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…
Must-see attractions in North Carolina
Coastal North Carolina
Pickled specimens, occult memorabilia, a taxidermied two-headed lamb, a bigfoot imprint and plenty of other oddities are on show at this truly peculiar…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
North Carolina Mountains
If you’re traveling with kids or are a wannabe prospector yourself, stop 3 miles west of Boone to pan for semiprecious stones. Several gem-mining spots…
The Triangle
Regardless of allegiances, any basketball fan will appreciate this small but well-done temple to Tar Heel hoops. The numbers say it all – six national…
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 …
The Triangle
There’s something to appeal to every child at Durham’s Museum of Life & Science, 3 miles north of downtown. Its main building, stuffed with everything…
The Triangle
After the Civil War, Confederate veteran Washington Duke returned to his farm and built an astonishing fortune, astonishingly fast. Tobacco manufacturing…
Charlotte
A pleasant woodland stroll within the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve leads past aviaries holding predatory birds that have suffered injuries – you may…
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…
North Carolina Maritime Museum
Coastal North Carolina
The pirate Blackbeard was a frequent visitor to the Beaufort area in the early 1700s. In 1996, the wreckage of his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was…
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…
The Triangle
The imposing antebellum buildings of America’s oldest public university center on a quad lined with flowering pear trees. Pick up a map either at the…
Coastal North Carolina
Emerald Isle's 12 miles of pristine beach has soft, golden sands and the green-blue waters the area is named after. The car park at the Eastern Regional…
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…
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…
Outer Banks
Kick off your shoes for a leg-stretching climb up Jockey's Ridge, the largest sand dune on the East Coast. With a 360-degree view that sweeps over the…
Corolla Wild Horse Fund Museum
Outer Banks
This small nonprofit museum spotlights the wild mustangs that inhabit the dunes and shoreline north of Corolla. Also runs two-hour tours to see the horses…
Coastal North Carolina
In spring, wander past thousands of bright azaleas at this 67-acre wonderland, also home to bewitching formal flowerbeds, seasonal gardens, pine trees,…
Outer Banks
The 16th-century-style Elizabethan Gardens include a Shakespearean herb garden and rows of beautifully manicured flower beds. Check online to see what's…
North Carolina Mountains
At this much-loved Wild West–themed amusement park, a 1917 coal-fired steam train chugs on a 3-mile loop past heroic cowboys and marauding Indians.
Charlotte
This multimedia 'library' celebrates superstar evangelist and 'pastor to the presidents' Billy Graham, who was born in Charlotte in 1918 and died just…
The Triangle
The major landmark on Duke University’s west campus, and the epitome of its neo-Gothic style, is the 210ft tower of Duke Chapel. Erected in the 1930s, the…
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…
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…
North Carolina Mountains
The spot where scientific forestry management was first attempted in the US, financed by George Vanderbilt back in 1895, is now a showcase for the Forest…
Coastal North Carolina
It's not the most impressive aquarium out there, and is a tad pricey, but offers a good option for small children or those wanting to explore the waters…
Asheville
An incongruous survivor of old Asheville, this downtown clapboard structure was the childhood home of Look Homeward, Angel author Thomas Wolfe (1900–38)…
The Triangle
A fine example of Greek Revival architecture, North Carolina’s handsome state capitol was completed in 1840. Despite the risk of running into legislators…
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…
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…
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…
Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education
Outer Banks
This modern education center has an 8000-gallon aquarium and a life-size marsh diorama with a duck blind. Don't miss the 20-minute film about area history…
Outer Banks
You'll climb 220 steps to get to the top of this red-brick lighthouse, which is still in operation. The light from its Fresnal lens can be seen from 18…
North Carolina Mountains
Bluegrass legend Doc Watson was born 10 miles east of Boone in 1923. He’s commemorated by this bronze statue downtown, which depicts him seated and…
