What to do in North Carolina?

Hello,

If you were to visit North Carolina for 8 days in the first week of November
this year, what would be your recommendations for best things to see and do
in the state? I'd like to come away with a feel for what makes the state
special: cultural, historical, culinary, natural, liveable.

Recommendations on lodging are welcome, too--something in the $100/night
range would be good. I'm looking for accomdations that would help to make
the trip special.

No children would be travelling, just one adult.

Also, the trip's emphasis would be less on the coast, more on the eastern
and especially the central portions, though I welcome
comments/recommendations about the coast, too.

Thank you.

I would recommend that you spend at least a few days in the western
mountains. While there get a BBQ sandwich. FFM

ayoung wrote:

Hello,

If you were to visit North Carolina for 8 days in the first week of November
this year, what would be your recommendations for best things to see and do
in the state? I'd like to come away with a feel for what makes the state
special: cultural, historical, culinary, natural, liveable.

Recommendations on lodging are welcome, too--something in the $100/night
range would be good. I'm looking for accomdations that would help to make
the trip special.

No children would be travelling, just one adult.

Also, the trip's emphasis would be less on the coast, more on the eastern
and especially the central portions, though I welcome
comments/recommendations about the coast, too.

Thank you.

"ayoung" wrote in message ...
Hello,

If you were to visit North Carolina for 8 days in the first week of November
this year, what would be your recommendations for best things to see and do
in the state? I'd like to come away with a feel for what makes the state
special: cultural, historical, culinary, natural, liveable.

Recommendations on lodging are welcome, too--something in the $100/night
range would be good. I'm looking for accomdations that would help to make
the trip special.

No children would be travelling, just one adult.

Also, the trip's emphasis would be less on the coast, more on the eastern
and especially the central portions, though I welcome
comments/recommendations about the coast, too.

Thank you.


NC is a BIG state. So you'll have to make tough choices over how to
spend
your time. I'll give you a bunch of random ideas, starting in the
West, and let you pick what sounds interesting:

Mountains
-----------

1) Blue Ridge/Smokies West of Asheville - one of my favorite spots.
The best parks of Great Smoky Mountain NP are probably on the
Tennessee side, but there are lots of places to get a since for
mountain heritage. Cades Cove loop road (TN side) is one well know
such place. Cherokee is a VERY touristy area just out of the park in
NC. Kitschy indian stuff, casino, etc. The Blue Ridge Parkway around
highway 215 and 276 is incredible. If you can get into Mt. Pisgah Inn,
on the BRP itself, that would be a great base and have amazing views.
Lots of sites on 276 between the Parkway and Brevard. The Cradle of
Forestry, Sliding Rock (much too cold to do in November, though),
Looking Glass Falls. On the BRP, the whole Shining Rock Wilderness
area has great hiking. Graveyard Fields is nice.

2) Asheville - Given your criteria, I would not miss the Biltmore
House, George Vanderbilt's amazing residence. The winery gets good
reviews, too. The Grove Park Inn is fabulous, but pricey. Worth a
visit even if not staying there (disclaimer, my brother works there,
but I've been praising since long before). It is one of the best
examples of Arts and Crafts style outside of California. Lots of very
good bed and breakfasts in Asheville. Downtown is very nice. Lots of
antiques, good restaurants, etc. Malaprops bookstore is a local
landmark.
Thomas Wolfe residence is there, although I've not done the tour.

3) Mountains East of Asheville - Mt. Mitchell is highest point in the
east. East of that, the Linville Falls, Linville Gorge, Viaduct,
Grandfather Mt., Price Lake, Moses Cone, Blowing Rock area is
beatiful. The Viaduct is very scenic. It was the last section of the
Blue Ridge Parkway, built to hug the
side of private Grandfather Mountain. The Tanawha Trail that runs next
to it is an awesome trail. Blowing Rock has some nice inns.

One thing I recommend in the mountain areas is getting off the Parkway
and Interstates at some point and stopping by one of the roadside
places that sell Apples, jams, cider, etc.

