Visit North Carolina

Sample Our Wines This Winter

2012-01-19T15:06:00.007-05:00

There is no better way to relax this season than over a glass of wine shared with friends. Here in North Carolina, our wine-producing roots run deep, and we have more than 100 wineries across the state for you to enjoy.

In addition to fantastic wine, many wineries are offering special events and festivals this time of year. Check out Jazzy Fridays at Cypress Bend Vineyards, happening twice each month, or if you’re a sports fan, try Weathervane Winery’s annual Super Bowl Party in Lexington. Experience six wineries in one place at the Yadkin Winter Reds Event 2012 happening through February or indulge yourself at the Wilmington Wine & Chocolate Festival. For a more complete listing of upcoming wine events, visit our calendar.

With these events and regular tastings at the wineries, there is plenty to do this winter to stay warm and experience something new. Double check the wineries’ winter hours before heading out, and if you have a favorite wine or story to tell, please share it with us in the comments section below.

Get Outside this Winter

2012-01-13T12:51:00.002-05:00

Our mountains are home to slopes and ski resorts to help keep you active this season cure the onset of cabin fever. Take your pick from traditional downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding terrain parks, ice skating, snow tubing, snowshoeing or ziplining over snow-covered peaks. We have it all here.

Beech Mountain Resort’s claim to fame is that at 5,506 feet, it is the highest ski and snowboard destination in the Eastern United States. We aren’t new to the snow sports world: Cataloochee Ski Area is our oldest ski and snowboard resort having opened in 1962, and Appalachian Ski Mountain is celebrating its 50th year this season. If snow tubing is your favorite activity, Hawksnest is home to the largest snow tubing park on the East Coast.

You can check out our park and resort listing and our updates for the 2011-12 season. Many resorts have upgraded their snow guns to keep the slopes ready-covered in snow, added runs for skiing and snowboarding and expanded their terrain. This is the season to make this trip.

Plan your next visit today for anytime through mid-March, and the conditions should be just right for winter fun. Share your adventure with us in the comment section below. We would love to hear your stories!

Vote for Raleigh in Southern Living’s Tastiest Towns Contest

2012-01-06T11:16:00.003-05:00

During the month of January, Southern Living is hosting a contest to determine the South’s Tastiest Town. Our very own Raleigh has been chosen to compete against the likes of Birmingham, Louisville, Houston, Decatur, Charleston, Lafayette, New Orleans, Charlottesville and Baltimore.

Needless to say, Raleigh wants your vote, and here is why. Known for its farm to fork mentality, most Raleigh restaurants boast scrumptious dishes made from local ingredients. Two well known local ingredient options include the Southern American cuisine at 18 Seaboard and the tapas restaurant, Humble Pie. If pizza is more your style, try out Lilly’s at Five Points.

Also home to seven breweries, Raleigh has a great beer scene. from the Big Boss Brewing Company to Boylan Bridge Brewpub and the Roth Brewing Company, there is a draught for you.

The voting ends on Jan. 31, and the winner will be announced in the April edition of Southern Living. Click on over to cast your vote once a day for one of our own, and best of luck to Raleigh and its delectable food scene!

Find Last Minute Gifts

2011-12-15T15:00:00.007-05:00

With Christmas Day just around the corner, there is undoubtedly some gift shopping that remains to be done. To help you find what you’re looking for, we have an exceptional number of shopping opportunities here in North Carolina – from Southpoint in Durham, Southpark in Charlotte to the recently opened Tanger Outlet Center in Mebane near Burlington and the Tanger Shoppes on the Parkway in Blowing Rock. However, in addition to this impressive list, we have plenty of local artists and artisans who create one-of-a-kind gifts anyone would be delighted to receive.

Spruce Pine is a small town in the northwestern mountains that is known as the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree. The town took this name from the award-winning seasonal classic about the courage and power of family, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree.

Using the same theme, the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Store opened in November 2005 and has since filled orders from former First Lady Laura Bush and well known retailers such as A Southern Season and Mast General Store.

Last minute orders for gifts ranging from handmade wooden cutting boards to glass blown ornaments can be placed online or via phone, (866) 485-8733. The store is open year round for all of your gift and craft needs.

If you have a favorite local shop or artisan, please tell us about it in the comments section. We would love to hear about it!

Traditional Holiday Recipes to Share

2011-12-08T12:03:00.003-05:00

Since it’s the holiday season, we thought we would share a few recipes. These recipes are for two North Carolina traditions: mulled wine and Moravian cookies.

Mulled Wine

What you’ll need:

2 bottles dry red wine
4 ounces port or brandy
12 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
1 large orange, zested

In about 25 minutes, this will make ten servings. For the full recipe, see here.

Moravian Spice Cookies

What you’ll need:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg yolk

After two hours, you’ll have about five dozen cookies to enjoy and share. For the full recipe, see here.

If you aren’t up for making your own, we have you covered.

Established in 1975, Duplin Winery is our oldest winery and the largest winery in the South. It is located in Rose Hill and is a muscadine winery. This time of year the winery offers both a Christmas wine and hot spiced wine. The recipe for the famous Moravian spicy ginger-molasses cookies is more than 200 years old and originates in Winston-Salem. These cookies are available at Old Salem and online.

If you have other holiday traditions or favorite recipes, please share them with us in the comments section. Happy Holidays!

Christmas on the Coast

2011-12-01T15:17:00.004-05:00

Although photos of snowy mountains are often what we associate with Christmastime, there is no better place to spend the holiday season than along our coast. With fewer crowds but plenty of events and activities, the coast is the perfect spot to start a new holiday tradition.

One of our most unique traditions is the holiday lighting of Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington. From now until Jan. 4, 2012, you can see Battleship North Carolina dressed in lights each night from downtown Wilmington. The ship is open every day, so while you are in town, you can walk her decks and experience a piece of North Carolina history. The ship participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.

Other special events include the Festival of Trees in Greenville and Christmas by the Sea at Carolina Beach. Over 100 different trees are a part of the Festival of Trees, and each one will be decorated to represent a different Christmas theme at the Greenville Convention Center. Help spread holiday cheer by attending because all proceeds go to Family Support Network Scholarships, benefitting families throughout Eastern North Carolina. Christmas by the Sea at Carolina Beach is also a beautiful sight to take in – the oceanfront coves on the boardwalk are decorated and special holiday activities are available each Saturday night through New Year’s Eve.

We would love to hear about your family holiday traditions – from the mountains to the coast. Please share them with us in the comments section below!

Image courtesy of Family Support Network of North Carolina

Choose and Cut Your Christmas Tree

2011-11-17T15:19:00.004-05:00

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, friends and families are gathering to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. North Carolina is the No. 2 producer of Christmas trees in the country, so why not add a Christmas tree choose and cut adventure to the itinerary for next week? We have more than 70 choose and cut farms that offer a variety of holiday activities in addition to beautiful trees. It’s the perfect opportunity to slow down, relax and ease into the holiday spirit.

To top off your adventure, some farms have hayrides and Christmas caroling, along with visits from Santa, hot chocolate and marshmallow roasts. Nearby mountain towns have accommodations packages available for visitors as well.

The majority of trees grown here are Fraser Firs, and we have other varieties that include blue spruce, white pine, Concolor, Canaan, Leyland Cyprus, cedar and Norway. The North Carolina Christmas Tree Association will help you select the farm you wish to visit by searching by tree type, other of amenities available such as wreaths, garland, visits from Santa and hayrides. If you can’t make it to the mountains this season, we have a number of Christmas tree retail lots spread throughout the state. You can find a retail lot here.

Does your family have a choose-and-cut tradition? Tell us about it below!

Celebrating Our Veterans

2011-11-10T14:35:00.009-05:00

The Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation in Fayetteville is honoring North Carolina veterans this week with a variety of Heroes Homecoming events. This holiday is celebrated annually on Nov. 11 to honor the men and women who have served on behalf of our country.

The Vietnam Moving Wall is open 24 hours a day through noon on Nov. 14 providing visitors the opportunity to see the names of more than 58,000 service men and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Wall at the memorial in Washington, D.C., and has been open at the museum in Fayetteville since Nov. 6.

Additionally, the museum has been airing free movies each night in the main theater this week. Tonight at 6 p.m., the museum will show “We Were Soldiers”, and tomorrow on Veterans Day, they will air “Good Morning Vietnam” at 5 p.m. Prior to the showing of “Good Morning Vietnam,” Adrian Cronauer will address the attendees. He is a U.S. Airman who was a radio announcer in Vietnam during the conflict. If you’re interested in attending some of these events, the video below has more information.

There are also a number of parades across the state to honor our military veterans. From Franklin, to Wadesboro to Lincolnton, communities will gather for parades to salute the men and women who served our country.

If you have a Veterans Day story to share, please do so in the comments section below. To all of our veterans, we salute you and your service.

Rembrandt in Raleigh

2011-11-03T17:10:00.003-04:00

The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh recently welcomed Rembrandt in America. The exhibition will run through Jan. 22, 2012, and is the largest collection of Rembrandt paintings ever presented in America. It’s also the first major exhibition to explore the history of collecting Rembrandt paintings in America, which has proven difficult.

Part of what’s unique about this collection is how it examines the change in opinion of scholars and collectors around what constitutes a genuinely autographed Rembrandt painting. For example, the North Carolina Museum of Art acquired two paintings in the 1950s that were believed to be by Rembrandt, only later to have them reattributed to other artists.

Explore approximately 50 paintings brought together by the exhibition and experience them with an audio guide available for purchase or complimentary mp3 download. A gallery guide is also available to help you plan your visit. While you’re there, take in one of the museum’s other exhibits and visit the Museum Park for extraordinary outdoor work inspired by the natural work.

If you discover a favorite exhibit or work of art, share it with us below!

Haunted History

2011-10-26T21:46:00.004-04:00

History runs deep in North Carolina from the NC Museum of History to the legends of Blackbeard and his treasure along our shores. However at this time of year, another side of the story takes center stage: our authentic haunts. Ghost tours abound across the state as Halloween is just around the corner.

In Mount Airy, visitors can embark on a walking tour through downtown that is full of obscure facts about 13 of the town’s long-term residents, where they lived and are believed to have died. At Historic Latta Plantation near Huntersville, the Civil War Ghost Walk provides an unusual opportunity to actually conduct a scientific paranormal investigation at night on the plantation with training from The North American Society.

The Biltmore Village Ghost and Mystery Tour takes on many interesting historical questions: Was Samuel Reed, the Vanderbilt family lawyer, actually cursed? Are the shrieks you can hear actually from the local asylum? If you’re brave enough, you can spend the night in Biltmore Village and take this tour to find out.

If ghost hunting and paranormal photography are your thing – while in Asheville you should check out the Ghost Hunters of Asheville. Their tours come with ghost hunting equipment and paranormal photographs are guaranteed.

Check out some other stories in our video here, and if you have a favorite urban legend or a haunted story to share, tell us about it in the comments below. Happy Halloween!

Hunger Games Wraps in North Carolina

2011-10-21T12:28:00.006-04:00

One of many movies filmed in North Carolina, The Hunger Games recently wrapped and is set for release on March 23, 2012. The cast includes Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch and Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Locations for filming ranged from Dupont State Forest, an abandoned mill outside of Asheville in Hildebran, to uptown Charlotte and the old Phillip Morris Plant in Concord.

While in North Carolina, the stars discovered many local hangouts on location and enjoyed Cabo Fish Taco and Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen in Charlotte’s NoDa arts district and The Southern Kitchen and Bar in Asheville. Woody Harrelson was also spotted at the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival in Asheville.

Based on the first book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the story takes place in Panem, a post-apocalyptic country that was once North America, and the annual Hunger Games are a government-mandated, nationally televised battle to the death.

A gripping book, certain to make for an action-packed movie, the highly-anticipated trailer below debuted to a captive audience at this year’s MTV Music Awards. The Hunger Games joins a long list of films shot in North Carolina, and if you’re a fan, who can’t wait for the movie, please share your story with us in the comment section. We’d love to hear your thoughts on its upcoming release!

Technology Takes You Back in Time at Tryon Palace

2011-10-13T10:15:00.003-04:00

Tryon Palace in New Bern is the perfect place to watch North Carolina’s history come to life. In addition to housing the Governor’s Palace, North Carolina’s first colonial capitol and first state capitol, along with more than twenty acres of other historical buildings and gardens, Tryon Palace allows you to step through a virtual time machine into the year 1835. There you can adopt a historic role and experience your surroundings as the coastal village they once were.

With the help of interactive technology on this trip back in time, in the Pepsi Family Center you can work as a team to sail a ship, cook in a colonial kitchen and produce a 19^th century newspaper. In the Regional History Museum, you can explore how the central coast of North Carolina has evolved geographically and in terms of population and important events. Throughout the grounds, mobile software is available for your smartphone to provide the perfect companion – complete with historical background and context.

This Saturday, Oct. 15, additional crafts and entertainment are available – from cornhusk dolls to a live performance of “The Monkey’s Paw,” celebrate fall at Family Day with time travel at Tryon Palace in New Bern.

Many Shades of Fall Color

2011-10-06T11:51:00.004-04:00

Fall is upon us, and its cooler temperatures are here to stay. In North Carolina, we always look forward to this season. Mother Nature never lets us down with her handiwork that turns our leaves from a bright and lively green to brilliant reds, yellows and golds.

Fishing along our coast is also at its prime in the fall season – from red drum to albacore, the fish are definitely biting. Check out our fall color and fishing reports each week so you can plan your next adventure, but remember our fall color doesn’t stop there, and we’re hoping you’re fall adventure in North Carolina won’t either.

If you’re feeling daring – why not take in some of our fall colors on a zipline? With more ziplines than any other state in the continental U.S., you don’t need to travel far to hook yourself onto a line and fly through our trees when the colors are at their most brilliant. From the Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours, to the Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures and Scream Time Ziplines, the right tour is waiting for you.

So as the leaves turn this year, set out for adventure and see fall from a new perspective. Experience its color in our foliage, in the sights and sounds of festivals and events, along the coast and in our waters and at a higher speed while soaring through our trees.

What’s your favorite fall adventure? Tell us about it in the comments below!

(Photo by Helen Moss Davis)

Festivals in NC this Fall

2011-09-28T11:59:00.005-04:00

There isn’t a better way to enjoy fall’s cooler temperatures than by attending one of our many outdoor food, arts and music festivals. Spanning from the mountains, across the Piedmont, to the edge of our coast, we have a festival or outdoor celebration for you.

If you’re fishing our coast this fall you can visit the NC Seafood Festival in Morehead City to enter a fishing contest or check out their boat show. There will also be an 8K road race for the runner in your group and plenty of food and music for all to enjoy. If you’re in our mountains, as our beautiful leaves turn brilliant colors, consider the Brushy Mountain Apple Festival in North Wilkesboro or the Maple Leaf Festival in Whittier. Both pair arts and crafts vendors with great food and entertainment.

