California was a bucket list seekers dream. While there, I experienced piloting a helicopter, piloting an airplane, piloting an open-cockpit biplane, Flying a jetpack, piloting a glider, bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, watching musicals, dinner theaters, and ballets, swimming with beluga whales, driving through the most beautiful scenery, kayaking, boating with dolphins, meeting exotic animals at the zoo… and the list goes on.
Now that I live in North Carolina, I’m seeking new adventures, locations, and experiences. So far, I’ve come up with 13 things I definitely want to experience in North Carolina:
1. Go to the Dinner Theatre
2. Go on every ride at Carowinds
3. Visit the NC Zoo
4. Attend an event at the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
5. Relax in Freedom Park
6. Experience NASCAR at Charlotte Motor Speedway
7. Go to the U.S. National Whitewater Center
8. Camp on the beach in Nags Head
9. Stay at The Fearrington House Country Inn
10. Stay at Old Edwards Inn and Spa
11. Find a waterfall while hiking
12. Stay at the Omni
13. Visit the Biltmore Estate
Because I’m new to the state, I don’t know a lot of the options that are available so I’m 
looking for suggestions. If you know me at all, or if you’ve read the California list, it’s obvious that I enjoy extreme adventures, but I also love arts and entertainment, the outdoors, and things that I can do with my daughter and husband.
If I like your suggestion, I’ll include it on my list with a link to your blog. The link will remain until I participate in the experience then I’ll add a link to my blog post. Have you been to North Carolina? Have you participated in something really cool in the area? Did you hear about a great adventure near me? I’d love to read your ideas and share them with others as I cross them off my North Carolina Bucket List!
I’ll finalize the list a day or two before I return to the US so I can start planning my next North Carolina adventure.
You have to go see the Tar Heels play once basketball season “rolls” around!
I second this suggestion! And for a real Bucket List adventure: make sure it’s a Tar Heel vs Duke game, especially during the ACC Championships. Go Tar Heels!
I live in Ontario Canada now, but was born and raised in NC. What part of NC are you living? I am from Greensboro (btwn Charlotte and Raleigh). I enjoy the Nags head area. While there you can roll down the giant sand hills, take a journey through the pirate town (spooky and haunted), paraglide. Carowinds is awesome! You must go whitewater rafting in the mountains as well. I’ll try to think of some others. In the meantime, enjoy the state. It is beautiful, fun, full of nice people and just a great place to live.
Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne! I’m living in Charlotte and things are great so far. I heard wonderful things about Nags Head area and I can’t wait to check it out.
I’m from Nova Scotia so I’m very familiar with Ontario
The Bele Chere Music & Arts Festival (coming up in a few weeks) in Asheville is fun. Asheville is always fun but this makes it more fun! You can do it as a day trip – 2 1/2 hours each way or stay overnight. Lots to do in Asheville.
I’m going to look into it and see if it fits into our schedule. I’m in Canada until July 23rd and then off to Charleston on Aug. 3rd so I may not make it to the festival this year. It doesn’t hurt to look into it so thanks for the suggestion.
Charleston is a great town too!
It takes place the last full weekend of July 2012, which means it is possible. I’m going to talk to my husband about it
It’s fun. Good music, interesting art and great people watching!
I haven’t any suggestion, as I lived in North Carolina back when I was about 5 or 6. I just wanted to stop by and say thank you for coming by my page so much. I really appreciate it. I think if makes my posts look more adventurous.
Drive or hike Chimney Rock
Asheville.
Drive at least a portion of the Blue Ridge Highway and hike a part of the Appalachian Trail (not euphemistically like the former governor of SC!)
I roadtripped down to NC to spend a week at the beach with friends from college. We had a friend who owned a condo on Indian Beach and who hosted us. It’s in the Outer Banks and it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s not too far from Beaufort (where Nicholas Sparks set A Walk to Remember–not that noteworthy because I am not a fan of Nicholas Sparks books but the town is cute).
