Central North Carolina
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Central North Carolina - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Duke Chapel
Duke UniversityA Gothic-style gem built in the early 1930s, this chapel is the centerpiece of Duke University. Modeled after England's Canterbury Cathedral, it has a 210-foot-tall bell tower. Weekly services are held here Sunday at 11 am. The chapel is a popular wedding spot, so check the website before trying to visit on Saturday.
401 Chapel Dr., Durham, North Carolina, 27708, USA919-681--9488Sight Details
Rate Includes: Sept.–May, daily 8 am–10 pm; June–Aug., daily 8–8. -
2. High Point Museum and Historical Park
Wander through the 1786 John Haley House and the 1801 Hoggatt House, where rotating exhibits highlight Piedmont history and Quaker heritage with local artifacts. On Saturdays, costumed reenactors demonstrate trades like traditional blacksmithing. The museum is home to native son John Coltrane's childhood piano and a school bus cab with operational lights that's fun for kids.
1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point, North Carolina, 27262, USA336-885–1859Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon., Museum: Tues.–Sat. 10–4:30; Sun. 1-4 summer only. Park: Sat. 10–4 -
3. Historic Bethabara Park
UniversitySet in a wooded 183-acre wildlife preserve, this was the site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina. The reconstructed village showcasing the mid-18th-century community includes the original 1788 Gemeinhaus congregation house, a colonial homestead, and well-maintained medicinal gardens. God's Acre, the first colony cemetery, is a short walk away. Children love the reconstructed fort from the French and Indian War, and hiking trails head off into the hills around the settlement. Brochures for self-guided walking tours are available year-round at the visitor center, where interpreters in period attire help bring this bygone era to life.
2147 Bethabara Rd., Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27106, USA336-924–8191Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, tours $4, Visitor center closed Mon., Tues.–Fri. 10:30–4:30, weekends 1:30–4:30 -
4. Museum of Life and Science
DowntownThis interactive science park on 84 acres is packed full of attractions designed to spark wonder and curiosity. There’s a two-story science center, one of the largest butterfly conservatories on the East Coast, and 60 species of live animals in its outdoor exhibits. The Hideaway Woods exhibit features eight tree houses, a flowing stream, and fanciful nature sculptures. Earth Moves invites visitors to climb a large formation of Tennessee sandstone or explore a cave underneath it and control the flow of water from a 20-foot freestanding waterfall.
433 W. Murray Ave., Durham, North Carolina, 27704, USA919-220–5429Sight Details
Rate Includes: Museum $23, Closed Mon. and Tues., Mon.–Sat. 10–5, Sun. noon–5. -
5. North Carolina Botanical Garden
South MetroPart of the University of North Carolina, this tribute to native plants includes wildflowers, shrubs, trees, ferns, and grasses of the Southeast. Other highlights include nature trails that wind through a 300-acre Piedmont forest, a green education center, and an impressive collection of herbs and carnivorous plants.
100 Old Mason Farm Rd., Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27517, USA919-962–0522Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Garden closed Mon. Trails open daily., June–Aug., weekdays 8–5, Sat. 9–6, Sun. 1–6; Sept.–May., weekdays 8–5, Sat. 9–5, Sun. 1–5 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. North Carolina Museum of Art
North RaleighOn the west side of Raleigh, the NCMA houses more than 5,000 years of artistic heritage, including one of the nation's largest collections of Jewish ceremonial art. The museum hosts touring exhibitions of works by such artists as Caravaggio and Rodin. There are gallery tours offered daily, and on Saturdays at 10:30 you can catch a guided tour of the surrounding park. The 164-acre park features nine monumental works of art, which visitors can view on foot or by bike.
