigs, trout and turkeys.
  
• North Carolina's Research Triangle Park is well known for their development of AZT (AIDS Medication) and Tamoxifin (Breast Cancer Drug).
• A strong Baptist presence is often referred to as the "Bible Belt".
• Charlotte is the most visited tourist city with 28 million visitors annually.
  
• Home to Bojangles' (fast food chain), Golden Corral (restaurant chain), Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries (restaurant), Krispy Kreme (doughnuts), Hardee's (fast food chain), Mount Olive Pickle Company (pickles) and Texas Pete (hot sauce).
• Birthplace to fictional town, Mayberry used in sitcoms Return to Mayberry and The Andy Griffith Show. 
• Chapel Hill is referred to as the South's "Tastiest City".
  
• Asheville has won recognition as "Beer City USA" considering it has the largest number of breweries per capita than any other state.
  
• Features 4 National Forests and 27 State Parks.
  

Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury, NC. Photo Credit: heck1se/Pixabay 

Thank You!

• Spotlight Celebrities: Chris Paul (Athlete), Fantasia Barrino (Musician), Luke Combs (Musician), Seth Curry (Athlete), Vince McMahon (Athlete) and Zion Williamson (Athlete), just to name a few.
• Movies to Inspire You: Dirty Dancing (1987), Forrest Gump (1994), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), Talladega Nights (2006), The Fugitive (1993), The Green Mile (1999), The Hunger Games (2012) and The Last of the Mohicans (1992), just to name a few.
• Reads Set in North Carolina: Nights in Rodanthe (written by Nicholas Sparks), The Island (written by Elin Hilderbrand) and The Story Keeper (written by Lisa Wingate), just to name a few.

Crabtree Falls (Blue Ridge Parkway), Grassy Creek, NC. Photo Credit: Tony Glenn/Pixabay 

Good to Know

• State's Blue Laws only allow beer and wine sales on Sunday, not liquor.
  
• Do not wade in marshes with concern to pfiesteria bacteria.
• Feast on blooms of rhododendrons (June - July) and wisteria vines (April).
  
• An international airport hub to Canada, Caribbean, Central America and Europe.
  
• Pork barbecue is a culinary staple. 
  

Subject to flooding, heavy rain, humidity, hurricanes and tropical storms.

• Best Time to Visit: March - May and September - November
• Coldest Month: January
• Hottest Month: July
• Peak Season: June - August