In the Piedmont, we have plenty of options to choose from - for example, offering a variety of arts and crafts vendors, the Fall Festival in Asheboro attracts nearly 100,000 people annually. In Charlotte, the Great Grapes! Wine, Arts and Food Festival offers 100s of wines for tasting, while also providing an activity area just for kids in Symphony Park.

Take time this fall to experience the outdoors in a different way – one that is filled with the sights of friends and family and smells of a fresh funnel cake or apple pie. You can share your favorite fall festival with us in the comments section below.

Southern Inspiration on Display

2011-09-22T14:31:00.011-04:00

In addition to this season's beautiful changing leaves on display throughout North Carolina, Charlotte recently debuted a new fall show of its own at the Mint Museum Uptown. The Romare Bearden: Southern Recollections exhibit opened September 2 to coincide with his 100th birthday. The exhibition will be open through January 8, 2012, and will feature nearly 100 works of art. Following its tenure at the Mint, the exhibit will travel nationally to two additional venues.

Born in Charlotte in 1911, Bearden’s childhood and perspective of the South are evident in his work. This exhibit is the first to highlight the role of the South as inspiration for his work, focusing on themes of music, religion, social change and family. Furthermore, the exhibit will explore his life as an African-American who moved from the American South to New York at an early age.

Whether you are visiting with friends or family, the Mint has prepared two different guides to accompany you on your trip. The Family Guide explores Bearden’s history and some of the underlying themes in his work, including masks, trains, rituals, music, hats and Earth. It poses questions that are helpful for engaging visitors of all ages. The Gallery Guide includes a more detailed biography and historical section for an older audience. The Mint Wiki offers even more insight into Bearden’s childhood and his artistic career.

We hope this fall you’ll find a number of adventures to experience here in North Carolina. Share your own story with us below.

Tasting Tours Through Some of Our Great Restaurants

2011-09-08T16:51:00.005-04:00

North Carolina is making a name for itself in the culinary world. Many of our restaurants and chefs boast high honors and accolades – we have four Four Star Restaurants, one Five Diamond restaurant and fifteen Four Diamond restaurants, according to Forbes and AAA. And with so many excellent spots to choose from, where do you begin? We’re happy to report we have the solution for you: tasting tours. Whether you are looking for a walking tour that focuses on comfort foods, or a bus tour to experience different breweries and wineries, there is an option for you here.

Taste Carolina, for example, has tours that span across our Piedmont region, including Raleigh, Hillsborough, Durham, Chapel Hill and Carrboro, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Each tour strives to highlight signature aspects of its location. The tour through Chapel Hill and Carrboro focuses on the community’s emphasis on farm-to-fork eateries, while the tour through Winston-Salem incorporates eclectic dining with the downtown arts district.

Don’t take our word for it – with a tasting tour through restaurants, breweries or wineries, you can sample a number of locations and experience a range of our culinary successes all in one day. If you have a favorite North Carolina restaurant or touring experience, we’d love for you to share that below.

One of Fall's Best Kept Secrets

2011-09-01T12:10:00.009-04:00

Each year people flock to the beautiful mountain region of North Carolina to witness the leaves turn color and welcome the fall season. But one of our best kept secrets is both the prevalence and breathtaking beauty of our waterfalls. With over 300 waterfalls gracing our mountain region, you simply must make time on your trip to see at least one.

Known as “the Land of Waterfalls,” Transylvania County boasts over 260 – at least two of which are must-see. The first is Rainbow Falls. So named because the mist surrounding it reflects the sun’s light like a prism. The second is Whitewater Falls, arguably the highest waterfall in the Eastern United States. At 411-feet, no other waterfall in the east has the same combination of water volume, height and visibility.

If you’re closer to Asheville, there are still plenty of waterfalls nearby. We’ve even created a list of Ten Great Waterfalls near Asheville to help narrow your search. From Dry Falls, near Highlands, to Looking Glass Falls north of Brevard, a scenic adventure, full of beauty and wonder, is just around the corner.

Of course we find ourselves inspired each year by the dynamic and colorful leaves, but our waterfalls are also truly unparalleled in their beauty. Each one has something unique to offer. See the rainbows created by the sun or walk beneath an enormous river rushing off of a mountain, and experience another side of fall in North Carolina.

Take a look at our waterfall set on Flickr, and share your story with us in the comment section below.

Choose Your Own Adventure

2011-08-23T09:39:00.008-04:00

Last week, we asked our friends on Facebook and Twitter a simple question: What's your favorite kind of North Carolina outdoor adventure?

We heard some great ideas, from camping and whitewater rafting in the mountains, to NASCAR races and animal sightings in the Piedmont, to surfing and hang gliding on the coast.

Here are a few of our favorite answers:

Climbing up and over a sand dune to find the ocean on the other side! (Colette S.)

For me... hiking to waterfalls in Transylvania County... my favorite: Mill Shoals Falls! (@ilovebrevard)

Going to Lake Norman or the beach! (Tammy F.)

Scuba diving off the NC coast - especially wreck diving (Reggie B.)

Tot says "sand." Mom says "hiking." (@thetravelingtot)

Americana and Bluegrass festivals and gigs in the hills and mountains! Pulling my camper up there to spend the summer! (Victoria R.)

Riding horses on the beach! :) (Katie C.)

Charting a course for new vintages (@kevinklinewxii)

Driving the back roads. Seeing the real NC. No interstates, no franchise restaurants, Just the beauty and people the state has to offer. (Bob M.)

Fishing the INNER BANKS (Richard A.)

White water rafting at the Nantahala (Gary M.)

Surf fishing in Nags Head (Steve S.)

Camping in the mountains. Cooking on an open fire, no grill. Love the North Carolina mountains. Bluegrass music.
(Velma G.)

Surfing! (@LiveEatSurf)

Kayaking in the Lockwood Folly Bay & Sliding Rock (Katie M.)

At the beach - riding the waves. In the mountains - zip-lining the tree tops! (Denise B.)

Hang gliding on Jockey’s Ridge (Jennifer F.)

Trout fishing in the mountains (David H.)

Love to help by babysitting the sea turtle nests. Saw them hatch once on a beautiful night at Topsail. (@WilmingtonToday)

Fall fishing on the ocean....can't beat it! (Scott K.)

Boy, that's a hard one, it would either be a NASCAR race or white water rafting!!! Shout out to Paddle Inn!!! (Kc C.)

Hunting seashells! (@JML_NC)

Banner Elk/Beech/Sugar area in fall and looking at the leaves change to a colorful masterpiece (Scott C.)

For more on North Carolina’s outdoor playground, click here.

Enjoy an outdoor activity we didn’t mention? Let’s hear it in the comments below!

Our Wine-Producing Roots Run Deep

2011-08-19T09:29:00.007-04:00

North Carolina is far from new to the wine industry – it has long been a wine producer. We make muscadine wine from scuppernong grapes and European-style vinifera grape varieties. With more than 100 wineries spread across our state, we have a wine and a story to tempt your palate and make your weekend.

One little known fact is that we’re home to the Mother Vine which is the oldest known cultivated grapevine in the nation. This vine has been growing and producing scuppernong grapes for centuries – it was thriving when explorers sighted it in 1584. Before prohibition, North Carolina was the leading wine-producing region in the nation.

Our wines aren’t limited to just red or white – we focus on native muscadine wine and European-style vinifera grape varieties. Down east in our coastal plain, you’ll find muscadine wine made from the scuppernong. The scuppernong is the North Carolina state fruit, and it not only survives in our hot Southern summers, it thrives in our climate and the sandy conditions of our coastal region. The vinifera grape, primarily planted in the western and Piedmont regions of our state, produces varieties that include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier.

With over 100 wineries to choose from, the perfect weekend escape is just around the corner. In addition to that, many vineyards offer special events to help you kick off your weekend. If you have experienced any of our vineyards or sampled our wine, share it with us in the comments below. We would love to hear how our wine’s story has helped you create one of your own.

Discover the Magic: The Corolla Wild Horses

2011-08-11T10:48:00.011-04:00

As a young person, it’s easy to lose yourself chasing the mystery of the Corolla wild horses. At the same time, it’s just as easy for parents and adults to find themselves under the same spell cast by the horses as they unexpectedly cross the dunes, the wind whipping through their sandy and uncombed manes.

Similar to the shores where the horses have roamed for over four centuries, these horses seem untouched by time and immune to technology’s advancements. Believed to have originally come to the Outer Banks with early Spanish explorers, the Corolla wild horses physically resemble the 16^th Century Spanish mustang.

For Outer Banks goers, it has always been a favorite pastime to “go find the horses.” As time passes and each young person grows into an adult, taking his or her children, nieces or nephews to see the horses for the first time, a new appreciation for their beauty emerges. A true symbol of Corolla, Currituck and all of the Outer Banks, the wild horses have endured many storms and hardships. While a childlike sense of wonder is easily lost to the daily grind, the Outer Banks and the wild horses steadfastly beckon the weary traveler to explore the unmatched beauty of the nearly untouched North Carolina coastline.

Wild horses can be spotted on other Outer Banks destinations as well: Ocracoke Island is home to wild Banker horses and Shackleford Banks is nine-mile long barrier island that serves as a horse sanctuary, just east of Morehead City and Beaufort.

Take a chance, step into relaxation on our shore and catch a glimpse of mystery and wonder. As you take in their beauty, remember that we want to keep the horses wild and free, so don’t try to feed them or get too close. If you have experienced the horses or a similarly magical experience along our coast, share your story with us!

What's Your Favorite Water Spot?

2011-08-08T21:22:00.011-04:00

We recently asked our Twitter and Facebook friends to help us put together a list of great places to enjoy the water in North Carolina. More than 100 of you weighed in, nominating everything from local lakes to not-so-lazy rivers to dozens of the state’s pristine beaches.

Here are 25 of our favorite comments:

Topsail Beach! (@PlaysWithFoodNC)

We’re going to Cape Hatteras in 2 weeks and I CAN'T hardly wait! (Naomi M.)

U.S. National Whitewater Center either riding the rapids or paddling on the river! (Bonnie B.)

The Uwharrie River is a hidden kayaking and canoeing gem. (@sethmorris91)

Carolina Beach, Kure Beach at Fort Fisher...There is just so many things to do....Four Wheeling, fishing, history, the Southport Ferry, Playing in the ocean, River Boat tours in nearby Wilmington. We have gone there 20 years and still find something new every time we go.... (Janie G.)

Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Ocracoke (Mike L.)

The creek at the Sunburst, NC stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There’s no better spot in the state for skipping stones. (@RnR_NCSU)

I feel like I am always recommending a tube ride down the New River in West Jefferson! Lake Watauga is one of the cleanest lakes in America - can't go wrong there either!
(Blue Ridge For Rent)

Lake Gaston & Kerr Lake! Excellent for water sports, championship fishing and just relaxing! (@WarrenRecord)

Dan River through Rockingham County!
(Bud’s Feed & Supplies)

Pine Knoll Shores – great beach and sun allll day long, because the island runs east-west. (@SarasSoaps)

Sliding rock in Pisgah Forest National forest in Brevard, NC (Rene S.)

My hometown, Wrightsville Beach, isn’t too bad. (@VitaminTsmith)

Hammocks Beach State Park. A little hard to get to; but worth the ferry ride. Next to that Surf City (Jerry C.)

Sunset Beach!!!!!! (@sweettea66)

Southport Ferry and my new favorite: the off-road, four-wheel-drive-only undeveloped beach at Fort Fisher. It was fun and totally fantastic once we got there. (Stephanie S.)

Brevard waterfalls, Hebron Rock Colony, Linville Falls (@CreepyJeffrey)

Rafting the Watauga River with the Edge of the World Gang out of Banner Elk, NC...What a fun group! Fun time!! Done it twice and will do it again!
(Kathy K.)

Just spent a week at Lake Lure – loved it! (@AbbieF)

Bald Head Island at Frying Pan Shoals! (Bambi D.)

BEAUFORT Waterfront!! (@PMLUNC)

Lake Apalachia. Apalachia Reservoir is a small, deep, cool-water, remote and scenic lake set in the mountains of western North Carolina, near Murphy. (Kelly Y.)

Shackleford Banks. (Bob M.)

DEF Holden Beach, such a peaceful place (@MomsInCharlotte)

Island Park in Cherokee, NC (Jenny M.)

For more on North Carolina’s rivers, lakes and beaches, click here.

Have a favorite spot we didn’t mention? Tell us in the comments section below!

New Visitor Center Opens On NC Side Of Smokies

2011-04-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

Doors opened today on a brand new visitor center on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's the first new visitor building constructed in the park since the early 1960s, and the only one built entirely from private funds.

Exhibits at the new 6,300-square-foot Oconaluftee Visitor Center focus on the people who lived and worked in the area before the National Park was created, from the Cherokee Indians to Cataloochee farmers to major lumber companies. Artifacts include an ox yoke, a hillside plow, a moonshine still, and the chair President Franklin D. Roosevelt used at the park's dedication in 1940. The new center acts as a compliment to the one on the Tennessee side, which focuses on the park's flora and fauna. The stone and wood building was constructed to blend in with historic structures and designed to be energy-efficient and sustainable.

The Great Smoky Mountains Association paid for construction of the center with money from memberships and gift sales, while the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park picked up the tab for the interpretive information.

NC's Civil War Experience,One Tweet At A Time

2011-03-28T11:04:00.007-04:00

In a few short days, the US will mark the 150th Anniversary of the fall of Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861), an event which triggered a long and devastating Civil War between the North and the South. Historical records show that before the battle at Sumter, North Carolinians were sharply divided on the issue of secession, and only sided with the Confederacy after President Lincoln called on North Carolina to send troops into South Carolina.

Now, a project by the NC Department of Cultural Resources is using modern social networking to tell the tales of regular North Carolina residents caught in "the most desperate War the world ever saw". History buffs can now keep up with entries from diaries kept by NC residents in the days before and during the Civil War, both on a Wordpress blog and on the @CivilianWartime address on Twitter.

"The tweets are short and this blog will be the full citation, to place the tweet into context - a tool to understand the impact of war in their words, not ours," the Department said in an introduction to the project. Among the voices the Department is using is Catherine Ann Devereux Edmondston, who was living at Looking Glass Plantation in Halifax County when war broke out in 1861.

The tweets and the blog turn out to be fascinating reading... and perhaps a window into what we would have read... had Twitter been around 150 years ago.

Battleship To Stay In Wilmington For Hull Repairs

2011-03-08T11:06:00.004-05:00

Officials at the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA today announced the popular attraction will undergo extensive hull repairs this spring without ever leaving its spot on the Cape Fear River.

