North Carolina Places to Visit
North Carolina boasts nearly 100 state parks, museums, historic sites, aquariums and other attractions. Use the tool below to find places to visit by activity, theme, region or cost. As you check boxes on the right side of the screen, the places listed on the right will narrow to fit your criteria. Click on place's title to learn more.
Visit our things to do page for more information on all the wonderful things to do you'll find in the Tar Heel state.
- Historic Site
The site of a revolution that helped to spark the Revolutionary War. Rental option
- Historic Site
One of the most decorated battleships of World War II that now serves as a memorial to all North Carolina veterans.
- Historic Site
The place where the Civil War truly ended; the site of the largest surrender of the Civil War. Rental Option
- Historic Site
The site of the largest Civil War conflict in North Carolina. Rental option
- Historic Site
A Civil War fort and the ruins of an early colonial settlement. Rental option
- Park/Natural Area
The home to one of the world's most unique carnivorous plants, featuring a marina secluded soundside camping area and miles of hiking trails through diverse habitats. Rental Options
- Park/Natural Area
Cypress streams, wetlands, longleaf pine forests and a lovely millpond dot Carvers Creek State Park, formerly Long Valley Farm, the historic retreat of a Rockefeller family member.
- Historic Site
A pioneering effort in African American education emphasizing the contributions African Americans made in North Carolina. Rental Option
- Park/Natural Area
The place to find some of North Carolina’s most dramatic mountain views, Chimney Rock State Park also offers hiking trails and fishing on the Rocky Broad River.
- Park/Natural Area
As its name suggests, impressive cliffs overlooking the Neuse River are the defining feature of Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, which also includes a swimming lake and other diverse habitats.
- Park/Natural Area
Just 45 minutes from uptown Charlotte, Crowders Mountain State Park offers challenging hikes, towering cliffs and 25-mile views of the surrounding piedmont.
- Historic Site
- Museum
An interactive museum exploring the Civil War surrounding one of the war's few remaining ironclad ships. Rental options
- Park/Natural Area
Dismal Swamp State Park allows a unique wilderness experience in a landscape that has been witness to everything from American Indian hunting parties to the Underground Railroad.
- Historic Site
The birthplace of the world’s largest tobacco company that would eventually make North Carolina he heart of an international tobacco empire. Rental Option
- Park/Natural Area
Crowned by on the state's highest peaks, Elk Knob State Park also features one of the state system's finest trails.
- Park/Natural Area
Eno River State Park—like its namesake—flows near urban areas of Durham and Orange counties with five scattered access areas, each just minutes from Durham and Chapel Hill.
- Park/Natural Area
A collective of seven access areas scattered around the shoreline of an undeveloped, 12,000-acre reservoir just minutes from Raleigh and Durham.
- Historic Site
A frontier fort during the French and Indian War and North Carolina's only site from the period. Rental Options
- Historic Site
A Civil War fort that tells story of the fall of Wilmington during the Civil War and served as a World War II training facility. Rental Options
- Park/Natural Area
Fort Fisher State Recreation Area offers visitors the opportunity to alternate between nearly six miles of pristine beach and trails through salt marsh brimming with wildlife.
- Park/Natural Area
A park with multiple personalities, featuring a perfectly restored Civil War-era fort, museum-quality coastal education center and unspoiled shoreline for swimming, surf fishing and beachcombing.
- Park/Natural Area
Eight miles of trails at Goose Creek State Park lead visitors through a broad range of coastal experiences including live oaks draped in Spanish moss a cypress swamp.
- Park/Natural Area
Backcountry-style recreation is a hallmark of Gorges State Park with distance hiking, backpack camping, trout fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding all available.
- Historic Site
A representation of 19th century frontier life and the birthplace of one of North Carolina’s most famous governors. Rental Options