Best places to visit in North Carolina

North Carolina Essentials

North Carolina's landscape spans from the highest elevations in the eastern United States at Mount Mitchell and Clingmans Dome to the historic shores of the Outer Banks. This collection features the Gilded Age opulence of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and the WWII legacy of the USS North Carolina in Wilmington. Natural highlights include the 60-foot natural waterslide at Sliding Rock, the rugged vistas of Chimney Rock, and the historic beacons of Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke. Cultural sites like Fort Raleigh preserve the history of early English settlements, while the Museum of Natural Sciences showcases the region's biodiversity.

North Carolina Essentials — Map

Lboccuto / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Biltmore Estate

Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina.

Billy Hathorn / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Clingmans Dome

Clingmans Dome is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States.

Captain-tucker / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Cape Hatteras Light Station

Cape Hatteras Light is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks in the town of Buxton, North Carolina and is part of the…

Hammerattack / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial

USS North Carolina is the lead ship of the North Carolina class of fast battleships, the first vessel of the type built for the United…

Jrmichae / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Mount Mitchell

Mount Mitchell, known in Cherokee as Attakulla, is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland eastern…

Choco227 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park

Chimney Rock State Park is a North Carolina state park in Chimney Rock, Rutherford County, North Carolina in the United States.

Ken Thomas / Public domain

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Linville Falls

Linville Falls is a waterfall located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the United States.

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Newfound Gap

Newfound Gap is a mountain pass located near the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of the southern Appalachian Mountains in…

Captain-tucker / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site preserves the location of Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in the present-day United States.

Jayron32 / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is a museum in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ken Thomas / Public domain

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The Blowing Rock

Blowing Rock is a town in Watauga and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

VeeDrummer / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Sliding Rock

Natural waterslide, 60-foot long waterfall ending in a chilly pool. Fantastic attraction!

Digitscd / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Bodie Island Lighthouse

The current Bodie Island Lighthouse is the third that has stood in this vicinity of Bodie Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and…

Vbofficial / Public domain

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Ocracoke Lighthouse

Ocracoke Light was built in Hyde County, on Ocracoke Island, Ocracoke, North Carolina in 1823 by Massachusetts builder Noah Porter.

Ken Thomas / Public domain

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North Carolina Aquariums

North Carolina Aquariums is a system of three public aquariums located in Kure Beach, Roanoke Island and Pine Knoll Shores.

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