Asheville
Charmed by Asheville's natural beauty, shipping and railroad heir George Washington Vanderbilt II decided to build a summer home modeled after three…
Must-see attractions in North Carolina
North Carolina
The beautifully preserved core of the Moravian settlement of Salem extends across several blocks south of downtown. You’re not obliged to pay for…
Charlotte
The Sullenberger Aviation Museum, honoring Captain Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger III, is located at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
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Asheville
The glass-fronted West Wing is a showstopping introduction to this downtown museum, which is looking sleek after a $24 million renovation that added 70%…
Charlotte
This multimedia 'library' celebrates superstar evangelist and 'pastor to the presidents' Billy Graham, who was born in Charlotte in 1918 and died just…
International Civil Rights Center & Museum
North Carolina
The FW Woolworth store where four black students from North Carolina A&T State University sparked the ‘sit-in’ campaign by ordering coffee on February 1,…
Levine Museum of the New South
Charlotte
Tracing the story of the ‘New South’ that emerged from the ashes of the Civil War, this committed museum explores the years of Reconstruction, Jim Crow…
Charlotte
The race-car simulator ($5) at this rip-roaring Uptown museum hurtles you onto the track and into a 15-car race that feels surprisingly real. Elsewhere,…
Charlotte
A stunning modernist edifice tucked between mighty skyscrapers, the Uptown portion of Charlotte’s Mint Museum consists of two distinct halves. One makes a…
Charlotte
The US Mint opened its first-ever outpost in Uptown Charlotte in 1837, using gold mined from the mountains nearby. Transported 3 miles southeast a century…
Charlotte
This 19th-century cotton plantation occupies a small corner of a scenic nature preserve, a dozen miles north of Uptown Charlotte. Exhibits in the visitor…
Charlotte
Illustrating simple scientific principles with eye-catching displays, Discovery Place is targeted largely at kids. It centers on a steamy rainforest that…
Outer Banks
Dolphins are commonly spotted on Ocracoke's gorgeous, undeveloped 16-mile stretch of sandy beach. Swimmers should be aware of rip currents. Find parking…
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Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Outer Banks
In the late 1580s, three decades before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, a group of 116 British colonists disappeared without a trace from their…
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Wright Brothers National Memorial
Outer Banks
Self-taught engineers Wilbur and Orville Wright launched the world's first successful airplane flight on December 17, 1903 (it lasted 12 seconds). A…
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Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Outer Banks
Although not strictly on an Outer Banks island (it's part of the mainland), this 154,000-acre wildlife reserve of wild lands and waters is managed by Dare…
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Outer Banks
Go on a swashbuckling adventure at this 25-acre park, telling the story of the first English settlement attempt in 1585. Visitors can climb aboard a 16th…
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Outer Banks
At 193ft (or 198ft to the lighting rod), this striking black-and-white-striped edifice is one of North Carolina's most iconic images. The first version of…
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Asheville
Part gallery, part store, and wholly dedicated to Southern craftsmanship, the superb Folk Art Center stands directly off the Blue Ridge Pkwy, 6 miles east…
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Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
Outer Banks
Exhibits about shipwrecks, piracy and salvaged cargo are highlights at this maritime museum at the end of the road. There have been more than 2000…
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Outer Banks
The sunflower-yellow, art nouveau–style Whalehead Club, built in the 1920s as a hunting 'cottage' for a Philadelphia industrialist, is the centerpiece of…
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Currituck Banks Maritime Forest Trail
Outer Banks
A hidden 0.3-mile Boardwalk Trail (with disabled access) and a 0.75-mile Maritime Forest Trail snake through sections of the 950-acre Currituck Banks…
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Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Outer Banks
Extending some 70 miles from south of Nags Head to the south end of Ocracoke Island, this fragile necklace of islands remains blissfully free from…
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Outer Banks
From the National Park Service's observation deck, you can catch views of Ocracoke's formerly 'wild' ponies, which have been penned in here since the late…
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Outer Banks
This very pleasant manicured park in Corolla preserves 39 acres of gorgeous sound-front and sound-side property that was once the waterfowl- and duck…
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Outer Banks
Built at the turn of the 20th century, this was the home of Captain David Williams and his family and is a good example of how those in Ocracoke lived 100…
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Charlotte
An Uptown landmark, thanks to sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle’s huge mirror-tiled Firebird out front, this showcase for 20th-century art was donated to the…
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Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Outer Banks
At the northern end of Hatteras Island, and named after the dune peas that grow in the sand, this 5834-acre (land portion only) reserve is a bird-watcher…
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Reynolda House Museum of American Art
North Carolina
Tobacco magnate RJ Reynolds started operations in Winston-Salem in 1875, and the family business prospered through world-beating brands including Camel …
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Charlotte
There’s a lot to read at Charlotte’s history museum, in a restored mansion 6 miles east of the center. Wordy displays explain the city’s origins, and its…
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Charlotte
A pleasant woodland stroll within the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve leads past aviaries holding predatory birds that have suffered injuries – you may…
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Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
North Carolina
Only accessible with combined admission to Old Salem’s other historic sites, this showpiece museum extends way beyond the local Moravian heritage to…
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Asheville
An incongruous survivor of old Asheville, this downtown clapboard structure was the childhood home of Look Homeward, Angel author Thomas Wolfe (1900–38)…
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Outer Banks
A pleasant waterfront boardwalk with 27 shops and eateries dotted around it. Peruse local design shops, do a Village Yoga session, or grab a bottle of…
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Asheville
A veritable time machine, this downtown treat transports gamers back to the much-lamented pinball arcades of yesteryear. With stock ranging from vintage…
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Charlotte
This small park celebrates the African American artist and writer Romare Bearden, born in Charlotte in 1911. A pretty spot to admire the Uptown skyline or…
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Outer Banks
Built in 1872, this photogenic lighthouse opened its doors to visitors in 2013. The 170ft-high structure still has its original Fresnel lens – a rarity…
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Charlotte
This thriving Uptown art museum was named in honor of former city mayor and civil rights champion Harvey Gannt. Its three small galleries host changing…
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Outer Banks
Built in 1823, this is the oldest lighthouse still operating in North Carolina, though it cannot be climbed. The walls are 5ft thick and the non-rotating…
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Outer Banks
Showcasing historic artifacts about the original inhabitants of the Outer Banks. Collectors' items come from all over the USA and include everything from…
