North Carolina Places to Visit

An icon in North Carolina’s landscape for generations, Grandfather Mountain offers stunning scenery, challenging hiking and backpacking and unmatched ecological diversity.

A regional history museum that tells the story of thousands of shipwrecks that dot the North Carolina coast.

A crown jewel of the North Carolina coast,  Hammocks Beach State Park includes a three-mile-long, undeveloped barrier island accessible by ferry by paddling.

Fish, swim, paddle, rock climb and hike in the shadow of the Sauratown Mountains, North Carolina's most easterly range.

Haw River State Park and its Summit Center offer a serene setting for a range of group activities.

North Carolina’s first town. Rental options

Featuring 18th and 19th century history, North Carolina's second oldest town Edenton was one of the fledgling nation's chief political, cultural, and commercial centers. Rental Options

The place where the "Halifax Resolves“ was adopted, the first cry from an entire colony recommending independence from England. Rental options

The center of North Carolina's largest pre-Civil War plantation and one of the largest such operations in the South. Rental Options

A historic site showcasing middle class farm life in the northwestern Piedmont at the turn of the 20th century. Rental Options

The site of a significant Revolutionary War skirmish and home to one of North Carolina's early governors. Rental Options

A world-class fishing pier off the Outer Banks that also includes interactive science exhibits, aquarium displays and a beach access. Rental Options

The tallest living sand dune on the Atlantic coast  and a premier location for kites, sightseeing and sunsets with a view arcing from the ocean to Roanoke Sound.

A community destination for lazy picnics under the shade of tall pines and swimming in the lake’s shallow, warm waters.

A collective of nine access areas scattered around the shoreline of this undeveloped, 14,000-acre reservoir, all within an easy drive of Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Sanford and Pittsboro.

A collective of eight access areas scattered around the shoreline of a 50,000-acre reservoir that stretches from Henderson into the southern part of Virginia.

Though its namesake may be its defining feature, Lake James State Park also offers 15 miles of mountain biking trails and the opportunity to explore a segment of the historic Overmountain Victory Trail. 

Situated on the banks of North Carolina's largest manmade lake, this park boasts one of the region’s more popular mountain biking networks among many other amenities.

A visit to this park unveils one of the most unique bodies of water in the world and one of the greatest geological mysteries—the phenomenon of Carolina Bays with species of aquatic life found nowhere else.

A park all about eastern North Carolina paddling, fishing and exquisite scenery with nine access points spanning miles of the Lumber River.

A historic and prized community gathering place flanked by picnic grounds, small fishing ponds and a growing network of hiking trails.

Serenity seems to pervade this park, enhanced by gentle Fishing Creek and a scenic open meadow that spreads from the picnic grounds and majestic Medoc Mountain.

Whether it’s hiking, camping, paddling, fishing, horseback riding, swimming or just taking in scenery or just taking in the scenery, Morrow Mountain State Park offers a different adventure for everyone.

Rising abruptly to more than 1,600 feet above the surrounding landscape, Mount Jefferson State Park's namesake peak is a national natural landmark with a rich history.

Our first state park, centered around a dramatic summit that is the highest point east of the Mississippi and the spruce-fir forest that surrounds it.