Piedmont
-------

The middle of the state was born around 3 things: tobacco, textiles,
furniture.
With the latter two going offshore at a quick clip, and the former on
its last legs already, it is a depressing scene at times. High Point
and Hickory are especially connected to the furniture industry.
FurnitureLand South in HP on I-85-Business has to be the largest
furniture store in the world. People fly in from all over just to shop
there. Winston-Salem is, as the name would suggest, mainly known for
cigarettes. Nowadays, the local darling is Krispy Kreme. Many
vineyards are starting to pop up in the rural areas. NC apparently led
the nation in wine before the Prohibition. Land was converted to
tobacco farming at that point, which proved to be MUCH more
profitable. Now it is going back to grapes. Shelton and Raylen are two
I'm familiar with. W-S has a pretty interesting history. The Reynolds
and the Hanes families had unbelievable success with tobacco and
textiles and the town had an amazing amount of wealth in the early
20th century. It was two towns, Winston and Salem. Salem was a small
Moravian village which retains its historic nature today in Old Salem.
You can tour the village. Sort of a smaller scale Colonial
Williamsburg.
The Reynolds family had a family estate called Reynolda. The house is
now an art museum, while the gardens are free to walk thru. It
connects to Wake Forest University. Nearby Greensboro has a historic
battlefield that is interesting.

Make sure to try the pork Barbeque in this area. Lexington is best
known for it, but there are good places in W-S and G'boro as well. The
"western" style has a red sauce. Compare it to the Eastern 'Q'

An hour and a half or so from W-S is the "Triangle", or "Research
Triangle" (W-S, G'boro, HP make up the "Triad"). In November, you find
beautiful college campuses at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. And you find
good football at NC State.
Next door to the NC State football stadium, you'll find the Carolina
Hurricanes NHL team. Lots of museums in this area. The NC Museum of
History is probably the most interesting if you are trying to learn
about the state. It is next to the Capitol downtown in Raleigh. Some
nice small towns with some charm and antique shops, etc. in this area.
Pittsboro, Apex, Selma, Fuquay-Varina. Two large man-made lakes.
Umstead Park is a nice, large wooded state park located in the middle
of the triangle. Durham has the Durham Bulls minor league baseball
(and inspiration for the Bull Durham movie) which is nice, but over
for the season.

South of all of this stuff is Charlotte, but it is a bit disconnected
from the rest of the state. A large, sprawling city with NFL and
(soon) NBA teams.

East
-----

Things change very rabidly once you head east of Raleigh. The rolling
hills end.
The area is known for farming, especially pig farms ( and the smell ),
and military bases. The Eastern BBQ has a vinegar-based sauce.
Smithfields BBQ is a local chain. Also try their Brunswick Stew and
Fried Chicken. For most of us, Eastern NC is something we pass thru on
the way to the Coast. New Bern being the main place of interest due to
Tryon Palace. East of here are some great towns on the coastal rivers
and sounds. Bellhaven, Oriental, Bath, Elizabethtown.

The Coast
---------

NC has a very large coastline, with lots to see and lots of history.
If you start in the North, you'll approach around Kitty Hawk (either
just north or just south). You can travel up thru Duck to Corolla.
Nice area. Beautiful red lighthouse. Kitty Hawk has the Wright Bros.
Memorial. Make sure to see a ranger talk, they are very imformative.
They have a new structure for the centennial, but I found it mainly
fluff. Walk the grounds. Nearby is Jockey's Ridge, a large sand dune.
On nearby Roanoke Island, you'll find lots of history. I think the
"Lost Colony" play is only in summer. but there is an aquarium and
replica Elizabethan ship. South of Nags Head is the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore.
There is a rescue museum, a Charles Kuralt nature walk, and lots of
beach.
If the highway repairs are down by then, you'll eventually reach Cape
Hatteras and the reknowned lighthouse. I think it is closed for the
season, though. (hurricane resulted in a new inlet punching thru. they
are officially calling it a breach and repairing it quickly without
regard to the ecosystem). A ferry will take you to the charming island
of Ocrakoke. Rent a bike or a kayak. A great place, but probably not a
lot going on in November. A ferry from here
will take you to Cedar Island. From either Ocrakoke or CI you can take
trips to Portsmouth Village. This village, now abandoned, is on Cape
Lookout National Seashore. From Harker's Island, you can take a
private ferry across to the seashore at the Cape Lookout lighthouse.
Great shelling here.

Beafort and Morehead City are nearby. Beaufort has some nice B&Bs and
is quite charming. The coastline from here to Wilmington is mainly
quaint family beaches with vacation homes. Wilmington is a very cool
town. Downtown has lots of cool shops at the riverfront (complete with
battleship you can tour). Wrightsville Beach is nearby. You could also
visit Ft. Fisher and go the the aquarium. Further down the coast is
Southport, a pretty seaside town off the beaten path. From here you
can take a people ferry to Bald Head Island. BHI is mainly a quiet
resort (no cars - golfcarts and bikes only). But it is worth a daytrip
for the lighthouse, marshes, and beach.