This same friend who hosted us is getting married in September (so I’ll be heading back down there!) and the reception is being held at her mother’s spa across the street from the condo we stayed at. Here is the link to the spa: http://www.theoceanclubnc.com/getaway_spa.htm
For the life of me I can’t remember the name of the condos but the island was awesome–there was plenty to do and if you just wanted to relax and do nothing on the beach, you could do that too!
beautiful picture!
The Corolla wild horses on the Outer Banks and the Wright Brothers’ national monument at Kitty Hawk.
And while you are on the Outer Banks, climb to the top of a few lighthouses.
Did that and boy did it makes our family’s knees knock!
Loved the experience!
OBX is nice, but Cape Fear has it all! Beaches, surfing, SUP, Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Fireworks every summer weekend at Carolina Beach, off-shore fishing, Performances at Thalian Hall or Red Barn Theatre, tours of Screen Gems/EUE Studios, dining & shopping on the Riverwalk in historic Downtown Wilmington, Battleship North Carolina, endless entertainment and dining venues, walking tours including a Pub Crawl, Culinary Tours, and a Ghost Walk, and cooking classes with yours truly! Did I mention great hospitality? Y’all come on over – we’ll leave the light on (lol)!
Agreed! I grew up in Wilmington… makes me miss all of those things.
Oh, and when you go to Biltmore Estate, take the behind-the-scenes tour…they take you in a guided tour in parts of the mansion that are not in the self-guided tour (which is what to start with). Book a while day and go to their winery too!
You could learn to play the fiddle at the Swannanoa Gathering. I haven’t actually gone, but it sounds like fun.
Go to sliding rock! Enjoy NC,and def drive down to GA!
Lesley, the only thing I know about NC is that topless is legal! Best of luck, Sue/suz
I love your spunk and enthusiasm and lust for life. I was going to say rent a jeep and chase the wild horses on OBX, but that was already suggested. Good luck!
Better yet…rent a house for a week and stay amongst them. Easily one of the most relaxing, rejuvenating experiences our family does. LOVE IT!
I was just in North Carolina last week, on my way home from visiting family in South Carolina. The Biltmore Estate is a must-see; the architecture is amazing and the grounds are beautiful. I would also advocate that you travel the Blue Ridge Highway and if you want to add your usual element of risk, do it by motorcycle. Traffic can be intense but it really is a beautiful ride. I so enjoy your blog – keep the good stuff coming!
See the black mountains at sunrise….
I would check out Cherokee and Bryson City in western North Carolina. You could ride the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, go rafting down the Nantahala River, and visit the national park. http://www.greatsmokies.com/ is a good place to start. I would also check out the tail of the dragon road or U.S. 129. That always attracts many cars and motorcycles.
I have visited the western North Carolina / north Georgia area many times and I would also recommend Helen, Georgia which is exactly like a Bavarian Alpine town in Europe. I would also go on top of Brasstown Bald where you can see lots of north Georgia and western North Carolina.
I’m glad you have the Biltmore Estate
I have so many fond memories there! I grew up in Greensboro NC from Kindergarten-4th grade. It’s a beautiful state and so much to see and explore. Enjoy! Be sure to visit Myrtle Beach (even though it’s in SC)- they have an awesome little 4th of July Parade 
This gave me a great idea to come up with a bucket list for my hometown. I lived there for 15 years, moved away 7 years ago and haven’t been back even for a vist for 2 years. I will be spending a month at here in December. Thanks for the inspiration.
I lived in NC in the 80′s when my husband at the time worked for IBM in RTP. One of the simple things I enjoyed doing was having coffee near Chapel Hill University. There was an independent bookshop next door to the cafe. I have no idea if it still exists. I have just looked for it on Google and it has a wiki page. I cant believe it. It was the only place you could get a range of non mainstream books. I have just read the wiki and it says Bob Sheldon the owner was murdered in 1991 when closing up the shop. The shop is now a collective and seems to also operate as a community centre. I also attended one of Judy Hogan’s writing courses at Durham Library. I was an embarrassment to writing then. Thinking about this, has reminded me how books and some people have always travelled with me. I am British and now live in Portugal and I may never get back to NC, so enjoy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internationalist_Books
http://judyhogan.home.mindspring.com/bio.htm
You would like whitewater rafting, but you might want to wait until Athena is older. Not sure how old children have to be to go on these trips. Some trips are mild, some extreme. You will need to do research.
