North Carolina’s top 13 travel destinations, ranging from the Outer Banks to the Smoky Mountains
3. Find Out About Durham’s Lemurs
Although Durham is sometimes included with Raleigh, it has a distinct personality. There is a lot to see both on and off campus at renowned Duke University. With the most varied population of lemurs outside of Madagascar, the Duke Lemur Center is a top-notch primate facility that offers guided visits by appointment.
Explore the galleries of the Nasher Museum of Art, which has contemporary paintings by President Obama’s painter Kehinde Wiley with items from Mesoamerica. Native North Carolina species such as the Venus flytrap may be found in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, which opened its doors in 1934.
4. Take up art in Greensboro
The parent business of Wrangler jeans and Lee has a long history of manufacturing textiles in Greensboro. Once upon a time, a downtown store that sold leftover textiles from these mills was resurrected as the quirky Elsewhere Museum, where artists produce new works inspired by the existing structure.
During the Civil Rights Movement, the city made history when students staged a sit-in at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. The International Civil Rights Center & Museum houses the original seats in addition to displays on voting rights and the Middle Passage.
5. Explore the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina’s past
North Carolina is the calmer half of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is located between Tennessee and North Carolina. The Smokies, one of North Carolina’s greatest national parks, provide a singular fusion of outdoor experiences, culture, and history. Travelers may experience the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, which follows the Tuckasegee River, at Bryson City. Originally the town’s only rafting outfitter, the Nantahala Outdoor Center has expanded to provide ziplining, cottages, and a restaurant.
The Cherokee town honors the Native Americans who were taken by force along the Trail of Tears. The 11,000-year-old history of the tribe is presented in the seasonal outdoor performance Unto These Hills and at the Museum of the Cherokee People.
6. Take a plunge at the Outer Banks
Numerous islands with little towns and fishing villages may be found on the Outer Banks. European settlers originally settled along this 175-mile region, including the enigmatic Roanoke colony that vanished in 1587.
Blackbeard was among the pirates that patrolled the waterways before he met his demise on Ocracoke Island. Because there are so many shipwrecks on the ocean floor that are now great places to dive, it is also known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
The Outer Banks provide history, excitement, and breathtaking natural beauty for a summer getaway. Visitors may see the site of the Wright Brothers’ maiden flight at Kitty Hawk. At the adjacent Jockey’s Ridge State Park sand dunes, try your hand at gliding. The lighthouses at Cape Hatteras, Currituck Beach, and Bodie Island offer some of the greatest vistas along the coast.
7. Have dinner in Raleigh
The dynamism of the capital city draws in art enthusiasts. The artistic output of both domestic and foreign artists is on display at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The Pour House, which debuted in 1997, hosts traveling musicians.
Many of the state’s James Beard-nominated restaurants are located in Raleigh as well. Among the first was Ashley Christensen, who has since built an empire that consists of several eateries, the most well-known of which being Poole’s Diner. Gumbo and grilled shrimp are among the traditional Louisiana dishes served at St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar. In Downtown Raleigh, you may also locate restaurants The Cortez by Oscar Diaz and Ajja by Cheetie Kumar, both of whom are James Beard nominees.
8. Visit Wilmington’s “mini-Hollywood”
Wilmington is a city located inland from the Atlantic Ocean on the Cape River. Because of the neighboring film studio, it has also gained recognition throughout the years as a kind of tiny Hollywood.
Use the visitor’s center pamphlets as a guide to explore the filming locations of Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, and Eastbound & Down, and embrace your memories.
Michael Jordan, a young athlete, was also raised in Wilmington. The legendary basketball player’s jerseys and other memorabilia are on display at the Cape Fear Museum of History. A duplicate skeleton of a huge sloth that roamed the prehistoric world is also on display at the museum.