2110 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607, USA919-839–6262Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, special exhibitions from $20, Closed Mon. and Tues. -
7. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
DowntownWith seven floors of immersive exhibits spread across two buildings connected via sky bridge, this museum is the largest of its kind in the Southeast. Exhibits and dioramas celebrate the incredible diversity of species in the state's various regions. There are enough live animals and insects—including butterflies, snakes, and a two-toed sloth—to qualify as a midsize zoo. Massive and rare whale skeletons hang from the ceiling. The pièce de résistance, however, is the Terror of the South exhibit, featuring the dinosaur skeleton of "Acro," a giant carnivore that lived in the region 110 million years ago. The impressive bones are the world's most complete Acrocanthosaurus dinosaur skeleton. In the Nature Research Center, visitors can have live conversations with scientists.
11 W. Jones St., Raleigh, North Carolina, 27601, USA919-707–9800Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Mon.–Sat. 9–5, Thu. and first Fri. 9–9, Sun. noon–5 -
8. Old Salem Museums and Gardens
Old SalemFounded in 1766 as a backcountry trading center, Old Salem is one of the nation's most well-documented colonial sites. This living-history museum, a few blocks from downtown Winston-Salem, is filled with dozens of original and reconstructed buildings. Costumed guides demonstrate trades and household activities common in the late-18th- and early-19th-century Moravian communities, and an interactive audio tour tells the stories of the Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and European settlers that lived here. The preserved streets and buildings of the old town are still a functioning community that includes the campus of Salem College. Be sure to stop at Winkler Bakery, where you can buy bread, the pillowy, best-selling sugar cakes, and scrumptious Moravian ginger cookies, baked in traditional brick ovens. Don't miss "America's largest coffee pot," a 12-foot-tall vessel built by Julius Mickey in 1858 to advertise his tinsmith shop. After surviving two separate car collisions, it was moved to its present location at the edge of Old Salem in 1959.
900 Old Salem Rd., Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA336-721–7300Sight Details
Rate Includes: $27, includes admission to Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Museum closed Mon., although the town can be walked through any time of day, Tues.–Sat. 9:30–4:30, Sun. 1-4:30 -
9. Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Duke UniversityA wisteria-draped gazebo, the Carnivorous Plant Collection, and a Japanese garden with a lily pond teeming with fat goldfish are a few of the highlights of these 55 acres in Duke University's West Campus. More than 5 miles of pathways meander through formal plantings and woodlands. The Terrace Café serves lunch weekdays and brunch Saturday and Sunday seasonally.
420 Anderson St., Durham, North Carolina, 27708, USA919-684–3698Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 8–dusk -
10. Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden and Bog Garden
These two public gardens offer a relaxing retreat along a stream that runs between two busy roads. The Bicentennial Garden houses sculptures (including large-scale interactive wind chimes), a Sensory Garden, a pétanque court, and a reconstructed mill and waterwheel. The Bog Garden includes wooden walkways that meander over water and wetlands.
1105 Hobbs Rd., Greensboro, North Carolina, 27410, USA336-373–2199Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
11. The International Civil Rights Center and Museum
DowntownWith an unflinching eye, this museum documents the beauty and horror of America's civil rights movement of the 1960s. The star attraction is the actual Woolworth's lunch counter where countless African Americans staged sit-ins to protest segregation for more than six months in 1960. A guided tour shows viewers how this act of defiance spread to more than 50 cities throughout the South and helped finally bring segregation to an end. Other exhibits uncover the brutality of America's racism throughout the South. Many of the museum's graphic images of historical violence may be too intense for young eyes.
134 S. Elm St., Greensboro, North Carolina, 27401, USA336-274–9199Sight Details
Rate Includes: $15, Closed Sun., Oct.–Mar., Tues.–Sat. 10–6, Sun. 1–5, Apr.–Sept., Tues.–Thurs. 9–6 -
12. Ackland Art Museum
UniversityThe permanent holdings at this impressive museum include 19,000 works, with one of the Southeast's strongest collections of Asian art. There's an outstanding selection of drawings, prints, and photographs as well as Old Master paintings and sculptures. The museum hosts regular lunch panels, film forums, and guest lectures. Be sure to say hello to the museum's namesake, William Hayes Ackland, whose modernist tomb is on-site.