The highly decorated World War II battleship has not been out of the water in more than 60 years, and metal plates that have remained underwater are showing signs of deterioration. Work will begin next month on a two million dollar project to replace sections of the starboard side of the bow. That work will show what needs to be done on the rest of the 728-foot-long ship.

Originally, officials said the repairs would require the battleship to take a risky and expensive trip to a shipyard in Charleston, SC or Norfolk, VA, but now workers with a marine construction company will build a small coffer dam around the bow, pump water out and work in an enclosed area. The ship will remain open to tours during the repairs, and the repair work may actually become an additional attraction. The work will be patterned after hull repairs on the USS Alabama in Mobile, which included a walkway atop the coffer dam.

The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA attracts about 200,000 people a year, and has been on display in Wilmington since 1961. It is funded entirely by admission tickets, gift shop sales, donations and investments.

Mills River Bed & BreakfastMakes "Most Romantic" Lists

2011-02-14T09:24:00.007-05:00

Valentine's Day is a big day for hearts and flowers and candy. But at one bed & breakfast inn in the North Carolina mountains, every day is Valentine's Day.

In the February issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray, The Bed & Breakfast On Tiffany Hill was named one of the "Top Ten Romantic Places To Stay In North America" Add that to a similar designation on iLoveinns.com, and you've got some pretty serious romantic vibes coming from a place that's only been open since June 2009.

"It was a labor of love that took 25 years to dream and a year to build," inn owner Serena Einwechter told the Times-News. "I think it gives off a very romantic feel."

The Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill is nestled on farmland in Mills River, midway between Asheville and Brevard. The inn has five well-appointed rooms, each decorated in the style of a classic Southern town. The area is surrounded with romance both natural (mountain views and waterfalls) and man-made (the amazing restaurants of both Asheville & Brevard). Guests also get a three-course "Candlelight Breakfast" each day in the inn's formal dining room, with everything from fruit to dessert.

"Life is short," says Einwechter. "Why not have dessert at breakfast?"

Charlotte To Host 2012 DNC Convention

2011-02-01T23:14:00.004-05:00

As events go, this is the big enchilada. In September of 2012, Charlotte will be at the center of the political world when the Democratic National Convention takes place at Time Warner Cable Arena. Charlotte beat out St. Louis, Minneapolis and Cleveland for the honor.

First Lady Michelle Obama made the announcement in an e-mail to party officials. “Charlotte is a city marked by its Southern charm, warm hospitality and an ‘up by the bootstraps’ mentality that has propelled the city forward as one of the fastest-growing in the South,” Mrs. Obama wrote. “Vibrant, diverse, and full of opportunity, the Queen City is home to innovative, hardworking folks with big hearts and open minds. And of course, great barbecue.”

It will be the first political convention of a major party held in North Carolina. "We're honored that the Democratic National Committee chose Charlotte," Mayor Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "We have an unmatched opportunity to show the world what a beautiful, energetic, innovative and diverse city we are building in Charlotte."

The convention is expected to bring 35,000 visitors into the city, with an economic benefit of $150 million. Most importantly, it will put Charlotte, and the state of North Carolina on the world stage. "This is fantastic news for North Carolina, regardless of your political party," said Governor Bev Perdue.

The 2012 convention is scheduled to begin on Labor Day, September 3, 2012.

Asheville Named Top Place To Visit In 2011

2011-01-31T06:16:00.004-05:00

As if a presidential vacation and the title of "Beer City, USA" weren't enough, Asheville has received another accolade from a top travel publisher.

Fodor's, which makes those famous travel guides, has named the North Carolina mountain city its Top Destination for 2011, topping places like Italy's Amalfi Coast and the sands and safaris of Mozambique.

“We are looking for places that are always going to be great places to visit, but specifically special in 2011,” says Fodor's publicist Meg Rushton. She said writers nominated various locations, and an editorial team reviewed the nominations and made selections.

The listing mentions the scenery, the shopping, the music, and the food and drink, and recommends a visit between late September and early November for fall foliage views. But here's a secret from us: Asheville is a great place to visit any time of the year.

Congratulations to Asheville for some well-deserved recognition!

100 Wineries... And Counting!

2011-01-28T11:36:00.005-05:00

It's official! North Carolina is now home to 100 wineries.

Governor Beverly Perdue announced the state's viticultural accomplishment Thursday at Cauble Creek Vineyard in Salisbury, which became the NC's 100th winery late last year.

“Our wineries and vineyards provide a compelling reason to visit our state and they are a significant economic engine,” said Perdue as she helped cut a symbolic ribbon to mark the milestone.

The growth in the number of wineries and vineyards in North Carolina over the past 30 years has been phenomenal. After opening its first handful of wineries in the 1970's, the state boasted 50 in 2005. Five years later, that number has doubled.

Award-winning wines are now produced across the state. Duplin Winery in Rose Hill is now the largest muscadine winery in the world, while Biltmore's winery is the most visited in the nation, with more than a million visitors annually. And the oldest known cultivated grapevine in the New World, the 400-year-old Mother Vine, is still going strong on Roanoke Island.

For more information on North Carolina's wineries and vineyards, check out VisitNCWine.com.

Cheers!

Know Before You Go

2011-01-18T06:29:00.001-05:00

Bad weather. Road construction. Congestion. Accidents. All of those things can hinder your travel anywhere... but now the North Carolina Department of Transportation has a way you can know about obstacles on the road ahead before you get there. It's a new tool called NCDOT Mobile that provides current road conditions in real time straight from your cell phone.

“People expect instant information, and NCDOT Mobile gives it to them,” NCDOT Communications Director Greer Beaty said. “Now you don’t need a computer to get road closure or traffic updates before you get behind the wheel.”

NCDOT Mobile is a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type http://m.ncdot.gov into the browser on your smartphone. Then, bookmark it and save it to your phone’s home screen for future reference. To use the real-time mapping function, be sure your phone's location based service (GPS) is turned on.

Since it is web-based, NCDOT Mobile is designed to be compatible on a variety of smartphones, including the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones. While it can be viewed on a PC, it may not be compatible with some web browsers and it will not be able to auto-dial phone numbers, or provide any location-based services, like some maps.

Key features include:

Real-time traffic information that works with smartphone mapping and built-in GPS and wireless location services;
Searchable DMV office locations that also work with your phone’s mapping capabilities;
Searchable Rest Area locations;
Ferry and Amtrak information;
NCDOT Twitter messages; and
NCDOT News.

It's a great way to plan for a trouble-free drive no matter where you're headed in North Carolina.

Diners' Delight

2011-01-17T09:25:00.005-05:00

If you're going to be in the Charlotte or Raleigh areas later this month, you may want to prepare your taste buds for a little indulgence.

That's because both of North Carolina's largest metropolitan areas will be holding their popular "Restaurant Week" promotions at the end of January, meaning you'll be able to get great meals at top restaurants for amazing prices.

In Charlotte, the event (called Queen's Feast) runs from January 21-30, and features more than 80 upscale restaurants cooking up fabulous three-course meals for $30. Participating restaurants are all over the metro area, from Uptown Charlotte to Ballantyne to Lake Norman and even Gastonia.

Over in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, the Triangle Restaurant Week begins on January 24, and features about 70 area restaurants which are also preparing three-course meals for amazing prices ($15 for lunch, $20 or $30 for dinner). The Raleigh event also features tours by Taste Carolina Gourmet food Tours, and the folks in the Triangle have already scheduled an encore event for the week of June 6-12!

Bon Appetit!

(For those of you on the coast... Wilmington's event, now called Encore Restaurant Week, is scheduled for March 23-30, so you have time to plan your feasting options.)

Ghostly NC Photo Makes Headlines

2011-01-13T09:36:00.005-05:00

A new North Carolina ghost story is making the rounds, and this one has a ghostly photographic apparition to go with it.

It happened at the Lake Lure Inn & Spa, a facility that's been around since 1927, and one that's had its share of things that go bump in the night. But in this case, the "ghost" quietly slipped into a picture of an ice sculpture being photographed by the Inn's Events & Catering Manager, Christopher Patrick Bryant.

The photo, which appears to the right, seems fairly innocuous, until you look to the left of the sculpture and see what appears to be a transparent image of a young boy. Bryant sent the picture to Paranormal Scene Investigators of Ellensboro, NC, but even after running the photo through several light filters, there seems to be no earthly explanation for the image.

Since then, the Lake Lure Ghost has gone viral, getting coverage from across the country and around the world. Here's a segment from the folks at WLOS-TV in Asheville, who featured the story in their newscast on December 20:

So, what do you think? Otherworldly visit or photographic fallacy? You be the judge!

See The NASCAR Hall of Fame Free!

2011-01-06T10:07:00.004-05:00

Haven't seen the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte yet? Here's your chance to get a quick sample of everything the brand new facility has to offer... for free!

The Hall of Fame is holding an Open House week from January 8-14. During that time, visitors can tour NASCAR's pride and joy between the hours of 4-6 p.m. free of charge.

"More than 200,000 people have visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame and their reviews continue to be incredibly positive," executive director Winston Kelley said. "Now, we are offering a special opportunity for those who haven't visited to see what all the talk is about. I'm sure there are some people who have been curious about the new venue but just want to look around before deciding to spend several hours or a day with us -- this is their chance. Regardless of your interest in NASCAR, this is a fun, entertainment attraction that is important to the economy of our area. We hope the community will take us up on our invitation to learn more about Charlotte's new family attraction."

Guests taking part in the free-for-all experience at the NASCAR Hall of Fame will find 40,000 square feet of exhibit space showcasing highly-interactive, hands-on exhibits and authentic artifacts telling the story of NASCAR. Admission prices are usually $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military, and $12.95 for children 5-12.

A Day Of Winter Fun & Fitness

2011-01-04T08:52:00.004-05:00

It's the New Year, and just about everyone has getting or staying fit at the top of their resolutions list. So, the 16th annual National Winter Trails Day taking place at Sugar Mountain Resort on January 8 is a perfect place to discover (or rediscover) the possibilities of fun and fitness in the snow. Winter Trails Day is a national event offering children and adults new to snow sports the chance to try snowshoeing for FREE.

Free one-hour guided tours include rented snowshoes. Tours will be available at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, January 8th. Adult tours are for everyone 12 years or older. Children’s tours are for kids aged 8-11. Participants should meet at the ski/snowboard school building at least 15 minutes prior to the tour time. Participation is limited and is based on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information please call 1-800-SUGARMT, extension 200.

Farewell To Fall

2010-11-23T12:59:00.003-05:00

While there are still some brightly colored trees hanging on in the Piedmont or along the coast, Thanksgiving weekend is usually about the time when North Carolina says goodbye to fall color and hello to holiday celebrations and winter sports!

But, before we bid adieu to the spectacular hues of fall 2010, here's a quick video photo essay of shots from the season. All the video here was shot in October. If you missed this year's foliage, start making plans now to visit in 2011!

Mountain Blogging Day 4: Small Town Cool

2010-10-28T10:35:00.005-04:00

BREVARD - When Budget Travel went looking for "America's Coolest Small Towns" this year, the 6,716 people in Brevard knew they had a very good chance to make the cut.

"It was a natural choice", says Transylvania Community Arts Council Executive Director Tammy Hopkins. "We're surrounded by natural beauty, we're an art hub, we've got outdoor activities and great restaurants. We're a small town, but we're just an hour from Asheville, two from Charlotte, and three from Atlanta. And people from those places love coming here to escape."

Indeed, this little town south of Asheville seems to have it all. It's set in the heart of North Carolina mountain splendor, from Pisgah National Forest to Dupont State Forest to Gorges State Park. There are ample opportunities to hike, camp, kayak, fly fish, or mountain bike. Waterfalls are just about everywhere you turn. Once you're in town, the picturesque streets of downtown Brevard offer great restaurants, shops, and art galleries. The town is home to the world-renowned Brevard Music Center, which hosts a seven week music festival every summer. Even when that's over, residents can often be found jamming inside the Celestial Mountain Music store. There's even an old-timey, one-screen movie theatre hosting first-run films, complete with a gleaming marquee and ticket booth.

Sure enough, Budget Travel's readers and editors, took note. In on online poll of the magazine's readers, Brevard easily placed in the Top Three. Editors said Brevard was full of "Blue Ridge views and Appalachian pride", noting that the little town was the perfect "outpost of authentic Appalachia."

But if you ask residents, it's not just the restaurants, art galleries, music, or even the scenery that makes Brevard one of America's coolest small towns. "It's mostly the people," according to Tammy Hopkins. "I see people having business meetings on the street, I see people with laptops up at Looking Glass Waterfall. it's just a cool place to be and to hang out, and everyone's very friendly."

And they, after all, are the ones who take a scenic small town in Western North Carolina... and make it into one of "America's 10 Coolest Small Towns".

Mountain Blogging Day 3: Land Of Lincoln?

2010-10-27T07:23:00.000-04:00

BOSTIC - Illinois has "Land of Lincoln" on its license plates. Kentucky has the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Site. But in this tiny Rutherford County town, people say they know better.

They say Abraham Lincoln was born a Tar Heel.

There's a small stone marker on the side of a lonely rural road that marks the site where local legend has it that Lincoln was born. Over on Depot Road in Bostic's downtown area, the recently opened Bostic Lincoln Center displays books and articles supporting that theory, as well as pictures of the local man that some say is Lincoln's true father.

While history tells us that Nancy Hanks (Lincoln's mother) was born in Virginia, moved to Kentucky, married Tom Lincoln and gave birth to the Abraham in 1809, local lore says that Hanks actually moved to North Carolina and became pregnant by a local man named Abraham Enloe, then gave birth to the future president in 1806 in a cabin on the banks of Puzzle Creek, about 60 miles west of Charlotte. It was then, the locals say, that the unwed Nancy and her child were packed off to live with relatives on the Kentucky frontier, where she later met and married Tom Lincoln.

It's a theory that goes against all available court, tax, and marriage records in Kentucky, but one that people in Bostic say makes perfect sense, given the scandalous connotations that births out of wedlock had in the 19th century, especially for a man with political aspirations. The Bostic Lincoln Center is actively collecting and preserving their local Lincoln lore, and they're asking the United States Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (which has some of Lincoln's DNA bearing material) to run DNA tests on descendants of both Tom Lincoln and Abraham Enloe.

In any case, it certainly makes for an interesting stop in a visit to Rutherford County... and it's a fascinating reminder that presidential birthplaces have always been a source of gossip and conspiracy theories.

Mountain Blogging Day 2:The Shadow Of The Bear

2010-10-26T11:34:00.007-04:00

CASHIERS - For most of the day, motorists on US64 will drive past the small viewpoint on the side of the road, and enjoy the scenery as they go by.