Bodie Island Lighthouse, Nags Head, NC. Photo Credit:  t1cox/Pixabay 

Your Must-See & Do

• Historical Sites: 1921 Fort Fisher Monument, 9th Street District, Adams-Edwards House, Alamance Battleground, Alamance County Historic Courthouse, Albion Dunn House & Grounds, All Are Welcome Raleigh Mural, Alumni Centennial Gateway, Andrew Johnson Birthplace, Apex Historical Society Caboose, Asa Biggs House & Site, Audubon Trolley Station, Ayr Mount, Battleship North Carolina, Beaufort Historic Site, Beulah C Bowens Fuller Marker, Bennett Place, Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity House, Bray-Paschal House, Burlington Downtown Depot, Burwell School Historic Site, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Cedarock Historical Farm, Charles B Aycock Birthplace, Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site, Clayton Historic District, Davie Poplar, Dr Z.M. Caveness House, Duke Homestead, Dunleath Historic District, Elon University Bell Tower, Fort Anderson State Historic Site, Fort Dobbs State Historic Site, Fort Fisher State Historic Site, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Gibsonville School, Governor’s Palace, Greystone, Halifax State Historic Site, Hardaway Site NCHHM, Harwell Hamilton & Jean Bangs Harris House, Heck Andrews House, High Shoals Bridge, Hiram Caldwell House, Historic 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, Historic Bethabara Park, Historic Edenton State Historic Site, Historic Latta Plantation, Historic Town of Salem, Horton Grove, Jacob Holt House, Jefferson Standard Building, Kinchen Holloway House, Kornegay Oxford House, Latta Place, McCray School, Mingus Mill, Mitchell Co Historical Society, Mitchner Station, Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower, Morehead Sundial, Nash-Hooper House, Nina Simone Childhood Home, Norris Holland Hare House, North Carolina Executive Mansion, North Carolina State Capitol, Oaky Grove Methodist Church, Occaneechi Indian Village, Odd Empire Fellows, Pelletier House, Pittsboro Historic District, President James K Polk State Historic Site, Reed Gold Mine, Ritcher House, Sandford House, Somerset Place State Historic Site, Stagville State Historic Site, St Agnes Hospital, The Brickyard, The Bronto, The Crabtree Jones Plantation House, The L.L. Polk House, Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site, Vade Mecum Hotel, Walnut Hill Cotton Gin and Whalehead Club.
• Museums: Ackland Art Museum, African American Cultural Complex, Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation, Alamance County Historical Museum, Andy Griffith Museum, Asheville Pinball Museum, Ava Gardner Museum, Averasboro Battlefield & Museum, Biltmore, Burgwin-Wright Museum & Gardens, Boars Nest - Dukes of Hazzard Museum, Carolinas Aviation Museum, Carolina Basketball Museum, Chatham Historical Museum, Children's Museum of Alamance County, City of Raleigh Museum, Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh, Creation Museum,Davidson County Historical Museum, Discovery Place Science, General William C Lee Airborne Museum, Graham Historical Museum, Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Greensboro Children's Museum, Greensboro History Museum, Greensboro Science Center, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Historical Society of Topsail Island, Historic Hayesville, History Museum of Burke County, Hugh Torance House & Store, Imagination Station Science & History Museum, International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Joel Lane Museum House, Kaleideum North, Kinchen Holloway House, Levine Museum of the New South, Little House Museum & Gallery, Marbles Kids Museum, Mebane Historical Museum, Mint Museum of Art, Mint Museum of Craft & Design in Charlotte, Moore County Historical Association, Moorefields House & Gardens, Mountain Gateway Museum, Museum of Anthropology, Museum of Durham History, Museum of Life & Science, Museum Of North Carolina Minerals, Museum of the Albemarle, Museum of the Cape Fear, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Nasher Museum of Art, N.C. Transportation Museum, North Carolina Aviation Museum, North Carolina Historic Bath, North Carolina History Center at Tryon Palace, North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport, North Carolina Military History Museum, North Carolina Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Museum of Art Parking, North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, North Carolina Transportation Museum, Old Linden School, Old Salem Museums & Gardens, Orange County Historical Museum, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Palmer-Marsh House, Penelope Barker House, Person County Museum of History, Pope House Museum, Railroad House Historical Society, Raleigh City Museum, Rankin Museum of American Heritage, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Richard Petty Museum, Roanoke Canal Museum & Trail, Scottish Tartans Museum, Shepard House Marker, Smoky Mountain Train Museum, Stokes County Historical Society, Textile Heritage Museum, The Country Doctor Museum, The Fayetteville Area Transportation & Local History Museum, The Mayes House, The North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, TITANIC Museum Attraction, V & E Simonetti Historic Tuba Collection, Varsity Alley, Wake Forest Historical Museum, Wayne County Museum, Western North Carolina Air Museum and Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum.
