North Carolina Travel Guide and Great NC Travel Info

Use our NC Travel Guide to plan your North Carolina road trip. Watch the best NC travel videos from around North Carolina.

North Carolina, is consistently ranked among the top travel and tourism destinations in the United States. This NC travel guide is previewing the best of what North Carolina and Myrtle Beach, SC have to offer. This includes things to do, golf, dining, lodging, entertainment venues, cultural events and more. Plus, the NC Roadtrips Travel Guide includes a constantly-changing collection of spectacular videos – so you can see exactly where you are going and better plan your trip. This NC Travel Guide has been created in Flash -- for easy navigation and a quick and entertaining online experience. There is so much to see and do across North Carolina – from the crest of the Appalachian Mountains to the Outer Banks. From North Carolina’s vibrant cities like Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro – to the smaller towns dripping with charm like Pinehurst and Chapel Hill. You will also find useful information on area hotels, bed & breakfasts, quaint inns, campgrounds and more. How do you use the NC Roadtrips Travel Guide? The Guide is well organized so you can easily find exactly what you are looking for. Just click on the logos for video and information.

And that’s not all. Before you plan, check what’s new on our NC Roadtrips Travel Blog. The Blog is an entertaining and useful tool that provides inside information on great things to do that you may not hear about. Plus, the Blog is scrupulously up to date – providing fresh information daily on unique things to do and see, including cultural events and festivals, for the NC Mountains, the NC Piedmont, and the NC Coast, including Myrtle Beach.

The mountains of North Carolina rank as one of the nation’s top tourism destinations. Names like Blowing Rock, Grandfather Mountain, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Asheville, Biltmore House, Pilot Mountain, Appalachian State University, Boone, the Smokey Mountains – and so much much more. Those who are lucky to live in North Carolina know that so many wonderful mountain adventures can be enjoyed in a weekend outing. Favorites include the Biltmore House and gardens, including their excellent winery, the family fun to be had at the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad, the Tweetsie Raidroad, or Jet Boat rides on Lake Fontana. On the crests and in the deep valleys spectacular homes and gated communities are being built along with world-class golf courses. And then there are the myriad North Carolina festivals – the Highland Games in Hendersonville, the Beer Festival in Boone. Plus, so much culture and mountain lore can be found at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina and The Porter Center for Performing Arts at Brevard College. In fact, Jackson County, NC in particular is a feast for the senses – a North Carolina travel destination that offers “all in one” touring pleasure. You’ll find so much scenic beauty and things to do in Cashiers, Cullowhee, Balsam and Cherokee on the edge of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. If you like the essence of hometown fun North Carolina style, journey on up to colorful Mount Airy, home of North Carolina’s most famous native son, Andy Griffith. They even have a special Mayberry Days festival. And if you like Appalachian Mountain inspired music, don’t miss MerleFest hosted by famed guitar flat picker, Doc Watson. MerleFest is held each Spring at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Oh, and don’t forget bisecting this spectacular NC mountain region is the famed and not to be missed Blue Ridge Parkway. As we say here at NC Roadtrips.com -- so much to do; so little time.