Welcome to NC! I’ve lived here my entire life but moved to Raleigh about 11 years ago. After looking at your list, I really can’t think of much to add to it. I will say the Fearrington House is great! We go to their restaurant every year on our anniversary – amazing food! Durham has also grown in popularity lately. It has great local restaurants and the Durham Performing Arts Center has so many great shows! Another amazing hotel/spa is the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, NC. It is a beautiful 5 star hotel with a phenomenal restaurant – Heron’s. Raleigh is a cool city to visit as well. It is much smaller than Charlotte but still has a big city feel. We have several nice museums and many great restaurants. I wish I could think of more adventure seeking activities but eating good food is all I have
I think someone mentioned Carolina basketball in an earlier comment – if you can get tickets to a UNC vs. Duke game, that would be amazing. Good luck with your travels and again, welcome to NC!!!
Years ago we vacationed there and went to Cherokee – nice Indian Village there and so many things to photograph. The area is just beautiful.
Leslie… check out my blog today… while you are at Nags Head… be sure to get up early to see the sun rise… you won’t regret it.
We lived in the Winston-Salem area when our kids were young and I can recommend Tanglewood Festival of lights at Christmas and if they still have it, the summer concert series is a fun way to spend an evening with the family. Take a picnic and hang out.
It isn’t high adventure, but Old Salem is also I nice place to visit.
You’ll fall in love with when you visit the Biltmore. The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Grandfather Mountain. Currituck Lighthouse on the Outer Banks. Magic Wings Butterfly House in Durham.
North Carolina has so much to offer, it is a great place to raise a family.
I LOVE Winston-Salem and I totally think Old Salem could be high adventure for the little ones. Although it is always much better during the “decorated” times of Christmas and Independence Day.
Cheers!
Whitewater rafting (I recommend French Broad Rafting at http://www.frenchbroadrafting.com),
Lots of great suggestions already…. take a ride on the Blue Ridge from the Tennessee State line up to Grandfather Mountain… you will see tons of great stuff.. stay at the Pigsah Inn (great views and great food). You can stop for lots of hikes and waterfalls. Climb Mt. Mitchell… Grandfather Mountain has a great little zoo and you can cross the suspended bridge (scary in the fog). Love Cherokee Area (best pancakes at Peters Pancake House yum!!). Grove Park Inn in Asheville is a must see while you are in Asheville with the Biltmore. I moved from Asheville to Charlotte about 7 years ago… love both places.. but if you want REAL excitement… ride the light rail from the Bank of America stadium to the 485/South Blvd. station AFTER a Panthers Game.. always interesting!!!
* NC State Fair in Oct – 3rd biggest in the country, with close to 1 million attending
* Hang gliding from the Dunes in Kitty Hawk
* Paraclete – it’s an indoor sky diving place, can’t remember where it is, somewhere central NC
* There’s a waterfall outside of Boone you can slide off of and into a pool – can’t think of the name, but I’ll ask my daughter (she’s at App State). You have to hike about a mile and a half to get to it…
* Scuba dive a sunken German WWII sub off Manteo/Nags Head
* Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium
* NC Seafood Festival, Morehead City in October
* The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament (they have a ladies day, and you can probably find a boat to go out on if you start somewhat early) – Morehead City, June
Have fun!
You had so many great suggestions, I had to start following your blog. When I have some free time today, I’ll look into a few of these adventures
Awesome suggestions – thanks for stealing one of mine (NC State Fair!).
I’d have to agree with Jennings on ALL of the above. I’m in the Pinehurst area where there’s great golf, horseback riding and spas. There’s an indoor wind tunnel/skydiving place in Fayetteville, near Fort Bragg. There’s also a place there to go ziplining as well.
That’s awesome! Good luck and have fun!