But for a few weeks in the fall and spring, those in the know will pull over in the late afternoon and wander out to the "Rhodes Big View Overlook" and bring whatever photographic devices they have with them, be it a professional grade camera and tripod, a small digital camera, or even an iPhone. Because at 5:30, nature's shadow show will begin.

It is called "The Shadow Of The Bear", and for a few weeks a year, it marvels thousands of people who know when and where to look for it. The shadow forms when the late day sun sets just right behind Whiteside Mountain, a 4,930 behemoth that boasts some of the highest sheer rock cliffs in the Eastern US.

On this bright sunny day in October, a small crowd has already gathered at the overlook by the time the dark spot at the bottom of the valley begins to take shape. Everyone marvels as the small blob evolves into a turtle shape, then a cat, then a floppy-eared dog, and finally into "The Bear". Finally, as the evening shadows lengthen the creature's nose, some say they see a rat. In any case, they've enjoyed the menagerie, and head back to their cars with a great glimpse of a natural phenomenon and a camera-load of pictures.

The video above is a time-lapse (30:1) of the Bear making his appearance on October 20, 2010. If you want to see it for yourself, the viewpoint is at the Jackson/Macon county line on US64, exactly 4.3 miles west of the traffic light in Cashiers. The shadow appears between mid-October and early November in the fall, and also between mid-February and early March.

Enjoy!

Mountain Blogging Day 1: Ham & Cheese

2010-10-04T12:05:00.007-04:00

WEST JEFFERSON - Everyone seems to be talking about "slow food" these days. Well, it doesn't get any slower than at the AB Vannoy Ham House in Ashe County, which has been in operation since the 1920s.

Here, the hams arrive in the dead of winter, and are coated in a mixture of salt and brown sugar for 36 days. Then, just as the weather begins to warm up, they're rinsed, wrapped in brown paper, and put in loosely woven stockings to hang from the rafters for at least seven months to allow mountain air to cure the meat to its full flavor. It's the way country hams used to be made.

Not many people still make them this way. There's a lot of government regulation to wrestle with, and the length of curing time has a way of cutting into profits. But country ham aficionados will tell you this is the only way to do it, and owners Byron and Nancy Jordan have no plans to change the process anytime soon.

"You really can taste the difference", says Nancy. "There's no shortcut to get this kind of flavor from a ham."

People seem to agree. With a movement toward more natural and authentic food underway, AB Vannoy has seen an uptick in the business. Sometimes, the slow way really is the best way.

Meanwhile, just a mile or two down the road, a favorite compliment to a country ham sandwich is slowly taking shape.

The Ashe County Cheese store has become one of the prime visitor attractions in West Jefferson, as a steady stream of customers stop by to pick up a block of sharp cheddar or perhaps a bag of cheese curds for the road. Across the street at the cheese plant, they can actually watch that cheese being made.

Cheese has been produced in this plant for 80 years, since the Kraft Corporation consolidated several small community cheese plants in order to make and distribute cheese nationwide. The plant has changed hands a few times since then, but the mission is still the same: to take locally produced milk and turn it into natural cheese and butter. The status as a must-visit stop in West Jefferson is just the icing on the cake. Or, in this case, the cheese on the burger.

For those who like their food made naturally, the way it used to be made, these two Ashe County companies are remnants of long-held traditions in these mountains... that seem to be finding favor in the brave new world of old-fashioned tastes.

Mountain Blogging Coming Soon!

2010-10-01T08:11:00.004-04:00

Back in August, we spent a few days telling you about all about some of the cool things happening along the NC coast this summer. Well, now it's October... so it's time for the North Carolina mountains to show off their stuff.

Starting Monday, we'll start blogging from the western part of the state, from Boone to Brevard, from Asheville to Ashe County. It's the perfect time for a mountain visit, as the region's abundant foliage begins its annual display of brilliant fall color.

Speaking of which, the color change is already well under way. While "green" is still the predominant color, individual trees and hillsides have broken out even BEFORE the calendar turned to October. The picture above was taken on a hillside between Beech Mountain and Grandfather Mountain a few days ago.

In any case, look for some daily mountain blogging starting Monday!

Charlotte Motor Speedway To Build World's Biggest HD Screen

2010-09-22T09:22:00.006-04:00

And you thought your new 50-inch flat screen was big.

Yesterday, officials at Charlotte Motor Speedway announced plans to build an HD television screen that is 200 feet wide and 80 feet tall. In other words, a screen that's longer and taller than the White House. It will weigh 165,000 pounds and be placed between turns 2 and 3 on the track's backstretch.

"This is the biggest announcement we've ever made," said Speedway owner Bruton Smith. "This is not Texas-sized, this is Charlotte Motor speedway-sized. I don't see a lot of people doing this. It's a little expensive."

Smith won't say just how expensive, but the new screen's smaller sister, at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium (160 feet by 72 feet), cost $40 million.

Speedway officials say on race day, the screen will display on-track action, replays, and the leaderboard... with a special emphasis on the Victory Lane celebration. But the potential of the mega screen has also spawned some non-race ideas, including the world's biggest drive-in movie. Either way, Smith feels the new attraction will transform Speedway functions into "must-see" events.

"This is going to ensure a sellout next year of all our events," he said.

Construction on the screen is set to begin after the October races and be completed in time for next May's NASCAR events.

One Tree Hill Returns For Season 8

2010-09-14T09:41:00.001-04:00

North Carolina's own "little show that could", One Tree Hill, returns for its eighth season premiere tonight on the CW. The cast and crew have been in Wilmington filming since July, and fans have been flocking to those filming locations just to get a glimpse of the show's stars and to make their own pilgrimages of places where pivotal scenes have taken place.

Here's a quick video shout out to the show's cast, crew and fans... and to the real-life city that has stood in for Tree Hill, NC since 2003. Enjoy!

New Sparks Novel Set in Southport

2010-09-13T09:15:00.004-04:00

The bestselling author of Nights In Rodanthe and The Notebook is releasing a new book tomorrow, and like several of his other novels, this one is set in North Carolina.

Safe Haven is the 15th book from popular novelist (and longtime New Bern resident) Nicholas Sparks, and this one is set in the charming Brunswick County town of Southport. Here's the synopsis from the publisher:

“When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past.

“Beautiful yet self-effacing,Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.
“But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.”

Sparks has already sold the film rights to Safe Haven, and some of his novels-turned-films (Rodanthe, A Walk To Remember) have been shot (at least in part) in NC. Hopefully, the filmmakers will again decide there's no substitute for the real thing!

Zip It Good In NC

2010-09-09T09:52:00.002-04:00

In case you haven't heard, ziplining is one of the hottest things going in adventure travel these days, and North Carolina is one of the hottest places to do it.

A recent article in USA Today listed ten of the top American ziplines according to Michael Smith, the creator of ZiplineNirvana.com, a social media website for zipline enthusiasts. In the article, Smith says that the best zipline tours offer a "sense of place, exploration, and entertainment" along with the thrill ride. Smith calls North Carolina a "leading state for ziplines", and lists two NC ziplines in his top ten:

At Navitat Canopy Adventures in Bernardsville (near Asheville), Smith says "the sense of being in a remote location is overwhelming". He says the company blends environment and aesthetics into the zipline ride, and mentions the sky bridges and unique tree platforms as particularly pleasing.

Meanwhile, the brand new Zipquest (opened in July 2010) in Fayetteville also got top marks for blending adventure into its natural surroundings. "It explores this cool waterfall and a hidden ecosystem", says Smith. The Zipquest tour offers eight ziplines, three skybridges (think Indiana Jones), and three spiral staircases, including one suspended from a cable.

So, if you're looking to zip it good this fall, there's no better place than in North Carolina. For a more complete listing of NC ziplines, check out this article.

Coming Attractions

2010-09-07T09:17:00.004-04:00

See that picture? It was taken September 2 on the grounds of the Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock. It's a sure sign that North Carolina's spectacular fall color is on the way!

Forecasting the "when and where" of fall color is an inexact science at best, but the experts seem to be saying that so far, everything's lining up for a great season. A nice spring bloom, decent rainfall during the summer months and the gradual cooling of temperatures that NC experienced last week all seem to be setting the stage for a colorful display, starting in just a few weeks at the highest elevations of places like Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain.

That's also when VisitNC will begin its annual tracking of peak fall foliage as it marches its way down the mountains, into the foothills and Piedmont, and onto the coastal plain. North Carolina's fall color usually lasts through Thanksgiving, so there will be plenty of fall color to talk about... along with the amazing fall fishing that happens along NC's coastal waters and a long list of fun fall events. Plus, there will be six weeks of giveaways, culminating in a grand prize trip to Raleigh that includes gourmet food, a symphony performance, golf, and a stay at the Umstead Hotel and Spa!

So be sure and check out North Carolina Dreams In Color when it debuts on VisitNC September 20. Let the fall fun begin!

BREAKING NEWS: The Coast Is Clear!

2010-09-04T09:01:00.003-04:00

Good news for all you Labor Day vacationers: with the clearing of NC Highway 12 and the lifting of the evacuation order for Hatteras Island and Ocracoke, all portions of the North Carolina coast, including the Outer Banks, are open for business.

Travel safe, and enjoy a beautiful Labor Day weekend in North Carolina, wherever you choose to spend it!

Goodbye Earl

2010-09-03T09:16:00.012-04:00

Well, Hurricane Earl brushed to the east of NC's Outer Banks last night, bringing rain and wind and mussing the hair of the TV reporters lined up and down the shoreline... but leaving behind no casualties and only minimal damage.

Behind Earl? Some awesome end-of-summer weather, with sunny skies and warm temperatures. More on that later.

The point is, much of the NC coast is clear, literally and figuratively. The Brunswick Islands (Sunset, Ocean Isle, and Holden Beaches), The Cape Fear Coast (Carolina, Kure, and Wrightsville), and Crystal Coast (Topsail, Atlantic, and Emerald Isle) are all completely up and running for your Labor Day Weekend relaxation and recreation.

Meanwhile, officials on the Outer Banks are assessing the condition of roads and other facilities, and are working to re-open to all visitors as soon as possible. Please check the travel advisory (on the upper right side of this blog), or check with Currituck, Dare, or Hyde Counties for the latest information. If you're planning on staying at an Outer Banks vacation rental this coming week, please check with your realty company to find out the condition of the area where you're staying.

Meanwhile, just take a look at the weather predicted for all of North Carolina this weekend:

Asheville: Sunny 76
Boone: Sunny 70
Charlotte: Sunny 84
Greensboro: Sunny 82
Kitty Hawk: Sunny 83
Raleigh: Sunny 85
Wilmington: Sunny 90

Whatever you decide to do in NC this weekend, have a happy and safe Labor Day Weekend!

Charlotte To Host 2017 PGA Championship

2010-08-31T13:51:00.005-04:00

It's a "hole in one" for Charlotte and its Quail Hollow Club.

Today, PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka announced that Quail Hollow will host the PGA Championship in August 2017.

"Charlotte deserves this. Quail Hollow deserves it," Steranka said.

Along with The Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open, the PGA Championship is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf. By hosting the event, Charlotte and Quail Hollow will take center stage in the sporting world. "This is a big deal in North Carolina," says Governor Bev Perdue.

It will be the first major championship played in Charlotte and only the sixth in NC. Pinehurst No. 2 is the site of the US Open in 2014, the fourth major tournament on that course. Tanglewood Park in Clemmons hosted the 1974 PGA Championship.

Quail Hollow already hosts the highly successful Wells Fargo Championship, and will continue to do so through at least 2014.

NC Road Trip Epilouge: Dining Delights

2010-08-29T09:13:00.006-04:00

We've been home a few days now, recovering from two fun weeks on the road. Combined with earlier trips to the Brunswick Islands and the Currituck Outer Banks this summer, we've pretty much covered the entire NC coast. The thing that stands out most to us is how much coast there is, and how you can make a North Carolina beach vacation anything you want. You can stay in a city, or in a town with no paved roads. You can lounge on a great "people watching" beach, or you can have miles of pristine oceanfront all to yourself. You can have trips based around historic sites, fishing trips, adventure sports, or pure relaxation. You can see wild horses or a World War II battleship. Anything you want on your beach vacation, you can find somewhere in North Carolina, and that's pretty cool.

Now, for the "meat" of this post... food. One of the hardest things about traveling is picking out a place to eat. Everyone has their local favorites, but deciding on your vacation dinner spot can be a bit of guesswork. Well, on this trip we compiled list of a few "can't miss" favorites along the route, and have decided to share them with you.

(A caveat here: We are not, nor will we ever be "foodies", but we know what we like. We also like to wear shorts and sandals during a summer beach vacation... and the one thing in common with all of these places is that they are casual. None of these places are the "white tablecloth" types, but they all had really, really, good food... and that's what's important, right?)

Big Apple Pizza, Havelock - At some point during a road trip, you're gonna have a pizza craving, but picking out a place just by driving past it is a gamble. We got lucky with this little place tucked into a small Food Lion shopping center. Among the best pizza we've had anywhere, anyplace... and we're minor experts on the topic. We had the "Hawaiian" and loved it. The garlic knots were also little bites of doughy heaven.

Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn, Wilmington - A favorite with locals, and it's easy to see why. Huge portions, fresh food, good prices. Dine in or grab a couple of burritos and hit the beach. And there are so many varieties of burritos here that everyone is sure to find something they like. Our favorite is the "Baywatch".

Mack Daddy's, Avon - Looks can be deceiving at this Hatteras Island restaurant... which although still casual, is probably the one on this list to pick if this is the group's "big night out" for the week. The menu ranges from simple fresh seafood to elaborate plates, and the chef has even included wine and beer pairings for each item. We really enjoyed the shrimp and grits here, with fresh NC shrimp and andouille sausage. Mmmmmmmm.

Sugar Shack, Ocean Isle Beach - What's this? A Jamaican restaurant on OIB? Yes, it is, and it couldn't be much more authentic if it were in Montego Bay. With the Caribbean colors and atmosphere to spare, the Sugar Shack has become a very popular place for a night out on the Brunswick Islands (hint: make a reservation). We heard lots of raves about the jerk ribs, but decided on the tuna steak, which was delicious. We were too full to try the Key Lime Pie, but that seemed to be a favorite as well.

Top Dog Cafe, Rodanthe - It doesn't look like much from the outside, but if there's ever been a place that has great food and exudes an "Outer Banks" laid-back attitude, this is it. The menu includes a two-pound burger(!) for the daring, but our favorite was the Cajun Mahi sandwich. Twice.

So there you have it... a great two weeks on the NC coast. We've enjoyed sharing this trip with you, and hope to have mountain and piedmont trips to chronicle soon. Stay tuned!

NC Road Trip Day 13: Night Moves

2010-08-25T09:29:00.004-04:00

For the hundreds of people who make it to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse each day, the climb up to the top of America's tallest nautical beacon is both an exhausting and exhilarating endeavor.

