NORTH CAROLINA

(does not include Asheville, Chapel Hill, Durham, Outer Banks or Raleigh; includes Blue Ridge Parkway, Charlotte, Inner Banks & Winston-Salem)

GENERAL
Sights & Sites
●North Carolina Birding Trail – 1751 Varsity Drive (Raleigh); 919-306-5981; ncbirdingtrail.org; links 300+ bird watching sites and birders with communities, businesses & educational attractions.



ALAMANCE COUNTY
Saxapahaw
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
●Cup 22 – 1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road (at Haw River Ballroom); 336-675-2440; hawriverballroom.com; coffee and pastries in 1^st-floor café.
Bars & Nightclubs
●Eddy’s Pub – 1715 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road; 336-525-2010; theeddypub.com; gastropub.
Restaurants
●Saxapahaw General Store – 1735 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road; 336-376-5332; saxgenstore.com; no-frills convenience store with excellent restaurant; ambitious, seasonal cuisine.
Shopping
●Saxapahaw Artists – 1610 Jordan Drive; 336-525-2394; saxapahawartists.com; 2-story art gallery.
●Saxapahaw General Store – 1735 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road; 336-376-5332; saxgenstore.com; no-frills convenience store with excellent restaurant.
Sights & Sites
●Haw River Ballroom – 1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road; 336-675-2440; hawriverballroom.com; soaring, 3-story music venue.



ALEXANDER COUNTY
Hiddenite
Sights & Sites
●Emerald Hollow Mine – 484 Emerald Hollow Mine Drive; 828-632-3394; emeraldhollowmine.com; fee digging for garnets, rubies, rutile & sapphires.



BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY (includes Blowing Rock & Cashiers)
Hotels
●High Hampton Inn – 1525 Highway 107 South (Cashiers); 828-743-2411 or 800-334-2551; highhamptoninn.com; built in 1922 as private residence; 1.4K acres in Blue Ridge Mountains; high on knoll overlooking lake and mountains; reminiscent of Adirondacks camps; near-perfect climate; no electronic devices, like telephones or televisions, in guestrooms; many activities are nature-driven; boating, fishing, hiking, mountain golf, spa services, swimming, and tennis; children’s programs throughout summer months; on National Register of Historic Places; Afternoon Tea and dressing for dinner.
●Westglow Resort & Spa – 224 Westglow Circle (Blowing Rock); 828-295-4463 or 800-562-0807; westglow.com; Greek-revival mansion in Blue Ridge Mountains; Relais & Chateaux Hotel.
Restaurants
●Canyon Kitchen – Lonesome Valley Road (Cashiers); 828-743-7967; lonesomevalley.com.



CRAVEN COUNTY
New Bern
Restaurants
●Moore’s Old Tyme Barbecue – 3711 Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard; 252-638-3937; mooresbarbeque.com; over 50 years old.



CUMBERLAND COUNTY
Fayetteville
Restaurants
●Pig Whistle – 1641 West 15^th Street; thepigwhistle.com; “whole hog barbecue.”



FORSYTH COUNTY
Winston-Salem (includes Clemmons, Lexington & Mocksville)
Restaurants
●Lexington Barbecue – 10 US Highway 29 70 South (Lexington, west of Raleigh); 336-249-9814; southernbbqtrail.com; only shoulder meat here; pitmaster Wayne Monk has been undisputed west-NC-style barbecue king since 1962.
Sights & Sites
●Cooleemee Plantation – State Route 1812 (Davie County, located between Lexington & Mocksville, at State Route 1812’s terminus on Yadkin River); hairston.org/homes/cooleemee.htm; US National Historic Landmark; not open to public.
●Tanglewood Park – 4061 Clemmons Road (Clemmons); 336-778-6320; tanglewoodpark.org; 800 rose bushes adorn picturesque manor house.GUILFORD COUNTY
Greensboro
Sights & Sites
●Weatherspoon Art Museum – 500 Tate Street; 336-334-5770; weatherspoon.uncg.edu.



INNER BANKS (includes Ayden, Beaufort, Fort Fisher, Kure Beach, Morehead City, Southport & Wilmington)
Dives
●Aeolus.
●U-352 – German WWII submarine.
●Spar.
Hotels
●Cedars Inn – 305 Front Street (Beaufort); 252-838-1463; cedarsinn.com; historic coastal inn.
●Frying Pan Shoals Light Station – Southport (29 miles offshore, to southeast); 704-907-0399; fptower.com; decommissioned lighthouse modeled after steel oil drilling platform, known as “Texas Tower” on top of 4 steel legs; engineered to be used as lighthouse housing several Coast Guard members; 80' light tower marks shoals at Cape Fear River’s and Atlantic Ocean’s confluence; platform consists of 2 floors; subfloor is 5K' square living that includes 7 bedrooms, kitchen, office, storage area, recreation area and toilet facilities.
Restaurants
●Cedars Restaurant – 305 Front Street (Beaufort); 252-838-1463; cedarsinn.com; historic coastal inn.
●Floyd’s 1921 – 400 Bridges Street (Morehead City); 252-727-1921; floyds1921.com; deviled eggs & fried oysters.
●Skylight Inn – 4618 Lee Street (Ayden); 252-746-4113; southernbbqtrail.com; uses cornbread recipe from 1830; legendary pork barbecue.
Services
●Olympus Dive Center – 713 Shepard Street (Morehead City); 252-726-9432; olympusdiving.com.
Sights & Sites
●Cape Lookout National Seashore – 131 Charles Street (Harkers Island, visitors’ center); 252-728-2250; nps.gov/calo; 56-mile long section Southern Outer Banks (Crystal Coast), running from Ocracoke Inlet (northeast) to Beaufort Inlet (southeast); 3 undeveloped barrier islands make up seashore - North & South Core Banks and Shackleford Banks; seashore includes 2 historic villages on Core Banks, Shackleford’s wild horses (see below) & Cape Lookout Lighthouse, which has black-&-white diamond pattern.
●Fort Fisher – 1610 Fort Fisher Boulevard South (Kure Beach); 910-458-5538; nchistoricsites.org/fisher/fisher.htm; Confederate fort during Civil War that vital port trading routes at Wilmington from 1861 until its capture by Union in 1865.
●North Carolina Aquarium – 900 Loggerhead Road (Fort Fisher, at Kure Beach); 910-458-8257; ncaquariums.com.
●Shackleford Banks – Harkers Island (2 miles south); 252-728-2250; nps.gov/calo/index.htm or shacklefordhorses.org; barrier island system; contains herd of feral Spanish mustangs, scallop, crabs & various sea animals, including summer nesting by loggerhead turtles; part of Cape Lookout National Seashore.



