North Carolina

Welcome to our North Carolina landing page! Tegan is a proud NC native and UNC alumna– a “Carolina girl” through and through– so you’re sure to get all the best tips from our resident NC local. We are certainly biased… but North Carolina has it all. 

From all the city perks in Raleigh and Durham to small-town charm in Hillsborough and Boone, beautiful beaches in the Outer Banks and coastal charm in Wilmington and Beaufort, there are few states in the country that have as much to offer as North Carolina does. Its landscape stretches from the Appalachian Mountains in the west, through the flatter Piedmont region, to the expansive Coastal Plain, meaning NC has all sorts of climates and landscapes, and you don’t need to leave the state to have many different experiences. 

While the summers can be fairly brutal (think hot, hot, hot and intensely humid), shoulder seasons and winters are mild, and you can explore year-round.

Fans of sports will enjoy the most epic college rivalry in the country– UNC vs. Duke (hint: the only answer to this question is UNC!) as well as a fun minor-league baseball team, the Durham Bulls. NC is home to many colleges and universities, with beautiful campuses and architecture styles and a fantastic student vibe.

Fans of culture and museums have all sorts of options to choose from. There are world-class science museums in Raleigh and Durham, and art galleries and art museums galore, ranging from traditional offerings to modern, contemporary, and outdoor exhibits. Most of the museums in Raleigh are free, including the NC Museums of Art, History, Science, and more. Several cities have their own museums tracing back their history, architecture, and significant events as well. In Greensboro, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum is located at the site of the Woolworth’s where four Black college students from NC A&T University staged a sit-in at the establishment’s “whites only” lunch counter, a tremendously brave act of protest that led to 6 months of boycotts and sit-ins, ultimately spurring passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Fans of Southern cuisine and BBQ will be in hog-heaven, but there are culinary offerings for every foodie, from Mexican to Middle Eastern, vegan to Italian, and a fusion of everything in between. Study up on your BBQ before your visit, as there is an epic battle between fans of tomato-based and fans of vinegar-based BBQ style (AKA Lexington-style and Eastern-style, respectively)– a choice you, too will have to make. Foodies of all stripes will love NC, as well as beer enthusiasts, for its fantastic craft brewery scene. The Raleigh Beer Garden is a world record holder, home to the world’s largest selection of draft beers available in one restaurant, with room for up to 402 beers on tap at any given time. Iconic doughnut chain Krispy Kreme may have originated in Winston-Salem, NC in 1937, but don’t miss the iconic “hot” sign in downtown Raleigh. Be sure to sample some Cheerwine while you’re here, a delicious cherry-flavored soda invented in Salisbury, NC that is still family-owned and not widely available outside the state. 

Fans of the outdoors could spend a lifetime here and not “climb every mountain, ford every stream” (as we learned in The Sound of Music.) The famed Appalachian Trail treks through the western part of the state, famous for its beautiful hiking options, but there are all sorts of trails, summits, and green spaces to enjoy statewide. Everywhere you go, you will notice an abundance of trees– one of the things that makes the Old North State so special. The highest peak on the East Coast, Mount Mitchell (Cherokee name: Attakulla), is located in Yancey County, NC, in the Appalachian Mountains.