But for the 60 people each month who get to make the climb at night, the experience is even more incredible. The National Park Service offers nighttime lighthouse tours once a month during the warmer months, on the night of the full moon. On this night, clouds made the moon a pale shadow of itself, but the climb, and the view from the top, were still spectacular.

"Imagine if you can that you are one of the light keepers of this lighthouse," says Park Ranger Kevin Chandler, our tour guide. "They had to make this trip to the top of the lighthouse several times a day, sometimes carrying buckets of fuel oil that weighed 70 pounds."

Along the way up the 257 steps of the lighthouse, Chandler answers questions and relates several stories about the Hatteras light, tales of hurricanes and shipwrecks and of reasons why this lighthouse has so many decorative flairs for what is usually a very basic and utilitarian building.

Once we reach the top, the payoff is evident: panoramic views of the Atlantic, with the beacon of the lighthouse sweeping across the waves every few seconds. When you turn around, you get an up-close-and-personal look at the light itself, which is visible for 20 miles out at sea. It just might be the best view on the Outer Banks.

The Full Moon tours cost the same price as daylight tours, and times vary with the sunset. Tickets usually go on sale two days before the actual climb, and usually sell out within a few hours. For visitors coming to the area at the right time, it is one of those rare experiences that will make a memorable NC vacation even more unforgettable.

NC Road Trip Day 11: The Sunset Show

2010-08-23T08:06:00.001-04:00

NAGS HEAD - You can come as you are to the biggest show on the Outer Banks, and there's no cover charge.

It happens every evening at Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head. People begin to gather on the massive dunes here, snapping photos and spreading out blankets in the late afternoon sun. Kids play around in the sand, while teens and adults get out kites and launch them high into the cooling coastal air.

By the time the sun its descent over Albemarle Sound, hundreds of people, residents and visitors, have gathered. Some perch on top of the tallest dunes to get the best vantage point of the entire area, some wander their way down to the water's edge. There's almost a festival atmosphere, as groups of families and friends will strike up conversations with complete strangers, asking them to snap their group pictures with the brilliant sunset in the background. These will be the photos that come to define a vacation.

And even after the sun has dipped below the horizon, the friendly family festival atmosphere goes on until closing time. Dozens of people linger on the dunes, flying kites and taking in the view as the glow fades from the western sky. A beautiful, peaceful, inspirational end to yet another great day on North Carolina's Outer Banks.

Nature's spectacular sunset show at Jockey's Ridge happens every night except Christmas Day (when the park is closed). Admission is free. Bring your camera!

NC Road Trip Day 10: Flights Of Fancy

2010-08-22T11:04:00.004-04:00

KILL DEVIL HILLS - There must be something in the air here. Something along the Outer Banks just seems to inspire people to fly.

Of course, the most famous Outer Banks flight happened more than 100 years ago, when Orville Wright took a 12-second sustained flight on December 17, 1903 to become the world's first successful pilot. That flight, and everything that led to it, is commemorated at the Wright Brothers National Memorial here, which contains an interpretive center, a First Flight sculpture,
and the monument pictured above.

But a little further south, at Jockey's Ridge State Park, people are taking their own "first flights" every day, thanks to the instructors at Kitty Hawk Kites, which has taught more than 300,000 people to pilot hang gliders over the soft sand dunes here since 1974. Men and women, young and old, adventurous and timid, all come here with the same dream the Wright Brothers came here with: to fly. Some may go onto longer flights and higher altitudes, some are satisfied with their brief defiance of gravity. But all will be airborne, at least for a few seconds.

And then there are those whose flights of fancy involve staying on the ground while piloting a wind-driven craft with a string or two, and those that glide effortlessly along the waves while powered by a billowing kite of their own.

In fact, just about anywhere you look up and down Highway 12, you'll find people engaged in some sort of flight. Because around here, there's always something in the air.

NC Road Trip Day 9:The Ghosts That Haunt Me

2010-08-21T10:42:00.003-04:00

OCRACOKE - This little island at the southern edge of the Outer Banks may be one of the most charming places you'll ever visit, and the beaches here are among the finest in the world.

But Ocracoke has a "dark side", and that's just the way Amy Howard likes it.

Howard is a 9th-generation Ocracoke resident and one of two people who guide the Ocracoke History & Ghost Walks from The Village Craftsmen on Howard Street. As a member of one of the oldest families on the island, Howard knows where the bodies are buried. Literally.

"You'll see a lot of official cemeteries around the island," Amy says toward the beginning of her tour. "But there are many, many more unofficial ones. You never know where some old bones might turn up around here."

Howard's tour includes both historical and "inside" information about this place that has seen its share of bizarre and bloody happenings. After all, Ocracoke sits at the center of what is called "The Graveyard of the Atlantic", and the New World's most notorious pirate, Blackbeard, met his violent end just off of Springer's Point.

But there are other stories too, of mysterious deaths and prophetic dreams, and of the shipwreck of the Steamship Home in 1837, which left dozens of bodies washed up on those beautiful Ocracoke beaches and led to laws requiring boats to carry enough life preservers for all of its passengers.

Howard tells these stories not only to send chills up a listener's spine, but to entertain and educate, and most importantly to continue the Ocracoke tradition of oral storytelling, something that's been going on as long as people have lived here.

Among all these graveyards and ghosts, that tradition is the one thing Amy Howard hopes will live forever.

NC Road Trip Day 8: History's Mystery

2010-08-20T00:09:00.005-04:00

MANTEO - What really became of the British colonists who came to Roanoke Island in 1587?

Did they disappear into the wilderness? Were they slaughtered by hostile Natives? Taken in by friendly ones? Or perhaps conquered by invading Spaniards?

The fate of those 120 people, including the first English child born on American soil, Virginia Dare, remains one of American history's unsolved mysteries. But on summer nights, the story is played out for visitors and residents alike in a beautiful outdoor theatre not far from where that ill-fated colony once stood.

The Lost Colony doesn't try to solve the mystery for its audience. It does, however, bring to life the historical story behind the colony and its struggles, trapped between Sir Walter Raleigh's quest for an English settlement in the New World and Queen Elizabeth's worries over ongoing war with Spain.

And it does it all on a grand scale. With a cast of the finest actors pulled from auditions up and down the East Coast (Andy Griffith is one famous alumnus), and with detailed costumes designed from exhausting historical research done by William Ivey Long. At Thursday's performance, the cast even included several infants in the role of Virginia Dare, to commemorate Dare's birthday on August 19, 1587.

In the process, it is the longest-running historical outdoor drama in the United States. And by combining drama, dance, spectacle, and song, some consider The Lost Colony to be the forerunner of the modern American musical.

Not bad for a group of lonely colonists who braved life in a new world more than 400 years ago.

NC Road Trip Day 7:Gone But Not Forgotten

2010-08-19T10:01:00.005-04:00

PORTSMOUTH VILLAGE - They tell me this is what North Carolina's Outer Banks used to look like.

Before beach houses and putt-putt golf courses, before wind surfing and hang gliding, before electricity, before even Orville and Wilbur, there was Portsmouth. In fact, back when colonial America was just getting going, Portsmouth was the largest settlement on the Outer Banks, and a major NC shipping center. It was home to one of North Carolina's first mapped roads, its first maritime hospital, and eventually a US Life Saving Service station.

But time, politics, and even Mother Nature plotted against Portsmouth. In the mid-1800s, Ocracoke Inlet started to shoal. An 1846 storm opened a new, deeper inlet at Hatteras, and shipping routes shifted north. When the Union Army occupied Portsmouth during the Civil War, many residents fled to the mainland, never to return. Fishing and the Life Saving Service kept things going, but the decline was inevitable. Finally, in 1971, the last two residents reluctantly moved to the mainland. Portsmouth, as a community, was gone.

Today, Portsmouth Village is part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, and much of it is remarkably intact. The Methodist Church still stands tall, with a bell that is still rung for special occasions, like when families of former Portsmouth residents gather here every other year for a reunion. The post office is here, as is the US Life Saving Service facility. Many of the homes still look lived in. "If you close your eyes, you can almost see kids walking down the road to school like they did 200 years ago", says Peggy Pleasants, one of the Park Service volunteers who keeps an eye on the abandoned village.

The village is a short ferry ride from Ocracoke, a ride that also includes close-up views of dolphins and nesting pelicans. Once here, the walk through Portsmouth Village is a beautiful and fascinating look into life on the Outer Banks the way it used to be... in a community seemingly frozen in time.

NC Road Trip Day 6: Catch Of The Day

2010-08-18T23:28:00.003-04:00

HARKERS ISLAND – All it takes is one look at the small marina here to know that Carteret County is serious about seafood. Shrimp boat here, fishing boat there. All up and down the roads between Beaufort and Morehead, between Harkers Island and Cedar Island, you’ll see businesses and restaurants making their livlihoods from the sea’s bounty.  

But the business of fishing isn’t what it used to be in these parts, so in 2004 a group of interested citizens here formed a program called “Carteret Catch” in an effort to link fishermen with seafood sellers and restaurants, and a to educate residents and visitors on how to make sure the seafood they order from a local restaurant is as fresh and as local as possible. “It lets people know that if you're buying Carteret Catch seafood in Carteret County, you're most likely eating seafood that was caught less than two days ago,” says Pam Morris, past president of the organization, "and when it comes to seafood, the fresher, the better."

Merchants participating in the program buy at least some of their seafood from local fishermen, and are able to display the official “Cartaret Catch” logo on a flag outside, on the door, even on the menu. The fishermen then have steady and viable markets for their catch, and restaurant patrons can rest assured that the shrimp or flounder or grouper they just ordered is right off the boat and from nearby waters.

Thanks in part to the growing consumer interest in “eating locally”, the program has become a huge success, and it’s being used as a model for similar programs across North Carolina and around the country. “Carteret Catch gave my business credibility as one that sells fresh seafood”, says Bill Rice, the owner of the Fish Town store in Beaufort. “it sends a message that we are committed to the local seafood industry.”

And hopefully, it will also mean that Carteret County will always be serious about seafood.

NC Road Trip Day 4: Seeing The Light

2010-08-16T08:24:00.004-04:00

CAPE LOOKOUT NATIONAL SEASHORE - North Carolina has an entire coast of stately, beautiful lighthouses... but only one involves a half-day of adventure just to see it.

To get to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, you have to have a boat. Either one of your own, or a passenger ferry from Beaufort or Harker's Island. The ride we took from Beaufort takes about an hour, during which riders might be able to catch a glimpse of Fort Macon, dolphins, or maybe even some wild horses.

Once you get to the Cape Lookout National Seashore, you'll find some of the most pristine beaches you'll ever find in America. Besides the few lighthouse buildings, there is only a short boardwalk linking the Core Sound beaches to those on the Atlantic side. If you're planning to go, be sure and bring everything you'll need, because other than bottles of water at the National Park Service Visitors Center, you're pretty much on your own once you get there.

The lighthouse, in and of itself, is a marvel. It stands 163 feet high and is fully automated, so it flashes its beacon even during the day. Its distinctive black-and-white checkers are designed not only to distinguish it from other nearby lights, but to show direction. The side points of the black diamonds point north-south, while the side points of white diamonds point east-west.

Some say the diamond design of the lighthouse was actually supposed to go on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to the north, since that light warns ships away from the treacherous Diamond Shoals. Whether that's true, and whether it involved the lighthouse paint crew receiving a shipment of rum (as our guide claims), we'll leave for the experts. But it's a beautiful lighthouse on an amazing little strip of land that offers a uniquely natural beachgoing experience that's difficult to find anywhere else. And if you're going on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday during the summer, the National Park Service will let you climb the lighthouse. The view from the top is spectacular.

We'll have more on unique lighthouse experiences later in the trip, so stay tuned.

NC Road Trip Day 3:Born On A Pirate Ship

2010-08-14T16:24:00.004-04:00

Beaufort may seem like a peaceful little seaside town now, but it hasn't always been that way.

"Oh, it was a pretty rough place back in the old times," says local resident Martha Barnes. "We had a real pirate problem back then. There were some pretty bad guys here."

Beaufort was invaded by Spanish privateers twice back in 1747, and there are rumored to be pirates buried in the town's Old Burying Grounds. Blackbeard is believed to have stayed for a time in the Hammock House off of Front Street, and his flagship Queen Anne's Revenge was discovered about a mile off the coast here. So this little town knows its pirates.

Nowadays, you're more likely to find flower beds and art galleries in Beaufort than pirates and rumrunners. But every August, the skull and crossbones flies over the town again during the Beaufort Pirate Invasion, an annual weekend festival designed to bring out the Jack Sparrow in all of us.

The Pirate Invasion is aimed at families, with costume contests and face painting and seminars on how to talk like a pirate available for seafaring scallywags of all sizes. But the celebration is also rooted in history, with pirate reenactors taking the town by land and sea before eventually being chased off by the local militia. Later though, the pirates return to enjoy the evening with visitors and townspeople over a nice cold grog.

So, if you've always thought a pirate's life was for you but you're worried about who'd water the plants, The Beaufort Pirate Invasion just might your chance to walk the plank and shiver your timbers. At least once a yarrrrr.

NC Road Trip Day 2:Hangin' With The "Hill" People

2010-08-13T18:18:00.005-04:00

Actor James Lafferty on One Tree Hill's River Court

TREE HILL - It was a hot and humid day in "Tree Hill, North Carolina", but the fans started lining up early at the River Court in anticipation of the day's big event.

"Who's gonna be in this scene?" asks one.

"Nathan and Julian, I think. Maybe Hayley, too."

"Have you been anywhere else in town?"

"We went to Clothes Over Bros earlier. We're gonna run by Lucas' house later. I hear it's for sale."

This is the language of One Tree Hill, a CW network show that is filmed in and around Wilmington, NC. The drama enters its eighth season next month, and judging by the small army of fans gathered around the show's iconic "River Court", it still has some very passionate viewers. We met groups of fans from as far away as New Jersey and Indiana today, and one set of spectators was speaking French. Wayne Brown is making his tenth pilgrimage to Wilmington from Central Florida for his daughter, who considers herself one of the shows biggest fans.

"We've been to Peyton's house, Lucas' house, Tric, and now the River Court," Brown says. "Just about anything that's been on the show, we've been there."

Some in the industry call One Tree Hill "the little show that could" because of its remarkable staying power in the face of adversity. No one thought it would survive the merger of UPN and the WB, but it did. No one thought it would survive the loss of two main characters (Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray), but it did. And the show's fans, like the group gathered at the River Court today, are probably the reason why.

The show has been good to Wilmington as well. Besides keeping a significant number of people in the town's film industry employed, a growing number of fans are actually being drawn to visit Wilmington on the power of One Tree Hill. The Visitor's Center even gives out maps with directions to locations of many pivotal moments in the series' storylines. And while making their rounds, those visitors are discovering that the things they like about Tree Hill on TV are much the same in real-life Wilmington.