LENOIR COUNTY
Kinston
Restaurants
●Chef & Farmer – 120 West Gordon Street; 252-208-2433; chefandthefarmer.com; try “Dirty Farro.”



MECKLENBURG COUNTY
Charlotte (includes Belmont)
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
●Amelie’s French Bakery – 2424 North Davidson Street; 704-376-1781; ameliesfrenchbakery.com; open 24 hours; pastries.
Bars & Nightclubs
●Blue Bar – 2906 Central Avenue; 704-567-2158; ghetto Laotian-Vietnamese bar; hip-hop; considered by many best bar in Charlotte.
●Petra’s Piano Bar – 1919 Commonwealth Avenue; 704-332-6608; petraspianobar.com; famous for its cocktail list.
●Scorpio – 2301 Freedom Drive; 704-373-9124; thescorpio.com; 3 bars, dancing, and famous drag shows.
●Snug Harbor – 1228 Gordon Street; 704-333-9799; facebook.com/SnugRock; grunge rock and punk bar.
●Soul Gastrolounge – 1500 Central Avenue; 704-348-1848; soulgastrolounge.com; cocktails and tapas.
●Whiskey River – A-208, 210 East Trade Street; 704-749-1097; whiskyrivercharlotte.com; owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Hotels
●Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge – 1000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway; 704-248-4000 or 888-627-8048; theballantynehotel.com; plastic-looking.
●Ritz-Carlton – 201 East Trade Street; 704-547-2244 or 800-542-8680; ritzcarlton.com.
Restaurants
●Amelie’s French Bakery – 2424 North Davidson Street; 704-376-1781; ameliesfrenchbakery.com; open 24 hours; salads, sandwiches, and soups.
●Dish – 1220 Thomas Avenue; 704-344-0343; eatatdish.com; unpretentious, diner-y food.
●Landmark Diner – 4429 Central Avenue; 704-532-1153; Greek and Italian.
●Penguin Drive-In – 1921 Commonwealth Avenue; 704-375-6959; penguinrestaurant.com; hamburgers.
●Soul Gastrolounge – 1500 Central Avenue; 704-348-1848; soulgastrolounge.com; sushi and tapas.
Shopping
●Common Market – 2007 Commonwealth Avenue; 704-334-6209; commonmarketisgood.com; deli with beer, wine; vegetarian friendly.
●Paul Simon Men’s Wear – 4300 Sharon Road (Village at South Park); 704-366-4523 or 704-372-6842; paulsimonco.com.
●Paul Simon Women’s Wear – 4300 Sharon Road (Village at South Park); 704-333-6139; paulsimon.com.
●Taylor Richards & Conger – 6907 Phillips Place Court; 704-366-9092; trcstyle.com; men’s and women’s wear.
Sights & Sites
●Bechtler Museum of Modern Art – 420 South Tryon Street; 704-353-9200; bechtler.org; modern works, especially statuary.
●Billy Graham Library – 4330 Westmont Drive; 704-401-3200; billygrahamlibrary.org; documents his Christian journey.
●Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts – 551 South Tryon Street; 704-547-3700; ganttcenter.org; reknowned Hewitt Collection.
●Knight Theater – 430 South Tryon Street; 704-372-1000; blumenthalcenter.org; North Carolina Dance Theater’s permanent home.
●Little Sugar Creek Greenway – 7^th to Morehead Streets; 704-432-1570; littlesugarcreekgreenway.com; beautiful landscaping, bike trails, and event areas.
●Mint Museum Uptown – 500 South Tryon Street; 704-337-2000; mintmuseum.org; new annex for Charlotte’s revered institution; will house American and contemporary collections.
●Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden – 6500 South New Hope Road (Belmont); 704-825-4490; dsbg.org; among America’s top 20 gardens; exceptional Orchid Conservatory.

Davidson
Restaurants
●Kindred – 131 North Main Street; 980-231-5000; kindreddavidson.com; imagine casual Southern restaurant that studied abroad; charming; college professors linger over drinks in white-tiled room, while staff recommends local dive bar; try crispy oysters & Carolina shrimp rolls; house-made pastas, like squid-ink conchiglie with blue crab & sea-urchin butter, are menu stars; warm, milk-bread rolls.



RANDOLPH COUNTY
Asheboro
Sights & Sites
●North Carolina Zoo – 4401 Zoo Parkway; 336-879-7000 or 800-488-0444; nczoo.org; 5 pathway miles through 40K plants and 200 animal species, living in nature-inspired habitats.