Central North Carolina: Places to Explore

Aberdeen, a small town of Scottish ancestry, has a beautifully restored early-20th-century train station and plenty of shops with antiques and collectibles.... Read more

Asheboro, the seat of Randolph County, sits in the Uwharrie National Forest, which is popular with those who like hiking, biking, and horseback riding. At 500 million years old, the Uwharries are the oldest... Read more

Chapel Hill is the smallest city in the Triangle, but it has arguably the biggest personality. Home to the nation's first state university, the University of North Carolina, this is a college town through... Read more

Don't expect to hear many Southern accents in this melting pot of a city, the biggest in the state. Visiting Charlotte is much more of an urban experience than a down-home one, but that's all part of the... Read more

For many, Durham and Duke University are synonymous, and with good reason. Duke's well-manicured lawns, tree-lined streets, and stately buildings are easy on the eyes and run right into Durham. With more... Read more

Don't let the ring of sprawl around Greensboro, North Carolina's third-largest city, scare you. Tucked within those miles of traffic and chain stores is a place with not only a fascinating past but a downright... Read more

High Point earned its name by simple geography: it was the highest point on the railroad line between Goldsboro and Charlotte. Nowadays the city's biannual high point is hosting the International Home... Read more

Pinehurst is a New England-style village with quiet, shaded streets and immaculately kept homes ranging from massive Victorians to tiny cottages. It was laid out in the late 1800s in a wagon-wheel pattern... Read more

For a state capital, Raleigh is suprisingly approachable. Smaller than you might think, the very walkable downtown is not only home to a multitude of government buildings but also to many friendly pubs... Read more

Potters, some of whom are carrying on traditions that have been in their families for generations and others who are newer to the art, handcraft mugs, bowls, pitchers, platters, vases, and clay "face jugs"... Read more

The center of the Sandhills, Southern Pines is a good place to begin exploring the region. Perhaps because its golf resorts are out of town, this little spot has more of a homey feel than its bordering... Read more

Two historical areas—Old Salem and Bethabara—are welcome reminders of the hardworking Moravians who settled the area in the mid-18th century. With its Williamsburg-like period reconstruction... Read more