North Carolina, a state in the southeastern part of America, was among the first 13 British colonies on the soil of what is now the United States of America.
Named after King Charles I (Carolus is Latin for Charles), North Carolina has a rich history, as exhibited by its many interesting museums.
But, this state isn’t only attractive for history buffs. North Carolina is also known as a land of unusual geography, featuring diverse natural attractions.
Its culture has also thrived, which you can see for yourself if you visit one of its prestigious art galleries, and there are many high-quality theme parks there as well.
In short, practically anyone can find plenty of fun things to do in North Carolina, no matter if you’re looking for adventure or intellectual pleasures.
Here’s our selection of things you shouldn’t miss seeing after visiting this beautiful state.
Check out some amazing Things To Do in North Carolina
1. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Let us begin with a more cerebral of beauties that NC can offer – the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (and if visiting a museum isn’t your idea of fun, don’t worry – we’ll soon talk about some things to do in North Carolina that are fun in a more traditional sense).
The beautiful nature of North Carolina is the focus of its high-quality Museum of Natural Sciences. Alt-text: NC’s beautiful nature; exploring it is one of the more serene things to do in North Carolina.
This museum, located in Raleigh, is the oldest museum in North Carolina, as well as the biggest natural sciences museum in the entire southeastern region of the USA. It is made of four distinct sections:
- The Prairie Ridge Eco-station,
- The Nature Research Center,
- The North Carolina Museum of Forestry,
- and the Nature Exploration Center.
All four components of this great museum are united by a single purpose: to research nature, share this knowledge with the world, and involve as many people as possible while doing so.
In order to achieve that, the museum is constantly displaying new exhibitions and organizing various original events aimed at inspiring the visitors and making them care more about the planet Earth.
All of this may seem fairly usual for a science museum, however, it is the quality of the research, the museum employees’ expertise, and the professionalism with which the exhibitions are put together that make this museum truly shine.
The highlight of the museum is the Research and Exploration Centers, whose seven floors offer fascinating interactive exhibits that are suitable for the entire family. What’s more, you’re not even required to pay the entry fee!
2. FEAST Charlotte
After learning about nature, it’s time to consume some of it! There’s hardly a better way to sate your hunger in North Carolina than to sign up for some delicious tours organized by a company named FEAST Charlotte.
The aim of this company is to connect all food lovers with the best chefs, restaurants, and farmers in Charlotte. While there are various tours offered, all of them have one thing in common – great food that will make you want to settle down in Charlotte (or at least fantasize about it)!
Enjoying some excellent food is certainly among some of the more fun things to do in North Carolina! Alt-text: A delicious-looking meat skewer with some vegetables.
All sorts of food are featured on these tours. For example:
- Southern cuisine and soul food are explored on the tour of the Charlotte’s Uptown area,
- trending breweries and cafes designed in a more rural style, offering more healthy food, are the focus of the tour of the South End area,
- the NoDa (short for North Davidson) tour will get you familiarized with some great gastro and brewpubs.
If you’re visiting North Carolina, then this will certainly be an amazing (and a unique) opportunity for you to get acquainted with its specific food specialties – don’t miss it!
3. Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Now it’s time for some natural attractions (outside of a museum, that is). As North Carolina is offering many beautiful sights to behold and green spaces to stroll through, it is hard to choose just one natural wonder to recommend i.e Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
However, thanks to their magnificent beauty, we will settle on the Sarah P. Duke Gardens:
- 55 acres of exquisite gardens,
- Pathways stretching for more than 5 miles,
- Guided tours with pleasant and knowledgeable staff (either by foot or by trolley)
- Time almost slows to a halt in these gardens while you’re relaxing and forgetting about your worries.
From 8 AM until the Sun sets you’re free to amble through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens every day, without having to pay the admission fee (though you will have to pay for the guided tours if you choose to take them).
After hiring Moving Kings NC and moving to Durham, it will likely be hard for a lot of people to not spend some time there at least once or twice a week.
4. Lexington Glassworks and North Carolina Museum of Art
We’ll conclude this article with two places in North Carolina that are focusing on art. The first one of them, Lexington Glassworks, is well-known to fans of art made by glassblowing.
Its gallery and studio in Lexington are open to visitors, as the owners like to cultivate a free-spirited atmosphere.
Visit the Lexington Glassworks and watch as glass artists are making their works of art!
This means that you can drop by and see for yourself how some exquisite glassblowing art is made, from the beginning of the process until its end.
However, if you’re coming with a group of 10 or more people, you’ll have to schedule this demonstration, and also pay an easily affordable fee.
In the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, on the other hand, you can visit not one, but over 40 different galleries!
As this is the first art gallery in the USA that was financed by the government (it opened its doors way back in 1956), quite a large number of interesting art pieces were amassed over the years.
A special treat that’s a part of this museum is a park spreading over 164 acres, that’s filled with additional works of art. It’s not just the quantity of exhibited pieces that makes this museum unique in North Carolina; all pieces were carefully selected so as to represent the spirit of NC, while also being of high quality and of fine craftsmanship.
With these two art galleries, your need for fine art should be satisfied for the time being… until the time comes for your next trip to the wonderful North Carolina.
