North Carolina · best-of list
32 Top Things to Do in North Carolina
All 32 things to do our route editors picked in North Carolina, across 9 destinations, gathered in one list. 4 spots on this list appear on more than one of our routes.
Our curated picks
32 things to do in North Carolina, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Cherokee 6 picks
Mingus Mill
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
1886 turbine gristmill still grinding cornmeal.
Tip: Seasonal demonstrations; short walk from the road.
Photo: Talal Zraik · Google
Museum of the Cherokee People
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
Museum telling the Cherokee story from earliest times to today.
Tip: Allow 90 minutes; pair with the village nearby.
Photo: Cindy Deaton · Google
Oconaluftee Indian Village
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
Living-history village of 1760s Cherokee life with guided tours.
Tip: Seasonal (spring–fall).
Photo: Jan Kronsell · CC BY-SA 2.5
Oconaluftee Visitor Center & Mountain Farm Museum
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
Smokies visitor center with historic farm buildings; elk often graze nearby.
Tip: Look for elk in the fields at dawn and dusk.
Photo: Sean · Google
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route
Scenic train excursion from Bryson City along the Tuckasegee and Nantahala.
Tip: Book the Nantahala Gorge trip in fall.
Photo: AppalachianCentrist · CC BY-SA 4.0
Newfound Gap Overlook
Cherokee · On our Smokies Weekend route
State-line pass on the Appalachian Trail with sweeping ridge views.
Tip: Quick stop on US-441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee.
Photo: Sarah Nicole · Google
Asheville 5 picks
Biltmore Estate
Asheville · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route
Vanderbilt mansion with gardens, winery and miles of grounds.
Tip: Buy house tickets ahead; plan a full day.
Photo: Blake Lewis · CC BY-SA 2.0
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center
Asheville · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route
Parkway headquarters with a film, interactive map and ranger info.
Tip: Check road closures here before heading up.
Photo: Richard S · Google
Christmas at Biltmore
Asheville · On our Asheville, Blowing Rock & Boone route
George Vanderbilt's 250-room chateau decorated with dozens of trees, including a 35-foot Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall.
Tip: Candlelight Evenings add live music and firelight; buy tickets ahead.
Photo: daveynin · CC BY 2.0
National Gingerbread House Competition
Asheville · On our Asheville, Blowing Rock & Boone route
Hundreds of gingerbread houses from bakers across the country, displayed through the Omni Grove Park Inn each holiday season.
Tip: Weekday mornings are calmest.
Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0Winter Lights
Asheville · On our Asheville, Blowing Rock & Boone route
Walking trail of lit gardens and light displays at the North Carolina Arboretum, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Tip: Dress warmly; it is noticeably colder than downtown.
Nags Head 5 picks
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Nags Head · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Black-and-white banded tower with a marsh boardwalk; climbs in season.
Photo: Pete · CC BY-SA 2.0
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Nags Head · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Site of the 1587 Lost Colony; outdoor drama 'The Lost Colony' plays summer nights.
Photo: Christy Geiger · Google
Jennette's Pier
Nags Head · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Concrete ocean pier with fishing, exhibits and views over the surf.
Photo: Bruze Lee · Google
Kitty Hawk Kites hang gliding
Nags Head · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Beginner hang gliding lessons on the dunes of Jockey's Ridge.
Tip: Book a day or two ahead; morning lessons have calmer wind.
Photo: Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School · Google
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Nags Head · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Site of the first powered flights, with markers and a granite monument on Kill Devil Hill.
Photo: Quill Burke · Google
Corolla 4 picks
Corolla Outback Adventures
Corolla · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
4x4 tour onto the Carova beaches to see wild Spanish mustangs.
Tip: Book ahead in summer; keep 50 feet from horses.
Photo: Corolla Outback Adventures · Google
Corolla Wild Horse Museum
Corolla · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Small museum on the Banker horses, run by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
Photo: Corolla Wild Horse Fund · Google
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Corolla · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Unpainted red-brick 1875 lighthouse; climb 220 steps for sound and ocean views.
Tip: Open seasonally (spring–fall); closed in high wind.