"Even after the show ends, we'll probably keep coming back. The people are nice, the town is great, and we love the beaches. We might even move here someday", says Wayne Brown.

"My daughter would like that."

NC Road Trip Day 1: Ghost Ship?

2010-08-12T21:50:00.005-04:00

WILMINGTON - Danny Bradshaw has seen the things that go bump in the night.

He's been the night watchman for the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA for 33 years, and has enough stories about strange phenomenon and ghostly encounters aboard the retired WWII warship that he could write a book. In fact, he has. His Ghosts on the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA has been a bestseller in Wilmington-area gift shops, and is about to go into it's ninth printing. The book contains 13 ghost stories from the battleship, eleven of which happened to Bradshaw personally.

Bradshaw says he's actually seen the ghost three times. He describes him as an apparition with white flames shooting from his head. He also says there may be more than one spirit on board.

"The theory around here is that the ship was hit by a torpedo during the war, and it hit the shower room and killed four men there, and when they found them two of them had their heads burned. It could be them."

Whoever or whatever the apparitions are, Bradshaw's encounters drew the attention of the popular Syfy show Ghost Hunters, which filmed an episode there in 2005. Since then, several paranormal investigations have been launched aboard the ship, and many have been witness to unexplainable events.

Tonight, we took the plunge and went on board. And while the mysterious spirit decided to be camera shy, there's no question that the narrow passageways and eerie shadows of the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA would make an excellent place for a mischievous ghost to take up residence.

After all, it is moored in the Cape Fear River.

A North Carolina Road Trip!

2010-08-12T10:26:00.007-04:00

The Visit North Carolina blog is heading out for a road trip today... and we're taking our readers with us!

On this journey, we're headed toward the NC Coast, and we'll be sharing photos and experiences with you along the way. We don't want to give away any surprises, but we think you'll enjoy the ride... and maybe pick up a few vacation ideas of your own. We'll also be posting pictures and updates through the VisitNC Twitter page, so keep an eye on that as well.

Keep checking back... and enjoy the trip!

Author Hikes AT To Save NC Lookout Tower

2010-08-03T09:27:00.004-04:00

Author Peter Barr is going the distance for a cause near and dear to his heart.

Barr, who wrote the popular book Hiking North Carolina's Lookout Towers, is thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail this summer to help save one of those towers: the Shuckstack Tower, which sits in the western part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The tower was built in 1934 but currently sits in disrepair and is in danger of being torn down.

Barr is asking his followers to contribute $21.78 - a penny for each mile of the trail - to help save and repair the aging tower.

At last report, Barr was on New Hampshire's Mt. Cube, with only Maine left to conquer, and is hoping to raise $3,000 for tower restoration by the time he finishes the trail later this month. For more information on his adventure, or to contribute to the cause. Click here.

Carowinds' Intimidator Makes Top 10 Coaster List

2010-07-31T06:42:00.002-04:00

Back when it opened in April, we told you The Intimidator, at Charlotte's Carowinds theme park, was something special. Now we have proof. We love it when we're proven right.

Last week, USA Today published a list of "Ten Great Places To Thrill To A Roller Coaster". In the article that followed, the author got the opinion of Paul Ruben, the North American editor of Park World, a trade magazine for the outdoor amusement industry. Ruben says he's ridden nearly 800 coasters in his lifetime, and he put The Intimidator on his Top Ten list. From the article:

"Pedestal-style seats have thrill-seekers leaning back with their feet off the floor. "It's like riding in an out-of-control easy chair," Ruben says of this brand-new steel coaster that reaches speeds of 80 mph. "Anything that makes the rider feel more vulnerable is good. It enhances the sense of imagined danger."

There you have it, expert opinion that Carowinds' newest roller coaster is one of the nation's best. Just remember... you heard it here first.

Taste Authentic Calabash Seafood

2010-07-30T06:27:00.001-04:00

You hear a lot of talk these days about "slow food" and "local food" and "authentic food". Well, down in the Brunswick County town of Calabash (just a stone's throw from the SC line), they've come up with a seafood style so local and so authentic that they named it after the town.

So, the next time you see a national chain or an all-you-can-eat buffet tout their "Calabash Seafood", keep in mind there's only one place to get the real deal. And that's in Calabash, North Carolina.

Make A Splash In NC's Top Ten Waterfalls

2010-07-29T09:37:00.009-04:00

Looking to cool off in the middle of a long, hot summer? North Carolina's mountains have a natural answer for you: waterfalls!

Recently, readers of online travel guide Romantic Asheville were asked to come up with a list of their favorites. Choices ranged from picturesque (Crabtree Falls, pictured) to wet n' wild (Sliding Rock)... from one you can see from your car (Looking Glass) to one you can see in the movies (Hickory Nut).

Here's the list Romantic Asheville's readers came up with:

Sliding Rock: Each summer, thousands slip and slide down this favorite natural, 60-foot cascade down a sloping boulder in the Pisgah National Forest.
Looking Glass Falls: You don't even have to get out of your car to see this 60-foot waterfall, located near Sliding Rock along U.S. 276 north of Brevard, near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
DuPont State Forest: A three-mile easy hike takes you to the base of three waterfalls: Hooker, Triple and the 150-foot High Falls.
Graveyard Fields: This popular hiking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway features a loop trail that takes you to two waterfalls on the Yellowstone Prong. Second Falls is just 1/3 mile from the parking area.
Rainbow Falls: This spectacular 150-foot waterfall is located in the Nantahala National Forest. Access via a hiking trail from Gorges State Park. A little up Horsepasture River, slide and swim at Turtleback Falls.
Linville Falls: Located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Erwin’s View Trail is a moderate hike of 1.6 miles round trip with four overlooks, each revealing a different aspect of the Falls and Linville Gorge.
Crabtree Falls: This beautiful 70-foot waterfall, near Linville Falls, is accessed by a 2.5-mile loop hiking trail from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Upper Whitewater Falls: This is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies. It plunges 411 feet and is easily viewed via a short paved trail.
Hickory Nut Falls: This 404-foot waterfall at Chimney Rock Park was featured in the movie The Last of the Mohicans. It is a perfect example of what geologists call a "hanging valley."
Dry Falls: Located near Highlands, visitors get the rare treat of walking safely behind this 75-foot waterfall. Nearby, drive behind Bridal Veil Falls.

For more information on these and other NC waterfalls, log onto Romantic Asheville.

Simpson's Whirligigs On The Move

2010-07-22T09:30:00.004-04:00

The 29 spinning and clanging whirligigs on Vollis Simpson's farm near Lucama, NC will soon have a new home, thanks to an effort underway by the city of Wilson and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Simpson, who created the complex metal sculptures over the past several decades, is now 91 years old and not able to make the climb needed to keep his creations maintained. "If I could climb, I wouldn't let it go. My knees are wore out", says Simpson.

The city of Wilson is now trying to buy, preserve, and move the sculptures to a 2-acre park downtown by November 2012. Organizers say they're starting to receive some private donations, and the Arts Council has kicked in $10,000.

Simpson's contraptions are made of metal, reflectors, and ball bearings, and some sit on poles 30 to 50 feet in the air. When a stiff breeze blows, the art comes to life, spinning and twirling and clanging in the wind. Many visitors to the area will drive miles out of their way to see the whirligig farm, and the collection of sculptures has become an unofficial tourist destination about 50 miles east of Raleigh.

Simpson says he began making whirligigs in the 1980's as a way to use leftover material from his machine shop. Some of his works now grace locations as disparate as a shopping center in Albuquerque, The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, and the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. Now, hopefully, his largest body of work will find a permanent home not far from where it was created, and future visitors will find the sculptures well-oiled and freshly painted and clanging in the breeze for generations to come.

National Group Raising Money For Bentonville Battlefield Expansion

2010-07-20T06:09:00.001-04:00

A national Civil War preservation group is hoping to preserve more of the battlefield where the Union Army of Gen. William T. Sherman defeated the Confederate forces of Gen. Joseph E. Johnson.

The Civil War Preservation Trust hopes to purchase about 240 acres to add to the Bentonville Battlefield site in Johnston County. The new property would include land where troops fought on the first and third day of the battle, including woods, farmlands, and fields.

After the purchase, the state would own the new acreage. Some of it would be leased back to farmers in an effort to keep development from encroaching on the site. The Bentonville purchase is part of a larger $2.2 million North Carolina legacy campaign.

The campaign is scheduled to last about 18 months. The Trust has already entered into contracts with the Bentonville landowners and is waiting for the money to make the purchases.

The Battle of Bentonville occurred March 19-21, 1865. It was the last major battle of the Civil War and the largest ever fought on North Carolina soil.

Hickory Celebrates 50 Years Of Furniture Heritage

2010-07-19T04:15:00.000-04:00

When people think of quality handcrafted American furniture, many think of North Carolina. The state has long been a leader in the furniture industry, and many people will drive hundreds of miles to outfit their homes with NC Furniture.

This year, one of the favorite North Carolina furniture stops, the Hickory Furniture Mart, is holding its annual Furniture Festival and Clearance Sale July 23-25. But in 2010, the event is even more special, as the furniture destination celebrates 50 years in business.

During the festival, visitors will be able to watch furniture craftsmen upholster furniture, demonstrate eight-way hand tied construction, and speak to an Amish craftsman as he designs a piece of furniture from the ground up. There will be several other demonstrations including gold leafing, stained glass craftsmanship, entertainers, and pottery making, as well as regional beer and wine tastings. There will also be a major clearance sale taking place throughout the weekend, and visitors will be able to take home fine furniture selections at tremendous discounts. In honor of the the 50th anniversary, there will also be 50 giveaways, including an Ultimate Rock Barn & Spa Package and a Biltmore Candlelight Christmas Package.

For more information, inlcuding a complete list of participants and giveaways, click here.

Mother Vine Expected To Survive Brush With Herbicide

2010-07-09T06:28:00.001-04:00

It was a close call for what is believed to be the oldest grapevine in North America, located on North Carolina's Roanoke Island.

Back in May, a contractor for Virginia-based Dominion Power mistakenly sprayed a small tendril of the Mother Vine with a powerful herbicide called Garlon. The label specifically warns against spraying grapevines with it.

At first, Jack Wilson, the owner and caretaker of the vine, tried pruning the dying parts of it daily, but more dead vine would appear each day. Stressed and unable to sleep, Wilson called for help. North Carolina State sent in an expert, and Dominion hired another expert from Virginia Tech to inspect the plant and recommend treatment.

After several weeks of daily watering, pruning, and fertilizing, those experts now expect the vine to be fine. However, this season's crop of grapes will not be harvested, just to be safe.

The Mother Vine is known around the world for its age. Oral history and recorded memories say it was large and old in the 1700s, and it was likely there when Englishmen explored the island in the late 1500s.

Cool Off In Charlotte's "New" Discovery Place

2010-07-08T10:02:00.003-04:00

Let's face it, folks... it's hot out there. This little heat wave the East Coast has happening right now has visitors everywhere seeking out fun places that are literally "cool".

If you happen to be in Uptown Charlotte, one of the coolest places to go (literally and figuratively) for all ages is Discovery Place, a family-friendly hands-on museum that has often been named one of the Top Ten Science Museums in the country. Better yet, Discovery Place has just completed a top-to-bottom renovation project that finds it with an expanded aquarium and rainforest, plus all new displays and exhibits designed to fascinate both kids and adults.

So, if you're looking to beat the heat this summer in Charlotte, check out the air-conditioned fun at Discovery Place!

Blue Ridge Parkway Now Open End-To-End

2010-07-01T05:41:00.000-04:00

Just in time for your 4th of July travel plans, the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway is now open end-to-end for the first time in more than a year. Today, a 6-mile section of Parkway about 20 miles southwest of Asheville near Mount Pisgah is reopening. The section between mileposts 399-405 had been closed since last fall.

"This will be the first time the entire parkway will be open in about 18 months", the Parkway's Chief of Maintenance told the Asheville Citizen-Times. Another section north of Asheville and south of Craggy Gardens had been closed for a year before that, also for slide prevention work.

Besides the slide repair, the mountains of North Carolina went through a brutal winter this year, with record snowfall, cold temperatures, and ice storms. Because of that, much of the Parkway was closed from December through March. The closures put a damper on early-season visitation.

Now that the entire Blue Ridge Parkway is open again, officials say it's a great time to celebrate the iconic road's 75th birthday. Many of the communities and towns along the parkway route will be holding special events and promotions over the summer and fall months. The official Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Festival is scheduled for September 10-12 in and around NC's Cumberland Knob Recreation Area, where construction began 75 years ago.

Spanish Mustangs Named Official NC Horse

2010-06-28T05:52:00.006-04:00

Thanks to the efforts of Currituck County school children, the Colonial Spanish Mustang has officially been named North Carolina's state horse. The General Assembly ratified the measure earlier this month, after a group of kids from Shawboro Elementary School came up with the idea.

Believed to be descended from Spanish Mustangs that came to the New World with 16th-century explorers, about 80 wild horses live in the four-wheel-drive area of the Currituck Outer Banks. Another 120 live on the Shackleford Banks further south. The horses are among the most popular visitor attractions on the Outer Banks.

Film Fans To Have The Time Of Their Lives At Lake Lure Festival

2010-06-23T11:29:00.005-04:00

Dirty Dancing is coming home. Fans of all ages can re-live the magic of Johnny and Baby at the first annual “Dirty Dancing Festival” September 17-18 in the film’s original, breathtaking backdrop of Lake Lure, NC. With proceeds benefiting The Isothermal Foundation Performing Arts Center, Hospice of Rutherford County and the Lake Lure Youth Center, Dirty Dancing enthusiasts will be able to indulge in a dance-packed weekend featuring a free lakeside screening of the film Friday on the original location of Johnny's cabin, a family dance festival on Saturday, and a swanky dance gala on Saturday night.

From a questionable B-movie to an overnight, pop-culture phenomenon, North Carolina’s pride in Dirty Dancing is enormous, and Lake Lure receives droves of visitors to every year who seek out the iconic film's locales. NBC’s Weekend TODAY Anchor Jenna Wolfe made a pit stop in Lake Lure this April just to recreate the famous "lift" scene herself, declaring it “one of the coolest things” she has ever done.

For more information on the festival or to purchase tickets, log onto www.dirtydancingfestival.com, or call the Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce at 828-980-2883.

Fort Dobbs To Rise Again

2010-06-22T10:19:00.003-04:00

Fort Dobbs, NC's only French & Indian War historic site, is making history again, as officials last week announced a capital campaign to rebuild the 18th Century fort. It’s the first time in a generation an important piece of North America’s history will be completely reconstructed on the original site. Comprehensive Interpretive Plan designer Bill Haley proudly claimed, “Visitors will stand on the same spot people stood 250 years ago and see what has not been seen since the 18th century!”