101 S. Columbia St., Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, USA919-966–5736Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun.--Tues. -
13. American Tobacco Campus
DowntownThis complex, adjacent to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, houses apartments, offices, a theater, bars, and restaurants in a series of beautifully refurbished warehouses left over from the city's cigarette-rolling past. Free summer concerts are staged on a central lawn, in the shadow of a Lucky Strike water tower, and the place comes alive with lights and decorations during the holidays. It's a great place to stroll around and take in the scenery. Despite the history, it's a nonsmoking development. Burt's Bees is also headquartered here, and you can tour Burt's intact original cabin, brought here from Maine. Don't miss the tucked-away bee mural behind the office building.
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14. Artspace
DowntownA nonprofit visual-arts center, Artspace offers open studios, where artists are happy to talk to you about their work. The gift shop showcases the work of the resident artists. The place bustles with visitors during the seasonal Stroll & Roll art walks, when galleries and museums throughout the city host public receptions to show off new work.
201 E. Davie St., Raleigh, North Carolina, 27601, USA919-821–2787Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5 suggested donation, Closed Sun. and Mon., Tues.–Sat. 10–6 -
15. Ava Gardner Museum
Located in the hometown of the legendary movie star, this museum has an extensive collection of memorabilia tracing Gardner's life, from childhood on the farm to her Hollywood glory days. It's about 30 miles southeast of Raleigh in downtown Smithfield.
325 E. Market St., Smithfield, North Carolina, 27577, USA919-934–5830Sight Details
Rate Includes: $12, Mon.–Sat. 9–5, Sun. 2–5 -
16. Carolina Basketball Museum
UniversityYou don't have to be a basketball fan to appreciate the passion and deep love for the game you'll encounter in Tar Heel country. This state-of-the-art museum features a film, artifacts, and interactive exhibits that celebrate some of the most famous Tar Heel coaches and players of all time, including Dean Smith, Roy Williams, and Michael Jordan.
450 Skipper Bowles Dr., Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, USA919-962--6000Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. -
17. Childress Vineyards
Modeled after an Italian villa, this stately winery provides both an atmosphere and a level of quality on par with vineyards in more lauded wine regions. Created by NASCAR driver and team owner Richard Childress, the winery offers more than 30 varieties, including its popular Reserve Chardonnay and Signature Meritage. Within its opulent 35,000-square-foot building, visitors can witness wine making firsthand or have lunch at the Bistro, which overlooks the vineyards.
1000 Childress Vineyards Rd., Lexington, North Carolina, 27295, USA336-236–9463 -
18. Duke Homestead
DowntownWashington Duke, patriarch of the now famous Duke family, moved into this house in 1852. It wasn't until he heard how the Union soldiers were enjoying smoking his tobacco that he decided to market his "golden weed." Explore the family's humble beginnings at this State Historic Site, which includes the first ramshackle "factory" as well as the world's largest spittoon collection. Guided tours demonstrate early manufacturing processes; the visitor center exhibits early tobacco advertising.
2828 Duke Homestead Rd., Durham, North Carolina, 27705, USA919-627--6990Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; guided tours $2, Closed Sun. and Mon., Tues.–Sat. 9–5 -
19. Duke University
Duke UniversityA stroll along the tree-lined streets of this campus, founded in 1924, is a lovely way to spend a few hours. Tours of the campus, known for its Georgian and Gothic revival architecture, are available during the academic year and can be arranged in advance.
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20. Durham Distillery
DowntownThis small craft distillery is racking up national and international awards for its Conniption American dry and navy-strength gins, as well as its cold-distilled cucumber vodka and Damn Fine Liqueurs made in collaboration with Raleigh’s Videri Chocolate and Slingshot Coffee Company. The intimate tasting room is open on the weekends for quick tastes and for more involved behind-the-scenes tours that give you a look at the unique two-step distillation process. Downstairs, the Corpse Reviver bar, with its velvety blue lounge seating, is a new hot spot for craft cocktails showing off the best iterations of the products made upstairs.
711 Washington St., Durham, North Carolina, 27701, USA919-937--2121Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10 for tours, Closed Sun.--Thurs.
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