The American state of North Carolina sits next to the
Atlantic Ocean in the southern region of the country. It’s one
of the more popular states as it’s ranked 10th in population
with just over nine million people and comes in 28th in total
area. It’s also one of the oldest states as it was the 12th one
to join the Union back in 1789. The state capital is Raleigh and
Charlotte is its largest city. Some of the other major centers
include Durham, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington,
Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Fayetteville.
The region was
originally inhabited by Native Americans with Spanish Colonial
settlers joining them in the mid 1500s. The weather in North
Carolina can vary quite a bit because of the influences from the
mountain ranges and the ocean. However, it’s generally pretty
hot in the summer and the winters are considered to be pretty
mild.
Beautiful scenery comes naturally to North Carolina as
it features diverse landscapes which include sandy white beaches
and many rugged
mountain ranges to go along with the clear blue ocean. The
charming state is quite popular for visitors and some of the
most visited areas are Cape Fear Coast, the Crystal Coast, and
Outer Banks.
If you’d like to take in some outdoor activities then a trip
to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a good idea with 70
miles of parkland to enjoy. If you’d rather enjoy the sea and
sand there are several communities to check out such as Atlantic
Beach, Wilmington, and Nags Head. There are tons of activities
to keep you busy including swimming, skiing, camping, hunting,
fishing, bird watching, ballooning, boating, sailing, rock
climbing, and canoeing.
In total, there are 14 national and 34 state parks to visit,
with some of the most popular being the Appalachian National
Scenic Trail, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Croatan National
Forest, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, Moores Creek National Battlefield, the
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, the Trail of Tears
National Historic Trail, and Uwharrie National Forest.
For city life, Raleigh, Charlotte, Durham, and Chapel Hill,
can fill your needs as they’re all major business and cultural
centers that offer a variety of attractions. If you’d like to
check out some indoor sites, the state has numerous theme parks,
zoos, aquariums, historic sites, historic sites, lighthouses,
theaters, and concert halls.
The major airports for travelers flying into the state are in
Raleigh, and Charlotte. Driving in and touring around is quite
pleasant due to the excellent interstate and regional highway
system. If you’d like to travel by train, Amtrak has service to
several stations and are some interstate routes. Some of the
towns with rail service include Raleigh, Southern Pines, Cary,
Hamlet, Rocky Mount, Fayetteville, Charlotte, High Point, and
Burlington. There’s also a light rail system in Charlotte, and
trolleys to take you around Raleigh. Most of the other big
cities have pretty thorough bus services.
For sports lovers, motorsports are pretty popular, especially
NASCAR, with the largest track being the Charlotte Motor
Speedway and the Hall of Fame is housed in the city. The NHRA
also hosts a couple of events there every year. The NFL’s
Carolina Panthers play football with the Charlotte Bobcats
competing in the NBA, and the Carolina Hurricanes representing
the National Hockey League. There are several minor-league pro
teams in soccer, indoor football, basketball and baseball and
golf is pretty popular along with wrestling, rodeo, and college
sports.
There are all types of travel accommodations to choose from
in North Carolina, such as motels, hotels, and seaside resorts
and they’re priced to suit all budgets. Restaurants are
plentiful and they offer up some fine southern cooking such as
barbecued pork and hot sauce as well as excellent seafood and
international cuisine.
North Carolina has a variety of interesting things to see and
do for visitors of all ages and it offers a great combination of
city and rural life as well as having the ocean as a natural
playground.
About North Carolina