Hey Lesley, I live in Eastern North Carolina and have a good suggestion for the ole bucket list. Take a quick trip to Mike’s Farm (http://www.mikesfarm.com/). And schedule it during the Christmas holiday. Go hungry, they serve an excellent home style Dinner so make sure you save room for the Mac-and-Cheese, and ready for an exciting hayride through a Christmas wonder land. Trust me this is a great country experience that is well managed and will create a life time memory!!!!! PS: The coffee is good too…. I’m just sayin…
You’ve got a ton of great ideas to keep you busy for awhile…but one more would be to take the ferry from the beach town of Wilmington to South Port. Wilmington is a great place, quaint downtown, battleship on the river, Wrightsville beach is beautiful. South Port is where movies are filmed, currently a Nicholas Sparks story. You can get fresh fish and sit off on a patio…Hope you do this little adventure, it’s really nice.
I live on the Cyrstal Coat in Morehead City. It is a tourist area in a very peaceful area. Some popular towns are Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, & Emerald Isle. Along haul for you but worth it.
Emerald Isle! It’s the same island where Indian Beach is, this is where I stayed!
Oh there’s so much in WNC! I live in Asheville. I have so many suggestions that I am going to have to really think about this one. Since you’re artsy, you’re gonna fall in love with Asheville. I’ll come up with good stuff. And you definitely need to check this site: http://www.exploreasheville.com/
Thanks for coming to my sites so often!
The Biltmore should be experienced during the holidays when it is so beautifully decorated. I reccommend the rooftop tour and back of the house tour as well. They have a candle light tour during that time of year, but I didn’t get to go on that one, but I know it is booked a year in advance and is extremely popular. The wines are really good, pick up a few bottles while you are there. Enjoy!
Ok I have been here in NC for 50 of my short 51 years, I will give you a list. Please excuse my spelling now!!! LOL
Fun Time Zipline near Boone NC, Nantahala Outdoor Center for white water rafting, Hang Glider School in the mountainous sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, The Wright Memorial in Kitty Hawk, Beaufort NC and the Maritime Museum, Kayaking the Shackleford Banks, The Pamlico Sound, The Devils Tramping Grounds in Bath NC, The Great Dismal Swamp in North Eastern NC, near Pantego NC, Lake Eden Arts Festival (very family friendly), anywhere in the Highlands NC, Frankiln NC, and Cashiers NC area, The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad, Topsail Island NC, Ocracoke Island, not far from Nags Head, The Beruit Veterans Memorial near the main gate of Camp Lejeune NC ( I was a Marine for 9 years as well), the Pisgah National Forest, Joyce Kilmer National Forest, Nantahala National Forest, the home of Carl Sandberg, Connemara in Flat Rock NC, all of the state Museums in Raleigh NC, Raleigh NC the state capitol, Chapel Hill NC home of the University of North Carolina the first State University in America, The Sandhills area where Pinehurst and more great golf is played, Wilmington NC, Wrightsville Beach is already mentioned in another post, may I suggest seeing the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, it is a WW2 Missouri Class Battleship and on the weekends they do a whole production and fire the cannons. I could probably go on and on there are so many things to do and see here in North Carolina, that there is now way that I could possibly name them all. I will tell you this, from Murphy in the Western part of the state to Manteo the eastern most town where some of the folks still sound like they are from England you will find something for every member of your family. Welcome to North Carolina!
Spend the day in Winston-Salem!
Start with breakfast at Camino bakery where they have amazing(!) warm baguettes with good coffee, then head to Old Salem (www.oldsalem.org) where your daughter can experience life in a colonial town (check their website to see what events they may have going on) or you could always check out the Winston-Salem Children’s Museum (www.childrensmuseumofws.org) if it’s too hot or cold when you visit. Once finished, head back downtown for any number of good lunch or dinner spots (lunch at Mooney’s Mediterranean Cafe – highly recommended – http://www.mooneysmedcafe.com) or if you want a more “upscale” feel without the price, there’s always 6th and Vine wine bar and restaurant (www.6thandvine.com), although I’d say it’s better for dinner. Spend the evening meandering down Trade Street in the arts district of downtown where there’s lots of artsy shops and if you come during the summer there’s Summer on Trade on Friday evenings featuring live (free!) music and the shops are open later. If you’re into frozen custard and ice cream treats, check out Wolfies Frozen Custard (www.wolfiescustard.com) right next to where you started the morning at Camino’s Bakery!
