13 spots to visit in N.C.

Grandfather Mountain (Linville): Perhaps Western North Carolina’s most iconic natural feature, Grandfather Mountain is a geological wonder. Beyond its famous craggy profile, Grandfather doubles as a family-friendly park with a nature museum, the Mile High Swinging Bridge and a backcountry haven for serious hikers.




 

Graveyard Fields/Pisgah Inn (Waynesville area): Off the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 418, Graveyard Fields is a popular place to pull over and hike the 2.3-mile loop trail, which veers off into heartier, longer hikes leading to Shining Rock Wilderness and other backcountry spots. The landscape is more of a meadow than a dense forest, according to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which is spearheading several improvements. While in the area, head 10 miles down the parkway for a bite to eat at the Pisgah Inn, a rustic mountain lodge with wonderful views of the scenery at 5,000 feet.

 

 

 

 

Green River Gorge (Hendersonville): One of my favorite spots in the state, the gorge is nature at its most dramatic, with the mighty Green gushing through house-sized boulders, creating Class V rapids at a spot called the Green River Narrows. The short hike down is a steep knee-buster, and it will probably require holding onto a rope that has been set in place. Hang out on the rocks long enough and you’re likely to see an elite kayaker shoot past.
           

Rainbow Falls/Gorges State Park (Sapphire): The western-most state park in North Carolina, Gorges is a pocket of rugged wilderness, well worth the drive down winding N.C. 281. Rainbow Falls, which plunges 125 feet, is a dazzling waterfall in Pisgah National Forest, just outside the park’s borders. To access the trail, park at Gorges State Park and take the beautiful Grassy Ridge Trail. Be sure to stop in the park’s new visitor’s center.
 



 

American Tobacco Trail (Durham): Few family outings are more fun than bicycle rides down greenways. North Carolina lags a bit behind Virginia, which has the wonderful Creeper Trail and New River Trail, but we do have the ever-growing American Tobacco Trail in Durham, which will eventually extend 22 miles. The trail has two sections, a more rural 14-mile southern section, and an urban six-mile section to the north.

Merchants Millpond State Park (Gatesville): The state park system’s official website calls this an “enchanted” forest where the coastal pond meets the Southern swamplands. Sounds like a can’t-miss mash-up of interesting ecological systems. Quiet, flat-water canoeing among the bald cypress is the big draw. There are also lots of family, backcountry and group camping options.
 

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens (Belmont): For something a little more manicured, there’s the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and its 400 acres of meadows, woods and lakefront property. Visitors are free to roam the property and see an array of gardens or attend one of the many workshops.

North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro): Maybe an obvious choice and probably a place we’ve all been to, but the zoo is worthy of repeat trips. Where else can you get in a nice, leg-stretching stroll and pass by lions, bears and elephants in this state? Patches, a polar bear, is the park’s latest attraction. In all, the zoo’s walking path stretches five miles, most of it under shade. Sure beats a walk around the mall.

 

 

 

 

Beaufort/Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve: An old seaport town with a colorful history, Beaufort has a charming downtown, lots of museums and a host of cultural sites to visit, including the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve, a collection of islands south of Beaufort that runs three miles long and are accessible only by boat. Beyond the birds and marine life, the islands are home to wild horses.
  



 

Tail of the Dragon (Robbinsville): This 11-mile stretch of road is for driving, not walking, and I’m told that it’s not necessarily for sight-seeing either because of its notorious curves, more than 315. So find a careful driver so you can gawk at the Southern Appalachian scenery near the Tennessee/North Carolina state lines. The road, named by Popular Mechanics as one of the best driving roads in the country, is a favorite among motorcyclists and sports-car enthusiasts.
  




 

Cape Hatteras National Seashore/Frisco Woods Campground: For tent campers, Frisco Woods offers some sites that are completely shaded, along with a large convenience store for supplies. Located on the tip of the Pamlico Sound, the campground offers cheap lodging within the national seashore.
  

Hot Springs: The white blazes of the Appalachian Trail show up on utility poles along this funky town’s main street. One of the few towns where the AT passes through, Hot Springs has the requisite shops to accommodate tired, grungy hikers: outdoor supplies, a pub with craft beers and grocery store fully stocked with Ben and Jerry’s. But it also features a lovely historic inn, the hot springs that gave the town its name and the French Broad River. This year’s annual Trailfest is April 11-13.

 

Wilson Creek (Lenoir area): I’ve whiled away many happy summer days soaking in a quiet pool in the otherwise-raging Wilson Creek, a National Wild and Scenic River in the Pisgah National Forest. There’s also loads of hiking among the area’s 49,000 acres, but I’ve never managed to lift myself out of the creek.

from- http://www.journalnow.com/relishnow/outdoors/get-out-more-spots-to-visit-in-n-c/article_c6987b38-940a-11e3-91e7-001a4bcf6878.html