My thoughts:

Asheville, Ocracoke, and Wilmington are probably the most interesting
and charming places in the state, with maybe a stop at Old Salem
and/or downtown Raleigh museums thrown in. Plus a stretch (or two) of
the Blue Ridge Parkway and an afternoon doing Hatteras and Kitty Hawk.

If you are a fresh water fisherman, the brackish waters of Curituck
Sound (near Kitty Hawk) are great for large mouth bass. Guides are
available. I've done it a few times during summer months, but I have no
idea as to what the possibilities for fishing are for November. You
might inquire.

As I write this, hanging on the wall to my left is an 8 pounder that I
took from those waters.

Of course, while in that area, you might visit the site of the Wright
Bros. first flight.

B.A.

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Thanks for all the tips!

--
~~Bluesea~~
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Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Rodney Boles" wrote in message
om...
"ayoung" wrote in message
...
Hello,

If you were to visit North Carolina for 8 days in the first week of
November
this year, what would be your recommendations for best things to see and
do
in the state? I'd like to come away with a feel for what makes the state
special: cultural, historical, culinary, natural, liveable.

Recommendations on lodging are welcome, too--something in the $100/night
range would be good. I'm looking for accomdations that would help to
make
the trip special.

No children would be travelling, just one adult.

Also, the trip's emphasis would be less on the coast, more on the
eastern
and especially the central portions, though I welcome
comments/recommendations about the coast, too.

Thank you.


NC is a BIG state. So you'll have to make tough choices over how to
spend
your time. I'll give you a bunch of random ideas, starting in the
West, and let you pick what sounds interesting:

Mountains
-----------

1) Blue Ridge/Smokies West of Asheville - one of my favorite spots.
The best parks of Great Smoky Mountain NP are probably on the
Tennessee side, but there are lots of places to get a since for
mountain heritage. Cades Cove loop road (TN side) is one well know
such place. Cherokee is a VERY touristy area just out of the park in
NC. Kitschy indian stuff, casino, etc. The Blue Ridge Parkway around
highway 215 and 276 is incredible. If you can get into Mt. Pisgah Inn,
on the BRP itself, that would be a great base and have amazing views.
Lots of sites on 276 between the Parkway and Brevard. The Cradle of
Forestry, Sliding Rock (much too cold to do in November, though),
Looking Glass Falls. On the BRP, the whole Shining Rock Wilderness
area has great hiking. Graveyard Fields is nice.

2) Asheville - Given your criteria, I would not miss the Biltmore
House, George Vanderbilt's amazing residence. The winery gets good
reviews, too. The Grove Park Inn is fabulous, but pricey. Worth a
visit even if not staying there (disclaimer, my brother works there,
but I've been praising since long before). It is one of the best
examples of Arts and Crafts style outside of California. Lots of very
good bed and breakfasts in Asheville. Downtown is very nice. Lots of
antiques, good restaurants, etc. Malaprops bookstore is a local
landmark.
Thomas Wolfe residence is there, although I've not done the tour.

3) Mountains East of Asheville - Mt. Mitchell is highest point in the
east. East of that, the Linville Falls, Linville Gorge, Viaduct,
Grandfather Mt., Price Lake, Moses Cone, Blowing Rock area is
beatiful. The Viaduct is very scenic. It was the last section of the
Blue Ridge Parkway, built to hug the
side of private Grandfather Mountain. The Tanawha Trail that runs next
to it is an awesome trail. Blowing Rock has some nice inns.

One thing I recommend in the mountain areas is getting off the Parkway
and Interstates at some point and stopping by one of the roadside
places that sell Apples, jams, cider, etc.

Piedmont
-------

The middle of the state was born around 3 things: tobacco, textiles,
furniture.
With the latter two going offshore at a quick clip, and the former on
its last legs already, it is a depressing scene at times. High Point
and Hickory are especially connected to the furniture industry.
FurnitureLand South in HP on I-85-Business has to be the largest
furniture store in the world. People fly in from all over just to shop
there. Winston-Salem is, as the name would suggest, mainly known for
cigarettes. Nowadays, the local darling is Krispy Kreme. Many
vineyards are starting to pop up in the rural areas. NC apparently led
the nation in wine before the Prohibition. Land was converted to
tobacco farming at that point, which proved to be MUCH more
profitable. Now it is going back to grapes. Shelton and Raylen are two
I'm familiar with. W-S has a pretty interesting history. The Reynolds
and the Hanes families had unbelievable success with tobacco and
textiles and the town had an amazing amount of wealth in the early
20th century. It was two towns, Winston and Salem. Salem was a small
Moravian village which retains its historic nature today in Old Salem.
You can tour the village. Sort of a smaller scale Colonial
Williamsburg.
The Reynolds family had a family estate called Reynolda. The house is
now an art museum, while the gardens are free to walk thru. It
connects to Wake Forest University. Nearby Greensboro has a historic
battlefield that is interesting.

