The Ultimate North Carolina Bucket List
People have a habit of falling in love with the state of North Carolina. Whether you crave the rolling countryside, the Appalachian mountain views, or the feeling of saltwater curling about your toes, there’s something for everyone here.
Yes, there’s so much to cover when it comes to the Tarheel State. But we thought we’d put together a North Carolina bucket list of our favorite family visits, outdoor adventures, and important locations all across the state.
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- Visit the town of Bat Cave for an actual bat cave.
- Listen up for some hollerin’ at the National Hollerin Contest in Spivey’s Corner.
- Visit any of these tongue-twisting towns: Virgilina, Norlina, Pineola, Chocowinity, Skibo, Cerro Gordo (after a Mexican-American War battle), Pactolus, Pfafftown (after one Peter Pfaff), Pungo, Conetoe, Coinjock, Crumpler (Civil War hero), Momeyer, Misenheimer, or Shelmerdine.
- Climb Old Baldy on Bald Head Island.
- Go to the ghost town of Portsmouth.
- Visit some NC potters in Seagrove.
- Take the family to the Life and Science Museum in Durham.
- Bike the entire American Tobacco Trail.
- Be a pioneer on the new East Coast Greenway (24% of it is complete in NC- 93% in the Triangle).
- Drive through the town of Whynot (in Randolph County because…).
- Climb Mount Mitchell.
- Take the scenic flower route and hike the hills in the spring.
- Visit the oldest restaurant in NC — the Carolina Coffee Shop in Chapel Hill, NC.
- Get primordial with a kayak in Merchant’s Millpond.
- Find out if the name truly fits the Great Dismal Swamp.
- Plunge deep beneath a mountain at Linville Caverns.
- Hunt for emeralds at Emerald Village near Little Switzerland.
- Read Cold Mountain and then climb it.
- Get into the Hot Springs at… you guessed it… Hot Springs.
- Visit the oldest church in the state, St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bath, NC.
- See amazing kayakers from around the world take on the Green River.
- Go to a race at the Orange County Speedway.
- Run on an old Nascar track in Hillsborough.
- Take part in North Carolina’s very own Running of the Bulls (just an 8k in the Bull City).
- Build a team and compete in either the Blue Ridge Relay or Tuna Run.
- Volunteer at one of 75 free clinics across the state.
- Pick some veggies and do trail work at the Durham Hub Farm.
- Eat at the Chef and the Farmer.
- Do some shucking and jiving at the NC Oyster Festival.
- Go shagging, at least once.
- Walk [Your City] in Raleigh or Durham. (Hey, it’s not too far!)
- Mix art and activity at the Blue Loop Trail.
- Sample the regional styles of NC Barbeque and pick a side.
- Spend the night on a camping platform in the Roanoke River.
- Ride Tweetsie.
- Raft the Nantahala.
- Take a hike in Asheville in the fall.
- Hang glide at Jockey’s Ridge State Park.
- Climb the stairs to the top of the Corolla Lighthouse.
- Take a dip in Lake Lure, the setting for that famous scene in Dirty Dancing.
- Tour the USS North Carolina.
- Tour the Thomas Wolfe House.
- Ride Thunder Road.
- Camp on the Outer Banks.
- Get a high score at the NC Pinball museum in Asheville.
- See the wild ponies @ Shackleford Banks.
- Take a tour of some of our amazing farmer’s markets around the state.
- Tour NC’s own wine country.
- Slip down Sliding Rock.
- Find out what life was like in Old Salem.
- Run the Krispy Kreme Challenge – 2400 calories, 12 doughnuts, 5 miles.
- Swing by Yum Yum’s Ice cream and Hot Dogs in Greensboro.
- Take the kids on an Eno River adventure.
- Swim under Looking Glass Falls.
- Learn about sea turtle rescue at Topsail.
- Hike some Kids in Parks TRACK Trails around the state.
- Take the kids to the birthplace of Pepsi in New Bern.
- Visit The Orchard at Altapass.
- Get a lesson in historical fashion at the Mint Museum in Charlotte.
- Ride the waves at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte NC.
- Carolina Raptor Center at Latta Plantation.
- While you’re in Southport, take a ghost tour.
- Get to know the lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center.
- Take a day-long hiking adventure.
- Visit the goats at the Carl Sandburg Home/Connemara Farm.
- Climb the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.
- Paddle board on the Intracoastal Waterway.
- Visit a choose and cut Christmas Tree lot
- Try the many short hikes that start from parking lots off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
- Visit the playground that is Uwharries.
- Visit the gardens and trails (22 miles!) on the grounds of Biltmore House.
- Bike/Walk/Treasure Hunt the grounds and trails and NC Museum of Art (perfect for wee ones).
- Have an active, unplugged weekend at a Dude Ranch (Clear Creek or Pisgah View).
- Go mountain biking at Sugar Mountain.
- Visit all the cool pedestrian bridges connected to the Greenways! Durham and Raleigh both have one!