The historic site near Statesville currently houses a museum where guests can view artifacts found in the area and see a scaled replica of the original Fort Dobbs. Hundreds of re-enactors volunteer at Fort Dobbs during events such as the War for Empire battle reenactment in April and the upcoming 18th Century Trade Faire in October.

Officials are hoping to raise $2.6 million in private funds to be raised for rebuilding the fort and landscaping. Over the next six to eight years, additional public and private dollars will build interpretative buildings and shape the land to help visitors further experience the life of the 18th century settler and the native Cherokee. Haley has designed interactive visitor experiences at Stonehenge, Jamestowne, the Smithsonian and Valley Forge. His firm is currently working with Fort McHenry to tell the story of “Star Spangled Banner” composer Francis Scott Key. Haley’s work on the Fort Dobbs project was funded by a $150,000 federal grant awarded to Fort Dobbs by the Institute of Library and Museum Services.

American Dance Festival Ticket Winners Chosen

2010-06-16T00:01:00.001-04:00

(6/16/10: We're picking FOUR winners to wrap up the contest, so congratulations to Michael Katz of Raleigh, Beth Hutchins of Butner, NC, Jacqueline Bright of Rocky Mount, NC and Carol Pomper of Raleigh!)

(6/02/10: Congratulations to our first two winners: Debby Jackson-Ricketts of Independence, VA and Marsha Presnell-Jennette of Raleigh, NC!)

From now through June 16th, Visit North Carolina will be giving away tickets to the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC! The festival opens its 33rd season on June 10th with Durham's own amazing African-American Dance Ensemble. Over the next six weeks, twelve other groups will bring unforgettable dance performances to Durham, including the Brenda Angiel Aerial Dance Company (Argentina), the Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company (Israel) and the RUBBERBANDance Group (Canada). This year's festival marks a beautiful exploration of the influences that theater has had on modern dance.

Each week, the Visit North Carolina blog will give away two pairs of "good any time" tickets to two lucky winners. All you have to do is e-mail us at blogger@visitnc.com with your name, city, and e-mail address. Include the subject line "American Dance Festival Tickets", and we'll post the names of two winners on this blog June 2, 9, and 16, as well as notifying the winners via e-mail. Once the winners' names are posted, you'll have two days to claim your tickets.

Only one entry per e-mail address, please. Each entry will be eligible for all three weeks' drawings.

Good Luck!

Rare Leatherback Turtle Nests On Holden Beach

2010-06-08T22:21:00.002-04:00

Photo courtesy John Lytvinenko, Holden Beach Turtle Patrol

A midnight walk on Brunswick County's Holden Beach yielded a rare find for four visiting college students.

The students from Chicago were walking along the shoreline at 12:20 a.m. on June 1 when they spotted a 6-foot-long, 850 pound nesting leatherback turtle.

"We thought it was some kind of sand castle", said Ariel Parks.

"All of a sudden, its head raised up", adds friend Jesse Foster.

Having spotted a sign earlier in the day about the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol, the students ran to find the phone number and called the turtle patrol on a cell phone. Volunteers showed up at 1 a.m. to find the turtle still in front of the "Mullet Over" beach house.

The turtle patrol returned after daybreak to find and relocate the nest to a safer area. Volunteers found 106 eggs, 70 of which were fertile.

Officials believe this is the first leatherback nest ever located on Holden Beach (the area usually sees loggerhead turtles). The leatherback is the largest sea turtle in the world, and is currently on the critically endangered species list. Full-grown leatherbacks can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.

Amtrak Adds New Raleigh-Charlotte Runs

2010-06-07T10:47:00.000-04:00

Looking for a way to visit NC's two biggest cities without having to drive between them? Amtrak has recently added two new mid-day trains between Raleigh and Charlotte, making it easier than ever to see the state's Piedmont without ever having to get behind the wheel.

The new mid-day trains come in addition to the existing Piedmont service, which now operates morning and evening trains between Raleigh and Charlotte, a trip that takes just over three hours. The trains also stop in Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury, and Kannapolis.

The Southbound mid-day train departs Raleigh at 11:50 a.m. and arrive in Charlotte at 3:02 p.m. A separate Northbound train departs Charlotte at 12:30 p.m. and arrive in Raleigh at 3:43 p.m.

The new service is expected to attract 43,000 new passengers in its first year of operation. To promote it, North Carolina's Amtrak is offering a 40 percent discount for adult fares on all Piedmont trains throughout the month of June. Click here for more information.

Asheville Soaks Up Second "Beer City" Title

2010-06-01T21:40:00.004-04:00

Last year, when Asheville managed to finish in a statistical tie with venerable Portland, Oregon for the online title of "BeerCity USA", some might have thought it was a one-time fluke of the internet. After all, how could a mountain town with a population under 75,000 people beat out the West Coast's microbrew stalwart with a population of nearly 600,000?

But then... something funny happened. Asheville won again in 2010. And this year, it's no tie. After nearly 20,000 votes were counted, Asheville ended up with 39% of the vote to Portland's 34%.

This, of course, is no surprise to anyone who has sampled beer in Asheville. From the Highland Brewing Company, the "grandaddy" of the local brewing scene... to relative newbies like the Wedge Brewing Company, Asheville has a variety of beer styles and tastes that would be considered eclectic in any sized town.

And this weekend, you have a chance to enjoy the Asheville beer experience at the Beer City Festival, which will be held June 5th at the city's new Roger McQuire Park downtown. It will be a great way to discover for yourself what has made this little mountain town a big player in the national brewing scene. Cheers!

"A-Team" Comes To Charlotte For Coca-Cola 600

2010-05-25T15:31:00.004-04:00

There'll be some high octane fun on tap at the Charlotte Motor Speedway before the start of Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

The stars of Twentieth Century Fox’s summer motion picture The A-Team will make a special appearance at this year’s race. A-Team headliners Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Sharlto Copley will deploy on a secret mission during the pre-race festivities for the 51^st running of the Memorial Day Weekend race.

In addition, the four Hollywood luminaries will serve as honorary race officials for the Coca-Cola 600 and take part in various activities around the speedway prior to the main event.

Paying tribute to all veterans and active U.S. military servicemen and women, the pre-race show for the Coca-Cola 600 will include flyovers with vintage aircraft from different wars; a military assault demonstration by Special Operations soldiers from Fort Bragg, N.C.; on-stage recognition of Medal of Honor recipients; and the unfurling of a gigantic, 11,250 square-foot American flag by families of active-duty troops.

Then, of course, there's the race itself, which is the longest on the NASCAR schedule. The Coca-Cola 600 drops the checkered flag at 5pm May 30, and will be broadcast live nationwide on the FOX network.

Little Switzerland Turns 100

2010-05-20T05:52:00.001-04:00

A small NC mountain community that began as an summer retreat for Charlotte's upper crust is now celebrating 100 years of serving up breathtaking views and amazing mountain getaways to the masses.

In the spring of 1909, attorney Herriot Clarkson rode mule-back to the top of Grassy Mountain and was amazed by the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. "This is the place", he said. He returned to Charlotte to invite a small group of business associates to help him create an exclusive mountain community. Little Switzerland was formally organized in 1910.

The place is no longer an exclusive place for the well-to-do, but instead a popular stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway for people of all walks of life to enjoy outdoor activities and spectacular mountain views. This summer, Little Switzerland celebrates its centennial with special events such as photo exhibits of the last century, historic home tours, storytelling campfires, and a new play titled "A Story Of Place" to be performed at the Wildacres Retreat.

The activities begin in June and run through September. For more information and a schedule f upcoming events, go to www.littleswitzerlandnc.com.

One Tree Hill Renewed For Eighth Season

2010-05-19T12:21:00.004-04:00

North Carolina's "little show that could" will be back for an eighth season, the CW network announced today.

One Tree Hill, which is shot in and around the Wilmington area and rents production offices and sound stages at the EUE Screen Gems' Wilmington campus, aired its seventh season finale on Monday. Months of speculation have focused on whether the network would bring back the dramatic series, which has aired since 2003. The show averages 2.3 million viewers per episode and has a loyal fan base that often make pilgrimages to the Cape Fear coast to visit the show's iconic locations, such as "The River Court", a small outdoor basketball court near the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA.

The network ended that speculation today, committing to at least 13 new episodes for next season. That's good news for fans of the show, but even better news for the local film industry. The Wilmington Regional Film Commission says the show employs 125 local professionals and pumps about a million dollars per episode into the local economy.

NASCAR Hall Opens In Charlotte

2010-05-11T14:29:00.005-04:00

Charlotte's new NASCAR Hall of Fame opened today with a rumble.

Richard Petty pulled his 1974 Dodge Charger onto the Hall's ceremonial plaza, with Junior Johnson trailing in a 1940 Ford. The two members of NASCAR's inaugural Hall of Fame class climbed from the cars they are most associated with to a rousing ovation. After Johnson and Petty's arrival — Petty in a replica of his No. 43 STP Dodge, and Johnson in a No. 3 Ford that read "Carolina Moonshine" — several past champions scanned their entrance cards to officially open the doors.

Officials say the new NASCAR facility is the biggest and most technologically advanced Hall of Fame in professional sports. The 150,000-square-foot building is a shrine of memorabilia, exhibits that recreate old-time NASCAR lore, 154 video screens, racing simulators and interactive activities.

The inaugural Hall of Fame class, elected by 50 voters last year, is: NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., longtime chairman Bill France Jr., seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, Johnson and Petty. The induction ceremony is scheduled for May 23.

Rodanthe House Back In Business

2010-05-07T17:10:00.013-04:00

8/29/2011 UPDATE - We're happy to share that WRAL.com reports house "escaped Irene's wrath unharmed."

The big beach house that set the stage for the 2008 movie Nights In Rodanthe can now be the scene of your own beach vacation.

As we told you several months ago, the Outer Banks house that was used for exterior shots in the Diane Lane/Richard Gere romance movie was saved from certain destruction by a bail bondsman from Newton, NC named Bill Huss. He bought the house and moved it in a less precarious oceanfront spot 3/4 of a mile down the beach.

Next, he had the house restored to what it looked like in the film, including the blue shutters that were so iconic in the movie. He then had the interior of the house remodeled based on the movie set, including antiques, floral wallpaper and fabric, and bead-board walls.

"We have got it as close to the movie as we could possibly get", said Huss.

Now, the six-bedroom house (named the Serendipity) is open and available for rental through Vacation Traditions Realty.

Shelby's Home Run

2010-05-06T09:18:00.005-04:00

The American Legion World Series was looking for a permanent home. Shelby, North Carolina stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park.

The event's executive committee voted yesterday to award its bid to the Cleveland County town, located 40 miles west of Charlotte. Shelby will begin hosting the Legion World Series in 2011.

"We are extremely excited and looking forward to being a partner with The American Legion statewide and locally," said Eddie Holbrook, co-chairman of Shelby's Baseball World Series Committee. "We look forward to putting on the best World Series the Legion's ever had, becoming a complementary partner with them and making the Legion proud that they selected us."

The committee's immediate plans as the host city involve creating a new scoreboard and constructing a building specifically for World Series staff. The building will feature offices for game preparation purposes and seating that overlooks the playing field.

Additionally, Shelby's baseball committee members are in the process of representing Legion baseball in the best possible way. They are working with the town to build a new water tower where the base will be in the form of a bat and the tank will represent a baseball. More importantly, the water tower will read "Shelby, home of The American Legion Baseball World Series." Shelby will also provide additional World Series exposure throughout the United States with one of its local trucking companies that has more than 100 trailers traveling across the country daily. The sides of each trailer will read the same as the water tower.

American Legion baseball is one of the most successful and historic amateur athletic leagues in the country. Since it’s inception, about 10 million players have competed in the league, and today the program has more than 5,400 teams and 100,000 participants, ages 15 to 19. Shelby last hosted the American Legion World Series in 2008.

The Avett Brothers Come Home To MerleFest

2010-04-28T11:29:00.006-04:00

In the midst of a long US-and-Europe tour to support their hit album "I And Love And You", North Carolina's own Avett Brothers will be stopping in familiar territory this weekend when they close the festivities at MerleFest in Wilkesboro.

In an interview with VisitNC.com, Scott Avett says "MerleFest has been very good to us as fans and guest performers. We're looking forward to putting on the show." The band has performed at the world-renowned Americana music festival several times.

But now, thanks to "I And Love And You", the whole world knows about the Avett Brothers. The album was released last October to critical raves and commercial success, reaching #16 on the Billboard sales charts and making several critics' Top Ten lists for the year. The title track from the album (above video shot around Concord and at Charlotte's Neighborhood Theatre) made it to the top tier of many AAA music charts, the band appeared on an episode of Austin City Limits, and music from the album made prime-time appearances on Parenthood and One Tree Hill.

This year's MerleFest promises to be one of the best, with a lineup that includes the Avetts, Elvis Costello, and Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers. Tickets and showtimes for the festival, which begins Thursday, can be found here.

World's Best Golfers Come To Charlotte

2010-04-27T09:25:00.005-04:00

Eleven of the world's top 16 golfers are in North Carolina this week as the Quail Hollow Championship tees off in Charlotte. Included in the field are #1 Tiger Woods (in only his second tournament since his five-month hiatus), #2 Phil Mickelson (winner at the Masters), #4 Lee Westwood and #5 Jim Furyk.

Between Mickelson's emotional win at Augusta and Woods' personal issues, there should be plenty of dramatic media storylines in Charlotte. But make no mistake, it's the course and the tournament presentation that brings the world's best golfers in. On his blog Friday, Tiger Woods wrote: "Quail Hollow Club is one of my favorite courses on tour. It's traditional, right in front of you, difficult and you have to shape shots both ways. I managed to win there in 2007 and look forward to going back."

Six of the tournament's past seven champions - Woods, Furyk, V.J. Singh, Anthony Kim, David Toms, and defending champ Sean O'Hair - are on the roster.

Today is a practice day, when most of the top players are expected to arrive. Wednesday is a pro-am featuring the top-ranked players paired with celebrities such as four-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson, Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, and Olympic gold-medalist Dan Jansen. Tournament play begins on Thursday.

I-40 Reopens!

2010-04-26T09:06:00.007-04:00

Six months to the day after a rock slide brought traffic at the NC/TN border to a grinding halt, the North Carolina Department of Transportation reopened Interstate 40 in Northern Haywood County. The road opened at 6pm Sunday, two days earlier than previously announced but not a moment too soon for springtime travelers and related businesses.

One westbound lane of the interstate remains closed for about three miles, as workers scrape off loose rock in an area near the slide zone. That lane should reopen sometime this summer. Vehicles wider than 12 feet will still have to take a detour along via Interstate 26 until both westbound lanes are open.

