Explore North Carolina
Things to Do
Attractions, activities, museums, parks, and outdoor experiences across North Carolina.
Across the state
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134 results
Attraction · Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of Art
Explore galleries, an outdoor art park, and trails west of downtown.
Attraction · Raleigh
State museums
The North Carolina museums of History and Natural Sciences anchor the downtown cultural campus.
Attraction · Raleigh
Dorothea Dix Park
The former hospital grounds are now a broad public landscape with skyline views.
Must see · Raleigh
Historic Shaw campus
Walk a foundational HBCU campus and view Estey Hall’s landmark architecture.
Must see · Raleigh
State Capitol
Read the city’s planned center through its oldest civic landmark.
Must see · Raleigh
Historic City Market
Explore one of downtown Raleigh’s most recognizable public spaces.
Hidden gem · Raleigh
Raleigh Historic tours
Self-guided digital tours connect African American landmarks and overlooked neighborhood histories.
Hidden gem · Raleigh
Pullen Park
A historic city park with a carousel and easy access from downtown.
Hidden gem · Raleigh
JC Raulston Arboretum
A compact, free garden with an unusually broad plant collection.
Outdoors · Raleigh
Neuse River Greenway
A long paved corridor for cycling and walking along the river.
Outdoors · Raleigh
Dorothea Dix Park
Open lawns and city views close to downtown.
Outdoors · Raleigh
William B. Umstead State Park
Forested trails and lakes sit between Raleigh and Durham.
Museum & arts · Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of Art
Free general admission plus a 164-acre park with trails and outdoor art west of downtown.
Museum & arts · Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of History
State history galleries sit on the downtown government campus.
Museum & arts · Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The Southeast’s largest natural-sciences museum, free to enter, faces Bicentennial Plaza.
Museum & arts · Raleigh
Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh
CAM presents rotating contemporary exhibitions in the Warehouse District.
Museum & arts · Raleigh
Marbles Kids Museum
Hands-on galleries and an IMAX theater anchor the children’s museum downtown.
Attraction · Durham
Hayti Heritage Center
Visit a cultural center housed in the historic St. Joseph’s AME Church building.
Attraction · Durham
American Tobacco Campus
Walk a large adaptive-reuse district beside the Durham Bulls ballpark.
Attraction · Durham
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Explore landscaped gardens on Duke’s campus.
Must see · Durham
Parrish Street
Follow markers that interpret the people and institutions of Black Wall Street.
Must see · Durham
NCCU campus
Experience one of the state’s defining HBCU communities.
Must see · Durham
Duke Chapel
See the landmark Gothic Revival centerpiece of Duke’s campus.
Hidden gem · Durham
Museum of Durham History
A compact local museum offers context before exploring neighborhoods.
Hidden gem · Durham
West Point on the Eno
Historic structures and river trails reveal another side of the city.
Hidden gem · Durham
Pauli Murray Center
A National Historic Landmark connects Durham to the scholar, priest, and civil-rights advocate.
Outdoors · Durham
Eno River State Park
Wooded trails follow the river north of the city.
Outdoors · Durham
American Tobacco Trail
A rail-trail runs south from downtown into the wider Triangle.
Outdoors · Durham
Duke Gardens
Formal and naturalistic landscapes offer a quieter urban walk.
Attraction · Charlotte
Gantt Center
Center Black art and history in an Uptown visit.
Attraction · Charlotte
Levine Museum of the New South
Explore changing exhibitions about Charlotte and the post-Civil War South.
Attraction · Charlotte
U.S. National Whitewater Center
Try trails, climbing, paddling, and river activities west of the city.
Must see · Charlotte
Historic West End
Ride or walk portions of the corridor around JCSU and Beatties Ford Road.
Must see · Charlotte
Romare Bearden Park
Pause in Uptown at a park named for the Charlotte-born artist.
Must see · Charlotte
Mint Museum
Visit one of the city’s flagship visual-arts institutions.
Hidden gem · Charlotte
Second Ward history
Look beyond the skyline to interpret the former Brooklyn neighborhood.
Hidden gem · Charlotte
McGill Rose Garden
A compact garden occupies a former industrial site near NoDa.
Hidden gem · Charlotte
Little Sugar Creek Greenway
Segments reveal a quieter, greener route through the city.
Outdoors · Charlotte
Little Sugar Creek Greenway
Connected segments support walking and cycling through central neighborhoods.
Outdoors · Charlotte
U.S. National Whitewater Center
A large outdoor recreation campus west of Charlotte.
Outdoors · Charlotte
McDowell Nature Preserve
Lake Wylie shoreline and trails offer a nearby retreat.
Attraction · Greensboro
International Civil Rights Center & Museum
Begin downtown where the sit-in movement accelerated.