Photo: Warfieldian · Public domain
Historic Corolla Park
Corolla · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Waterfront park with the 1920s Whalehead mansion on Currituck Sound.
Photo: Noah Valentine Styles · Google
Ocracoke 4 picks
British Cemetery
Ocracoke · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Graves of British sailors from HMS Bedfordshire, sunk off the island in 1942.
Photo: DrStew82 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ocracoke Lighthouse
Ocracoke · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
1823 whitewashed lighthouse, the oldest operating in North Carolina.
Tip: Not open for climbing; restoration work limits access around the keepers' quarters.
Photo: Henryhartley · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum
Ocracoke · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Island history museum in a historic house near the ferry docks.
Photo: Ocracoke Preservation Society · Google
Silver Lake Harbor
Ocracoke · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Village harbor ringed by docks, shops and seafood spots; best explored by bike.
Photo: John Leino · Google
Blowing Rock 3 picks
Appalachian Ski Mountain
Blowing Rock · On our Asheville, Blowing Rock & Boone route
Small family ski area between Blowing Rock and Boone with a ski school, terrain park and an outdoor ice rink.
Tip: It hosts a New Year's Eve celebration with fireworks over the slopes.
Sugar Mountain Resort
Blowing Rock · On our Asheville, Blowing Rock & Boone route
North Carolina's largest ski area, with 21 slopes, a tubing park and an outdoor skating rink at the base.
Tip: Night skiing runs most evenings in season.
Photo: Mark Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tweetsie Christmas
Blowing Rock · On our Asheville, Blowing Rock & Boone route
Tweetsie Railroad's steam train runs through lit woods on December evenings, with a decorated Main Street and Santa.
Tip: Tickets are timed; book a train after dark.
Photo: ET&WNC12 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Downtown Raleigh 2 picks
First Night Raleigh and the Acorn Drop
Downtown Raleigh · On our Raleigh New Year's Eve route
Artsplosure's New Year's Eve festival on Fayetteville Street, ending with the copper acorn lowered over City Plaza and fireworks.
Tip: Stand on Fayetteville Street just north of the plaza to see the acorn and the fireworks behind it.
Photo: Ke4roh · Public domainNorth Carolina State Capitol
Downtown Raleigh · On our Raleigh New Year's Eve route
Greek Revival capitol from 1840 at the north end of Fayetteville Street, a straight sightline from City Plaza.
Tip: Walk the length of Fayetteville Street from the plaza to the Capitol before the evening crowds arrive.
Uptown Charlotte 2 picks
CLT NYE at Truist Field
Uptown Charlotte · On our Charlotte New Year's Eve route
Charlotte's official countdown inside the Knights' ballpark, with skating, snow tubing, light displays and midnight fireworks.
Tip: General admission was $16 in 2025; the skating and tubing add-on costs more and sells out first.
Photo: City Dweller 2 · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Fillmore Charlotte
Uptown Charlotte · On our Charlotte New Year's Eve route
Concert hall in the AvidXchange Music Factory complex just north of Uptown, with touring bands most weekends.
Tip: Check the Dec 31 lineup in the fall; holiday-week shows sell out.
Photo: HangingCurve · CC BY-SA 4.0
NoDa 1 pick
The Evening Muse
NoDa · On our Charlotte New Year's Eve route
Small listening room at 36th and North Davidson, the heart of NoDa's music scene.
Photo: City Dweller 2 · CC BY-SA 4.0
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in North Carolina?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 32 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of North Carolina has the most things to do on this list?
Cherokee has the most (6 of 32), followed by Asheville (5) and Nags Head (5).
Are any of these free?
12 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Mingus Mill, Oconaluftee Visitor Center & Mountain Farm Museum, Ocracoke Lighthouse, Newfound Gap Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, and more. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for North Carolina
Top things to do nearby
Destinations on this list
- Cherokee 6 on this list
- Asheville 5 on this list
- Nags Head 5 on this list
- Corolla 4 on this list
- Ocracoke 4 on this list
- Blowing Rock 3 on this list
- Downtown Raleigh 2 on this list
- Uptown Charlotte 2 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.