Top Places to Visit in North Carolina

North Carolina's geographic diversity — mountains, piedmont, and coast — translates into an extraordinary variety of visitor experiences.

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, following the Appalachian crest. The North Carolina section (about 252 miles) is arguably the most dramatic, with Craggy Gardens, Graveyard Fields, Waterrock Knob, and the Linn Cove Viaduct (a famous engineering achievement that hugs the granite face of Grandfather Mountain). The parkway has no commercial traffic and a 45 mph speed limit — it's designed for experiencing the landscape.

Asheville is the cultural capital of the North Carolina mountains — a city of about 95,000 with a disproportionate concentration of arts, music, food, and craft brewing. The Biltmore Estate (the largest private home in the US, built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890s) draws over 1.5 million visitors annually. River Arts District, the Grove Park Inn, and the downtown food scene make Asheville one of the most compelling small cities in the South.

Outer Banks — Cape Hatteras National Seashore protects 70 miles of undeveloped barrier island beach. The Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk marks the site of the first powered flight. The Ocracoke Island (accessible only by ferry) is one of the most remote and charming beach communities on the East Coast.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NC side) — The North Carolina portion of the park includes Clingmans Dome (the park's and Tennessee's highest point), the Cherokee Indian Reservation, and Cataloochee Valley (one of the best places to see elk in the eastern US).

Grandfather Mountain near Linville is a privately owned natural attraction with a mile-high swinging bridge, nature museum, and exceptional hiking. It's one of the most ecologically significant mountains in the Appalachians.

Cape Lookout National Seashore — more remote than Hatteras, accessible only by ferry to barrier islands with wild horses, pristine beaches, and a stunning black-and-white diamond-patterned lighthouse.