"The tourism industry in Western North Carolina is collectively saying 'Hallelujah!'" said Marla Tambellini, the head of marketing at the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau. Tambellini told the Asheville Citizen-Times that the road closure, along with the weak economy, had a negative impact on visitation in the area. An NCDOT spokesman said he was already receiving calls Sunday night from motorists hoping to use I-40. Now officials across state and local governments, as well as area CVBs will be working hard to get the word out about the reopening.

For the latest updates on the ongoing work on Interstate 40, please visit the North Carolina Department of Transportation's website.

President & First Lady Take An Asheville Weekend Holiday

2010-04-23T18:04:00.005-04:00

Let's say you're the leader of the free world. Where do you go to "get away from it all"?

Well, if you're Barack and Michelle Obama, you head to the Grove Park Inn (pictured) in Asheville. That's where the President and First Lady are spending this weekend (without the kids) away from Washington.

And who can blame them? Asheville has the Blue Ridge Parkway, Biltmore's Festival of Flowers, the Folk Art Center, amazing craft beers, and an amazing array of views and outdoor activities nearby.

Apparently, the secret is out. ABC News says "the city on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains features a funky and eclectic downtown, more than 30 art galleries, a large culinary scene and one of the most spectacular estates ever constructed in this country", and adds that public perception wise, Asheville "has the virtue of being a place where average Americans go on vacation." Meanwhile, the Wall Street Cheat Sheet says "whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or neither, Asheville represents some of the greatest things America has to offer."

So there you have it. If you're looking for some non-partisan fun in the mountains this year, Asheville seems to have the presidential seal of approval.

I-40 Rockslide Area To Reopen April 27!

2010-04-21T06:58:00.004-04:00

It is the news that travelers, and many businesses in Western North Carolina have been waiting to hear for six months: the section of Interstate 40 closed by an October rockslide should reopen to traffic on April 27.

NCDOT officials said yesterday that work crews still have several tasks to complete before the road reopens, including drilling ten more holes on the vertical edge of the slope and installing 31 more rock bolts in the mountain to complete the stabilization process.

The section of interstate in the Pigeon River Gorge just three miles from the Tennessee state line was closed after a massive, 150-foot tall rockslide fell on the roadway October 25. About 20,000 vehicles a day had used that section of interstate at the time of the slide.

Even after the Interstate reopens, work will continue in the area through the summer. Both eastbound lanes will reopen, but one westbound lane will be closed for about three miles while crews repair other areas of loose rock.

Billy Graham Library Reopens After Renovations

2010-04-20T14:50:00.005-04:00

Charlotte's Billy Graham Library is re-opening to the public tomorrow (April 21) after two months of renovation work. Reverend Billy Graham personally attended a special reopening ceremony today designed to show off the new and improved facility.

The library closed in January to allow crews to make the improvements. Among the additions are a 15 x 31 foot mural by Thomas Kinkade, new video presentations, and exhibits featuring Ruth Graham's wedding dress and thousands of Billy Graham's favorite books.

Organizers also worked to make upgrades on the technical side, allowing visitors to hear audio components of the exhibits more clearly.

The library will be open to the public from 9:30am - 5pm beginning Wednesday.

NC's "Triple Crown" Sports Week

2010-04-08T13:12:00.009-04:00

It's been a great week to be an NC sports fan.

On Monday, of course, the Duke Blue Devils beat the Butler Bulldogs in the NCAA Championship, becoming the second North Carolina school in a row to take top honors in college basketball (The University of North Carolina won it in 2009).

Wednesday night, the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats beat the New Orleans Hornets 104-103, clinching the six-year-old franchise's first appearance in the NBA Playoffs. The playoff opponent and schedule are yet to be determined, but we do know the playoffs as a whole are scheduled to begin April 17.

Today, it was announced that the Carolina Hurricanes will host next season's NHL All-Star game on Sunday, January 30, 2011. It will be the team's fourth time hosting a major NHL event after hosting Stanley Cup Finals in 2002 & 2006 and the league's entry draft in 2004. “The fact that this event has been awarded to the Hurricanes is a testimony to the strength of the market, the strength of the franchise and, above all, the enthusiastic support the ‘Caniacs’ show for their team,” said Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner. “The Hurricanes will provide the perfect showcase as the eyes of the hockey world focus on the Triangle, its fantastic arena and its truly outstanding hockey fans.”

And while the week has already provided sports fans with three big victories, there's more celebrating to come: next week, the minor-league Winston-Salem Dash will open it's brand new downtown ballpark when it plays its home opener against Potomac on April 13. Game on!

One Last Run At Winter

2010-04-06T09:31:00.005-04:00

Trees and flowers are bustin' out all over North Carolina, and most of us are dealing with temperatures in the 80's this week. However, two NC ski areas remain open through April 11th, the latest that anyone can remember open ski areas in the state.

In Maggie Valley, the Cataloochee Ski Area is closed this week, but will reopen Saturday and Sunday (April 10-11) to close the season. “We have decided to remain open these additional days because of the amount of snow base we continue to have as well as our continued skier interest,” said Chris Bates, Cataloochee Vice President and General Manager. “We feel there is a level of enthusiasm to ski and ride as we move into spring and we will remain open to help folks enjoy the last days of the season. Current reports put the depth of base at Cataloochee between 24 and 96 inches.

Meanwhile, up in the High Country, Blowing Rock's Appalachian Ski Resort is open for spring breakers all week, and will conclude its 2009-2010 season this weekend with the latest ever Meltdown Games, which Appalachian bills as a "full weekend of crazy events you won't see any other time of the year." General manager Brad Moretz reports that the area still has a 2-4 foot base remaining from what was once 125 inches. "It's a good time to bring your kids out on a beautiful day and not have to deal with the cold." Before this, the latest that Appalachian had ever stayed open was April 1.

So, if you want to bid the winter goodbye one last time... this is the weekend to do it in NC.

Ghost Hunters To Return to Battleship

2010-04-05T05:52:00.001-04:00

Call it Halloween in April.

On April 9 (during Wilmington's Azalea Festival), Dustin Pari of the Syfy Channel's Ghost Hunters and Angela Alderman of Ghost Hunters International will be returning to the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA to investigate the ship's paranormal activity. And this time, they're inviting the public to come along for the ghostly ride.

The World War II battleship, now a memorial visitors attraction moored in the Cape Fear River, has a reputation for things that go bump in the night. Local ghost detective Mike Roberts says his crew has detected an electronic voice phenomena that says "Patterson". On a subsequent visit to the ship's brig, they found the words "Patterson was here" written on the wall with what looked like blood and fecal matter. Research has found ten men with the last name of Patterson who served on the ship at some point.

Ticket holders to the April 9 event will get a meet-and-greet with Pari, Alderman and Roberts, as well as a history and overview of the ship and its paranormal investigations.

Then, between 9pm and 2am, the trio of ghost hunters will lead small groups through the inside of the battleship for possible encounters. Guests are encouraged to bring their own cameras and sound recorders to capture whatever it is they run into.

Tickets to the event are $100 and can be purchased here. For more information, call the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA at 910-251-5797.

Carowinds Unveils New Thrills For 2010

2010-04-02T06:28:00.002-04:00

The Carowinds theme park in Charlotte is now open for the season, and this year, it has a brand new roller coaster to keep the adrenaline flowing for the thrillseekers.

It's called the Intimidator, and it was built as a lasting tribute to the late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. It is the longest, fastest, and tallest roller coaster in the U.S. Southeast, and Carowinds officials say it puts the park on the map as a destination for thrill ride aficionados.

Here are some of the stats: as Carowinds' 13th roller coaster, the Intimidator is 5,316 feet long, 232 feet long, and takes 3:33 to ride from start to finish. The initial drop plunges riders 211 feet at a 74-degree angle, but it's only the first of seven drops (one for each of Earnhardt's NASCAR championships) along the ride.

But numbers can't tell the story as well as the video above. So take a peek at the brand new Intimidator, and as they say... "Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!!!!"

OBX & Asheville Named Picture Perfect Photo Spots

2010-03-31T09:46:00.005-04:00

The folks at online travel site Gadling have come up with a list of their Top Ten U.S. Spots For Photography, and listed among iconic American settings such as New York City and The Grand Canyon are two sites at opposite ends of North Carolina: the Outer Banks and Asheville.

For the Outer Banks, Gadling says sand dunes and peaceful shores, along with graceful lighthouses, wild horses, and the quaint town of Ocracoke make this string of barrier islands an ideal place for beach photography. Asheville, on the other hand, is cited for the Blue Ridge Parkway, Chimney Rock Park, and, of course, Biltmore (which opens its renowned Festival of Flowers on April 4).

I'd certainly agree with Gadling, and probably add so many more. The riverfront in Wilmington, city skylines of Charlotte and Raleigh, waterfalls around Brevard, vineyards in the Yadkin Valley, and picturesque small towns from Blowing Rock to Beaufort. In fact, I personally find it hard to make good time traveling across the state because I'm constantly stopping to take more pictures.

In any case, if you want to read the Gadling article click here. And, if you're coming to NC... be sure to keep your camera handy!

Charlotte's Culture Campus MakesNY Times Splash

2010-03-29T09:02:00.005-04:00

Well, that didn't take long.

Less than a year after its first building opened, Charlotte's Wells Fargo Cultural Campus has made its way into the travel section of the New York Times.

In a Sunday article titled "Arts Oasis In A Sporty Town", Times writer Hilary Howard delves into the attractions that are centered along Uptown Charlotte's South Tryon Street, including the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (pictured), the Knight Theatre, the Mint Museum Uptown, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture. The article points out the museums' juxtaposition in Charlotte with nearby major sports venues such as Bank of America Stadium and the soon-to-open NASCAR Hall of Fame. "Nestled amid these modern-day shrines to sweat and gasoline is a brand-new cultural oasis where high art reigns", writes Howard.

To read the full article, click here. It's just another example of how Charlotte, and North Carolina, has something for people of every taste.

Last Chance To Win A Beach Vacation

2010-03-24T16:23:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe March is almost over already, but it will be gone in a week, and with it will go your chances to win a great giveaway on VisitNC.

The folks at Wrightsville Beach are offering a five-night stay at the Shell Island Resort, as well as three days of surf lessons and dinner certificates for the Oceanic Restaurant and the South Beach Grill... in addition to some other cool prizes.

For those unfamiliar with Wrightsville Beach, it's a wonderful five-mile stretch of coast just outside of Wilmington, NC. So, you can decide to stay on the sand and play all day, or go into town and see attractions like the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, Orton Plantation, or EUE Screen Gems Studios.

It's a great sweepstakes, and it comes just in time for the warmer weather! But hurry, entries close on March 31.

Brevard, NC Goes For "Cool" Cachet

2010-03-12T10:34:00.005-05:00

It's a well-known hot spot in the "Land of Waterfalls", but now little Brevard, North Carolina, is making a run at the title of "Coolest Small Town in America" on the Budget Travel web site.

The magazine is seeking out towns with populations under 10,000 people that have an up-and-coming "quality of life, arts and restaurant scene, or proximity to nature." With the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby , the Brevard Music Center and Brevard College in town, and downtown streets filled with eclectic shops and fine restaurants, the people of Brevard think their little town deserves the title.

Apparently, a lot of people agree. With the list whittled down to 21 towns across the country, Budget Travel has asked its readers to vote and comment on its list. At this point, Brevard appears to be in a neck-and-neck battle with Ely, Minnesota among readers.

The poll closes on May 9, but it will be the magazine's editors who will have the final say and put it into print in the October issue. To take a look at the list and cast your own vote and/or comment, click here. For more on Brevard and The Land of Waterfalls, go to www.visitwaterfalls.com.

Orton Plantation Gardens Turns 100

2010-03-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

This week, the Orton Plantation outside of Wilmington opens for 2010. It is also celebrating the 100th season of the Orton Plantation Gardens, one of NC's favorite garden and wedding spots.

The history of Orton is as fascinating as its gardens are beautiful. Started as a rice plantation in the early 18th century, the plantation survived two wars and several owners to become a popular stop along the Cape Fear River. It is also known as the birthplace of Wilmington's film industry (Dino DiLaurentis filmed Firestarter in the plantation house in 1984), and Luola's Chapel on the plantation grounds hosts dozens of weddings every year.

With the 100th anniversary of the Gardens in mind, the staff at Orton has made extensive renovations to open up views of the river and preserve the colonial rice fields. Be sure to check it out if you happen to be in southeastern NC this year!

Asheville Listed Among World's Top Beer Cities

2010-03-03T06:24:00.004-05:00

Last year, we told you about Asheville's amazing tie with Portland, Oregon for the title of "Beer City USA". Now, there's a new accolade for the city's microbrew scene: online travel site Gadling listed Asheville as one of the 24 Greatest Cities in the World for Beer. Listed alongside places like Dublin, Munich, and yes, Portland (both Oregon and Maine), Gadling had rave reviews for everything Asheville:

"Underdog Asheville beat out brew king Portland in a battle for "Beer City USA" in 2009 and some Pacific Northwesterners will never forgive them. But they should. Along with a big city-worthy music scene, a drop-dead-gorgeous mountain backdrop and good old southern hospitality, Asheville has one brewery for every 10,000 of its citizens, including the rocking Highland Brewing Company. That puts it right at Portland's heels with the second most breweries per capita in the U.S."

The article goes on to mention Asheville's three big beer fests: Brewgrass, Oktoberfest, and Winter Warmer. So apparently, the secret is out: Asheville is now a world powerhouse in the microwbrew scene. Cheers!

VisitNC Welcomes Spring!

2010-03-01T09:43:00.002-05:00

OK, technically, we're jumping the gun by a few weeks... but it's now March, and that means Spring is on its way to North Carolina. VisitNC is honoring that fact with a colorful photo gallery on its homepage, plus a ton of new content for those anxious to celebrate the season.

Spring color in NC goes in the reverse order of our famous fall color, starting in the azaleas and tulips of our coastal gardens, taking bloom in the dogwoods and Bradford Pears of the Piedmont, and then spreading to an explosion of pink-purple rhododendron blooms in the mountains throughout the month of June.

And it's not just our flora that springs to life these days... people here just seem to want to go outside and celebrate. Just about every weekend over the next several months, communities large and small hold their big spring festivals, honoring everything from produce (potatoes and blueberries) to products (buggies and hams) to great tunes (Merlefest & Beach Music Fest). Soon, there'll be baseball from Asheville to Zebulon, and in just a couple months, NASCAR will be back in Charlotte with a big race and a brand new Hall of Fame!

So, as you can see... spring is already shaping up to be a great season in NC. And even if the weatherpeople say it's not here yet, it will be soon. We guarantee it.