NC…from mountains to sea…an incredible state. Much has been mentioned already, but I will add to it. I lived for 30 years in Haywood County, west of Asheville, before retiring to south Florida.
Waynesville, in Haywood Co. is known for its yearly cultural event called Folkmoot (international dancers chosen from all over the world). Always in July, so try it next year.This is a charming mountain town filled with B&B’s and eateries.
For more extreme white water rafting, do the Nantahala Gorge.
Go down sliding rock off the Blue Ridge Pkway. (wear old shorts since you are going down a natural rock slide. Bathing suits don’t hold up.)
For family fun, ride the Smoky Mountain Railway near Bryson City.
Closer to you is the new Natural Sciences museum in Raleigh, a hands on place designed for kids and learning.
Just visited the Duke chapel and gardens in Durham last week. Beautiful.
NC is bar-b-q crazy and each region fights for recognition of the country’s best.
Lesley, I do believe you have more to do in a lifetime. Enjoy!!!
Oh yes and you and I both forgot one of the biggest, if not the biggest dance festivals in the country! How could we?? The American Dance Festival in Durham NC is just phenomenal.
Thanks for jogging my memory travelerlynne!
Thanks for jogging mine. Isn’t this fun? We need to start a Blog Fest somewhere in that great state.:)
My mom lives in Murphy, North Carolina. Close to her, in Brasstown, is the John C. Campbell Folk School. You should sign up and take a class there. It will appeal to your arts side. Also, the scenery is beautiful there. You can visit them at: https://www.folkschool.org/.
Thanks for jogging my memory. My husband and I have done that about 30 years ago. He..woodcarving; me…weaving.
One favorite family place me and my wife loves to take a vacation is The Town of Lake Lure its a great town to visit and have some family fun.. http://www.townoflakelure.com take a look..
The movie, Dirty Dancing was filmed there.
Love that movie and you are correct..
Have Fun
whatever You do -!!!!!
xx
Cat
Visit Kittyhawk; parasail; take a moonlight dinner cruise on the ocean; hang glide; go to a cave (TN definitely, maybe NC?)
I was just up your neck of the woods and enjoyed some great sight seeing and great activities in North Carolina. I’m creating a page on my site for the trip. Stop in when you get a chance. I do have to say that the whitewater rafting at the U.S. National Whitewater Center was awesome! A definite must!
This isn’t something to put on the list, but as long as you’re living in Charlotte, you gotta check out NODA. It’s short for North Davidson, and its a big artsy part of town. There are cool bars and restaurants, and the first Friday of every month is a gallery crawl, where local artists set up on the street and sell their stuff (we’ve done it before and had some success!) It’s fun to walk around and get a feel for the city.
Its on the corner of North Davidson and 36th street.
Enjoy your adventures!
Hike Mt. Pisgah in Hendersonville. I have some pics here (scroll most of the way down) from my trip last month… An amazing 3 mile in and out hike! http://flamidwyfe.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/weekly-round-up/
First of all, thanks for the like on my blog, Idea Stories! Second, it’s sad that I grew up in North Carolina and have done less than half of the things on your list! I would add a couple: swim in the rock quarry in Durham, go to Cookout and try every milkshake flavor on their menu, see the NC Symphony play, visit/climb the Duke chapel and Duke gardens. Oh, and go to the beach in Wilmington (my home town!).
Nothing in Pennsylvania yet, I suppose?
Also, thanks for the like on my Firework Tent post!
I forgot to add this, but: You should add working in a fireworks tent to your list. <3
I love #10, good thinking!
Great Bucket List – thanks for sharing! Have a Wonderful Day – Happy Exploring:)