Make sure to try the pork Barbeque in this area. Lexington is best
known for it, but there are good places in W-S and G'boro as well. The
"western" style has a red sauce. Compare it to the Eastern 'Q'

An hour and a half or so from W-S is the "Triangle", or "Research
Triangle" (W-S, G'boro, HP make up the "Triad"). In November, you find
beautiful college campuses at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. And you find
good football at NC State.
Next door to the NC State football stadium, you'll find the Carolina
Hurricanes NHL team. Lots of museums in this area. The NC Museum of
History is probably the most interesting if you are trying to learn
about the state. It is next to the Capitol downtown in Raleigh. Some
nice small towns with some charm and antique shops, etc. in this area.
Pittsboro, Apex, Selma, Fuquay-Varina. Two large man-made lakes.
Umstead Park is a nice, large wooded state park located in the middle
of the triangle. Durham has the Durham Bulls minor league baseball
(and inspiration for the Bull Durham movie) which is nice, but over
for the season.

South of all of this stuff is Charlotte, but it is a bit disconnected
from the rest of the state. A large, sprawling city with NFL and
(soon) NBA teams.

East
-----

Things change very rabidly once you head east of Raleigh. The rolling
hills end.
The area is known for farming, especially pig farms ( and the smell ),
and military bases. The Eastern BBQ has a vinegar-based sauce.
Smithfields BBQ is a local chain. Also try their Brunswick Stew and
Fried Chicken. For most of us, Eastern NC is something we pass thru on
the way to the Coast. New Bern being the main place of interest due to
Tryon Palace. East of here are some great towns on the coastal rivers
and sounds. Bellhaven, Oriental, Bath, Elizabethtown.

The Coast
---------

NC has a very large coastline, with lots to see and lots of history.
If you start in the North, you'll approach around Kitty Hawk (either
just north or just south). You can travel up thru Duck to Corolla.
Nice area. Beautiful red lighthouse. Kitty Hawk has the Wright Bros.
Memorial. Make sure to see a ranger talk, they are very imformative.
They have a new structure for the centennial, but I found it mainly
fluff. Walk the grounds. Nearby is Jockey's Ridge, a large sand dune.
On nearby Roanoke Island, you'll find lots of history. I think the
"Lost Colony" play is only in summer. but there is an aquarium and
replica Elizabethan ship. South of Nags Head is the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore.
There is a rescue museum, a Charles Kuralt nature walk, and lots of
beach.
If the highway repairs are down by then, you'll eventually reach Cape
Hatteras and the reknowned lighthouse. I think it is closed for the
season, though. (hurricane resulted in a new inlet punching thru. they
are officially calling it a breach and repairing it quickly without
regard to the ecosystem). A ferry will take you to the charming island
of Ocrakoke. Rent a bike or a kayak. A great place, but probably not a
lot going on in November. A ferry from here
will take you to Cedar Island. From either Ocrakoke or CI you can take
trips to Portsmouth Village. This village, now abandoned, is on Cape
Lookout National Seashore. From Harker's Island, you can take a
private ferry across to the seashore at the Cape Lookout lighthouse.
Great shelling here.

Beafort and Morehead City are nearby. Beaufort has some nice B&Bs and
is quite charming. The coastline from here to Wilmington is mainly
quaint family beaches with vacation homes. Wilmington is a very cool
town. Downtown has lots of cool shops at the riverfront (complete with
battleship you can tour). Wrightsville Beach is nearby. You could also
visit Ft. Fisher and go the the aquarium. Further down the coast is
Southport, a pretty seaside town off the beaten path. From here you
can take a people ferry to Bald Head Island. BHI is mainly a quiet
resort (no cars - golfcarts and bikes only). But it is worth a daytrip
for the lighthouse, marshes, and beach.

My thoughts:

Asheville, Ocracoke, and Wilmington are probably the most interesting
and charming places in the state, with maybe a stop at Old Salem
and/or downtown Raleigh museums thrown in. Plus a stretch (or two) of
the Blue Ridge Parkway and an afternoon doing Hatteras and Kitty Hawk.