The Piedmont, better known as the “heartland” of North Carolina, is one of the most economically vibrant and culturally rich sections of the state if not the nation. There’s Charlotte, a business dynamo and home to Bank of America. There’s Hickory at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. There’s the “triad” area consisting of Winston-Salem, High Point, and Greensboro. Plus, not to be missed is the thriving capital of the state, Raleigh – recognized as one of the top places to live in the United States. Raleigh comprises an affluent, highly educated “triangle” that also includes Durham and Chapel Hill. Here you will find the powerhouse institutions of higher learning: North Carolina State University, Duke University and the world-renowned Duke University Medical Center, plus the University of North Carolina and its equally impressive UNC Hospitals. On top of this you will find the important North Carolina Research Triangle Park, home to companies like GlaxoSmithKline Inc, IBM, Sony Erricsson Mobile Communications, Dupont, Credit Swisse, Cisco and many many more. North Carolina’s piedmont has direct flights to Europe from both Charlotte and Raleigh – good for the business and recreational traveler. And move over Napa Valley, North Carolina is gaining a reputation for superb wine making. Take in Winston-Salem and historic Old Salem on your way to the Yadkin Valley and popular Yadkin Valley Wine Trail that takes you to excellent vineyards like Raffaldini, Old North State, Shelton, Childress and many more. And if that were not enough, North Carolina is one of the top three golf destinations. The Piedmont is home to so many great golf courses it’s hard to keep track, including the famed Home of American golf in Pinehurst. If outdoor activities are your passion. Check this list of places offering great outdoor adventures: North Carolina Zoological Park at Asheboro, Lake James State Park, Lake Norman, Hanging Rock State Park, and more. And don’t forget barbecue and stockcar racing. We’re talking about Lexington, North Carolina home to Carolina barbecue for generations. And if you like NASCAR and unfettered shopping, head to Cabarrus County, a dynamic place to live and work. This area is home to the #1 tourist destination in the state – the shopping extravaganza known as Concord Mills -- as well as Lowe's Motor Speedway, Reed Gold Mine and more. One final tip: Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina is a sprawling military base. One big reason to head to Fayetteville? The extremely popular and always fascinating Airborne and Special Operations Museum.

North Carolina Piedmont........ Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, High Point, Fayetteville

The North Carolina coast evokes adventure and romance: The Outer Banks, The Crystal Coast, Currituck, Beaufort, Hatteras Lighthouse, Black Beard the pirate, the Wright Brothers and Kitty Hawk, Cape Hatteras, Cape Fear, Kill Devil Hills, “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, Manteo, the Lost Colony, fishing and surfing and so much more. Can there be a better human playground and natural wonderland than North Carolina’s storied coastline? From the Outer Banks (Ocracoke, Duck, Nags Head) to the port of Wilmington -- and on south to the Grand Strand at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina -- savvy weekend travelers as well as sophisticated continent hoppers have for generations targeted this area. All come to feast on the sights and experiences to be had here. If you have traveled at all, you know the sand on the wide and flat North Carolina and South Carolina beaches is among the best to be found anywhere in the world -- white and pure and soft. Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach, Topsail Island, these are the stuff of great beach holidays. Do you like history? One of the state’s most popular attractions is the Battleship USS North Carolina berthed at Wilmington. How about Civil War history? It abounds. Check out sites at Fort Fisher and the Battle of Hatteras Island; New Bern and Beaufort saw important blue and gray conflicts as well. Trace the footsteps of movie stars. Wilmington, North Carolina is home to a Screen Gems studio and One Tree Hill and Dawson's Creek locations. If you are a true nature lover you can follow the baby sea turtles making their way to the ocean at midnight. Or thrill to the Corolla and Shackleford Banks, North Carolina wild horses that date back 400 years. And there’s so much more: Aurora Fossil Museum, North Carolina Maritime Museum, Orton Plantation Gardens in Wilmington, the stunning North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Tryon Palace at New Bern and more. If you’re into extreme sports test yourself surfing the bigger stuff at Cape Point near Buxton, North Carolina. Go Kiteboarding in the East Coast’s Hurricane Alley for big wind and big waves; the best action is Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Drive a little south and you find 60 miles of crystal sandy beaches at Myrtle Beach, one of the greatest fun spots along the entire east coast. Names to remember and places to check out: Dixie Stampede, the Alabama Theatre, Hard Rock Café, Le Grande Cirque, Planet Hollywood, House of Blues, Imax Discovery Theater, Carolina Opry & Good Vibrations. – plus one hundred of the finest golf courses you’ll ever find from TPC to Caledonia and True Blue. It’s all here -- on the unforgettable North Carolina and South Carolina coasts. Just do it.