Attraction · Greensboro
Greensboro Science Center
Combine an aquarium, museum, and zoological park.
Attraction · Greensboro
Weatherspoon Art Museum
Visit a significant modern and contemporary art collection at UNC Greensboro.
Must see · Greensboro
Woolworth lunch counter
Stand at the preserved site associated with the Greensboro Four.
Must see · Greensboro
NC A&T campus
See the institution at the heart of Greensboro’s HBCU culture.
Must see · Greensboro
Bicentennial Garden
Walk a landscaped public garden near the city’s center.
Hidden gem · Greensboro
Elsewhere
An experimental living museum occupies a former thrift store downtown.
Hidden gem · Greensboro
Historic Magnolia House
The Green Book-era property recalls Black travel during segregation.
Hidden gem · Greensboro
Gateway of the Open Book
Public art at the library celebrates Greensboro’s literary life.
Outdoors · Greensboro
Bog Garden
An elevated walkway crosses wetlands near Friendly Avenue.
Outdoors · Greensboro
Lake Brandt trails
Waterside paths form part of Greensboro’s watershed trail network.
Outdoors · Greensboro
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
Trails and interpretation mark a major Revolutionary War battlefield.
Attraction · Winston-Salem
Old Salem Museums & Gardens
Explore a living-history district and the historic landscape of Salem.
Attraction · Winston-Salem
Reynolda
Visit American art, gardens, and the former Reynolds estate.
Attraction · Winston-Salem
Innovation Quarter
Walk a major district of restored industrial buildings and public space.
Must see · Winston-Salem
WSSU campus
Experience Ram history and the legacy of Simon Green Atkins.
Must see · Winston-Salem
Old Salem
Read early local history through preserved streets and buildings.
Must see · Winston-Salem
Reynolda House
See American art in a historic estate setting.
Hidden gem · Winston-Salem
Delta Arts Center
Seek out exhibitions and programming centered on Black artists.
Hidden gem · Winston-Salem
Historic Bethabara Park
Explore an earlier Moravian settlement and nature preserve.
Hidden gem · Winston-Salem
Artivity on the Green
A small downtown arts park offers color and open space.
Outdoors · Winston-Salem
Salem Lake Trail
A loop follows the shoreline east of downtown.
Outdoors · Winston-Salem
Reynolda Gardens
Formal gardens and woodland paths are open to visitors.
Outdoors · Winston-Salem
Bethabara Park
Trails cross a historic landscape and wetlands.
Attraction · Fayetteville
U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum
Explore military history in a major downtown museum.
Attraction · Fayetteville
Cape Fear Botanical Garden
Walk gardens near the Cape Fear River.
Attraction · Fayetteville
Museum of the Cape Fear
Trace regional history across changing exhibitions and historic sites.
Must see · Fayetteville
Fayetteville State campus
Visit the HBCU that grew from the Reconstruction-era Howard School.
Must see · Fayetteville
Market House area
Read the layered and contested history of the city’s central landmark.
Must see · Fayetteville
Airborne & Special Operations Museum
Understand the military relationship that defines modern Fayetteville.
Hidden gem · Fayetteville
Cool Spring Downtown District
Public art, small museums, and historic streets reward a walk.
Hidden gem · Fayetteville
Clark Park Nature Center
Trails and environmental programs sit along the Cape Fear River.
Hidden gem · Fayetteville
Veterans Park
A downtown memorial offers a reflective stop near major museums.
Outdoors · Fayetteville
Cape Fear River Trail
A paved trail follows woods and river landscapes.
Outdoors · Fayetteville
Clark Park
Nature trails and a center introduce the Cape Fear ecosystem.
Outdoors · Fayetteville
Carvers Creek State Park
Longleaf pine landscapes and historic farm grounds sit north of the city.
Attraction · Asheville
Black Cultural Heritage Trail
Follow public markers that center Black Asheville history.
Attraction · Asheville
River Arts District
Visit working studios in former industrial buildings along the French Broad River.
Attraction · Asheville
Blue Ridge Parkway
Reach overlooks and trails minutes from the city.
Must see · Asheville
YMI Cultural Center
Begin with an institution that has served Black Asheville since the nineteenth century.
Must see · Asheville
The Block
Read the historic Black business district around Eagle Street.
Must see · Asheville
Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks
See the mountain geography that frames daily life.
Hidden gem · Asheville
Southside history
Look beyond redevelopment to the neighborhood’s Black community roots.
Hidden gem · Asheville
Botanical Gardens at Asheville
A compact native-plant garden sits beside UNC Asheville.
Hidden gem · Asheville
Western North Carolina Nature Center
A regional wildlife focus offers a quieter alternative to downtown.
Outdoors · Asheville
Blue Ridge Parkway
Scenic driving connects overlooks and trailheads.