• Popular Attractions: Adventure Landing, Adventure Landing Winston-Salem, African American Cultural Complex, Alamance Battleground, Alexandriana, Aloha Safari Zoo, Ambleside Gallery, American Museum of the House Cat, Andrews Geyser, Animal Ed ventures Sanctuary, Artspace, Atlantic Beach Town Park, Babe Ruth Sign, Bank of America Stadium, Basilica of Saint Lawrence Deacon & Martyr, Battery Buchanan, Battleship North Carolina, Beaver Dam Primitive Access, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Bennett Place,Billy Graham Library, Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Rose Garden, Biltmore Waterfall, Biltmore Estate Winery, Black Rock Winery, Blandwood Mansion, Blount-Bridgers House,Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Blue Ridge Parkway, Bodie Island Lighthouse, Boylan Bridge, Brevard Music Center, Brightleaf Square, Broadway at the Beach, Brushy Mountains, CAM Raleigh, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout, Carolina Casket Company, Carolina Raptor Center, Carolina Tiger Rescue, Carowinds, Carvers Creek State Park, Castle Mont Rouge, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chatham Hill Winery, Cherokee Bear Zoo, Cherokee Indian Reservation, Cherry Hill Plantation, Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park, City Market, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, Cloer Family Vineyards, Codescape, Coker Arboretum, Cox Mountain, Croatan National Forest, Crowder's Mountain, CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center, Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Daves Mountain, Discovery Place, Dismal Swamp Canal, Dolde Beach, Downtown Raleigh, Dr Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Gardens, DuPont State Recreational Forest, Durant Nature Preserve, Durham Distillery, E Carroll Joyner Park, Elijah Mountain Gem Mine, Elsewhere, Endor Iron Furnace, Eno River State Park, Faith Rock, Fayetteville Rose Garden, Fields of the Wood, Fire Escape Mural, Folk Art Center, Fort Macon State Park, Fred G Bond Metro Park, Frankie's of Raleigh, Freedom Park, Gateway Gardens, Gause Cemetery, Ghost Town In The Sky, Go Ape Zipline & Adventure Park, Grandfather Mountain, Grandfather Mountain Overlook, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Great Wolf Lodge, Grovewood Village, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Handy Dandy Railroad, Hanging Rock State Park, Harnett County Veteran's Memorial, Haunted Forest at Panic Point, Hayti Heritage Center, Harvey B Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture, Haywood Hall House & Gardens, Hedrick Mountain, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, Hickory Motor Speedway, Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, Historic Oak View County Park, Historic Yates Mill County Park, Honey Cove Falls, Horne Creek Living Historical Farm, House in the Horseshoe, Isabelle Bowen Henderson House & Gardens, Ivey Ellington House, Jack Marley Park, J. C. Raulston Arboretum, Jockey's Ridge State Park, Joel Lane House, Jordan Lake Journeys, Kaleideum Downtown, Kidzu, Kings Mountain State Park Living History Farm, King's Pinnacle, Lake Crabtree County Park, Lake Wheeler Park, Latta Arcade, Latta House & University Site, Lazy 5 Ranch, LeBauer Park, Linn Cove Viaduct, Linville Caverns, Linville Gorge Wilderness, Malcolm Blue Farm, Mast General Store, Mazarick Park, McColl Center for Art & Innovation, Megan L Castle, Metalmorphosis, Milburnie Dam on the Neuse River, Mile High Swinging Bridge, Mineral Spring Park, Mingo Falls, Moores Creek National Battlefield, Montfort Hall, Mordecai Historical Park, Mordecai House,  Morehead Planetarium & Science Center, Mystery Hill, Nantahala National Forest, National Native Azalea Repository, Neuse River Trail, New Bern Civil War Battlefield Park, North Carolina Arboretum, North Carolina Aquarium, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame, North Carolina Botanical Garden, North Carolina Estuarium, North Carolina Korean War Memorial, North Carolina Pottery Center, North Carolina State University Memorial Belltower, North Carolina Veterans Park, North Carolina Zoo, Oakwood Cemetery, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, O’Henry Book Statue, Old Burying Ground, Old Well, Ole Gilliam Mill Park, Order of Gimghoul, Outer Banks, Outer Banks Futuro House, Phillips Farms, Pilot Mountain, Pisgah Covered Bridge, Pisgah National Forest, New Hope River Waterfowl Impoundment, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Poplar Grove Plantation, Pottery Highway, Pullen Park, Raleigh-Durham International Airport Observation Park, Raleigh Mural, Raleigh Water Tower, Raven Rock State Park, Reed Gold Mine, Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach, River District, Roanoke Island Festival Park, Royall Castle, Sandford House, Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, San-Lee Park, Santa's Land Fun Park & Zoo, Sarah P Duke Gardens, Sauratown Mountains, Sea Life Aquarium, Shangri-La Stone Village, Shelley Lake Park, State Archives of North Carolina, Stearns Park, South Mountains, SouthPark Mall, Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden, Tannenbaum Historic Park, The Bechtler House, The Blowing Rock, The Cradle Of Forestry in America, "The Good of the Hive" Mural, The North Carolina Arboretum, The Trolley Lot, Thomas Wolfe Memorial, The Wilson Rose Garden, Thomas Wolfe Memorial, Tiger World, Tom's Creek Falls, Trade & Tryon Streets, Triangle Treasure Hunt, Tweetsie Railroad, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, Unto These Hills, U.S. National Whitewater Center, Uwharrie Mountains, Uwharrie National Forest, Western North Carolina Nature Center, West Point On The Eno City Park, Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park, Weymouth Center For The Arts & Humanities, Weymouth Woods - Sandhills Nature Preserve, Wheels Fun Park, William B Umstead State Park, World's Largest Chest of Drawers, WRAL Azalea Garden, Wright Brothers National Memorial, Yadkin Valley, Zebulon B Vance Birthplace and ZipQuest.
• Popular Cities/Towns to Visit:Aberdeen, Burlington, Buxton, Calabash, Cary, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Cherokee, Chimney Rock, Cleveland, Durham,  Fayetteville, Greensboro, Hackers Island, High Point, Lexington, Mebane, Nags Head, Pinehurst, Raleigh, Seagrove, Washington, Wilkesboro and Winston-Salem.
• Special Events: (April) MerleFest, (May) Carolina Rebellion, Epicenter Festival, North Carolina Brewers & Music Festival, Speed Street, (June) Taste of Charlotte, (July) Moogfest, Wild Goose Festival, (September) Festival in the Park, Harvest Folk Festival, Hickory Hops Beer & Music Festival, Hopscotch Music Festival, (October) Apple Harvest Festival, Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, Carolina Balloonfest, Carolina Renaissance Festival, Catawba Valley Gem & Mineral Show, Deweyfest, Lexington Barbecue Festival, Mustang Rock & Roast, NC Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame Fly In, Ramseur Fall Festival, Shaky Knees Music Festival, Woolly Worm Festival, (November) Celebration of Seagrove Potters and Novant Health Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Outer Banks, NC. Photo Credit: mschiffm/Pixabay 

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