Outdoors · Asheville
French Broad River
Greenways and paddling reveal the city from water level.
Outdoors · Asheville
Pisgah National Forest
Waterfalls and mountain trails spread beyond the city.
Attraction · Wilmington
1898 Memorial Park
Begin with the history essential to understanding modern Wilmington.
Attraction · Wilmington
Riverwalk
Follow the Cape Fear waterfront through downtown.
Attraction · Wilmington
Cameron Art Museum
Explore regional and contemporary exhibitions south of downtown.
Must see · Wilmington
1898 Memorial
Pause at the memorial and use official state resources for deeper context.
Must see · Wilmington
Historic downtown
Walk the street grid, riverfront, and surviving architecture.
Must see · Wilmington
Fort Fisher
Visit the state historic site and coastal landscape south of the city.
Hidden gem · Wilmington
Bellamy site’s urban slavery interpretation
Look for interpretation that goes beyond architectural tourism.
Hidden gem · Wilmington
Greenfield Lake
A lakeside path and gardens sit close to downtown.
Hidden gem · Wilmington
Northside stories
Drake is developing neighborhood reporting with residents and local historians.
Outdoors · Wilmington
Cape Fear Riverwalk
An urban waterside route through downtown.
Outdoors · Wilmington
Carolina Beach State Park
Trails, marina access, and coastal habitats sit along the river.
Outdoors · Wilmington
Fort Fisher shoreline
Historic landscape and beach access meet at the southern end of the county.
Attraction · Cary
Downtown Cary Park
Explore a major central public park and its programmed spaces.
Attraction · Cary
Page-Walker Arts & History Center
Visit a restored railroad hotel used for exhibitions and cultural programs.
Attraction · Cary
Koka Booth Amphitheatre
Check the official calendar for concerts and seasonal events.
Must see · Cary
Downtown Cary
Walk the historic center and new public spaces.
Must see · Cary
Fred G. Bond Metro Park
Use trails and lakefront recreation close to central Cary.
Hidden gem · Cary
Hemlock Bluffs
A nature preserve protects an unusual stand of eastern hemlocks.
Hidden gem · Cary
Public art
Downtown and town facilities feature a growing public-art collection.
Outdoors · Cary
Hemlock Bluffs
Wooded trails cross a protected natural area.
Outdoors · Cary
Cary greenways
Connected paths offer long walking and cycling routes.
Museum & arts · Cary
Page-Walker
Local history and rotating exhibitions occupy the historic railroad hotel.
Museum & arts · Cary
Cary Arts Center
Classes, galleries, and performances animate a restored school.
Attraction · Chapel Hill
Ackland Art Museum
Visit the university’s public art museum.
Attraction · Chapel Hill
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Explore native plants and conservation landscapes.
Attraction · Chapel Hill
Morehead Planetarium
Check current public programs at the historic science center.
Must see · Chapel Hill
Northside
Explore respectfully and use community-led historical resources.
Must see · Chapel Hill
UNC campus
Walk the historic campus while engaging its complete, contested history.
Hidden gem · Chapel Hill
Coker Arboretum
A compact garden offers a quiet campus walk.
Hidden gem · Chapel Hill
Carolina North Forest
Trails provide an accessible wooded escape.
Outdoors · Chapel Hill
Carolina North Forest
Wooded trails sit north of town.
Outdoors · Chapel Hill
Bolin Creek
Greenway segments connect neighborhoods and recreation areas.
Museum & arts · Chapel Hill
Ackland
The university art museum is open to the public.
Museum & arts · Chapel Hill
Morehead
The planetarium connects science history with public programming.
Attraction · Asheboro
North Carolina Zoo
Plan a full day for the large natural-habitat park.
Attraction · Asheboro
North Carolina Aviation Museum
See aviation collections at Asheboro Regional Airport.
Attraction · Asheboro
Downtown Asheboro
Explore local shops, public art, and civic landmarks.
Must see · Asheboro
North Carolina Zoo
Use the official site for current hours and reservations.
Must see · Asheboro
Randolph County Historic Courthouse
Read the center of the historic county seat.
Hidden gem · Asheboro
Birkhead Mountains Wilderness
Trails reach the northern Uwharries south of the city.
Hidden gem · Asheboro
Local pottery
Randolph County sits near a nationally significant pottery region.
Outdoors · Asheboro
Uwharrie National Forest
Trails and recreation spread south of Asheboro.
Outdoors · Asheboro
Birkhead Mountains Wilderness
A protected trail network preserves the northern Uwharries.
Museum & arts · Asheboro
Aviation Museum
Aircraft and memorabilia document regional aviation.
Museum & arts · Asheboro
Randolph County history
Check local institutions for current exhibitions and access.
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