We are planning a trip to North Carolina early next year. We are flying from the UK. Which airport would be best to fly in to? We want to visit the Rocky Mountains and the beaches. Which international airport is nearer to the main beaches? Also can anyone recommend a beach area to stay. We like it lively with bars and restaurants.

For direct flights, Charlotte is likely your best bet. That would put you about 3.5 hours from anywhere from Wilmington to Charleston, SC (on the beach-side). I would recommend looking into the Brunswick Islands in NC. You'll be closer than that to the Mts. - Boone & Asheville are 2 hours or so away. I would make time for the Blue Ridge Parkway, Chimney Rock & NC Wineries as well. The time of year you plan to travel may also impact some things. May/early June or October would be ideal times to hit both locales (IMHO). Lots of info already on here once you get to specifics & btw, we have the Smoky Mts., the Rockies are way out West.

Yes, be careful you aren't thinking the Rocky Mountains are in NC - we have nice mountains here, but nothing like out west.

For nonstop flights, Charlotte and Raleigh are your only options with Raleigh being closer to the beaches and Charlotte closer to the mountains. Charlotte will offer more flight options.

When you say early next year, how early? Most NC beaches will be cold and pretty desolate well into March. I think you need to get into May before you have a chance for beach-type weather, and even then it can be iffy. South Carolina beaches will be a bit warmer, and about the same distance from Charlotte.

The mountains of North Carolina are in the western portions of that state and they are called the Smokey Mountains. The North Carolina beaches are at the eastern portion of the state and will be pretty cold until April. The ocean water will be unswimmable until May at the earliest. I would recommend not taking a vacation to North Carolina until April at the earliest with mid-to-late May being ideal(temperatures are not too hot, the humidity is not so oppressive and yet the water is warm enough to swim in).

Charlotte is the major airport of the state yet is very far from the beaches and moderately far away from the Smokey Mountains. Raleigh is about two hours from the beaches but I do not think takes international flights. On the east coast, Wilmington, Greenville and Jacksonville have small airports.

(OK here we go again, with the Charlotte advocates dismissing the rest of the state as uncivilized and unconnected. ;-) )

Charlotte is about 2 hrs. closer to Asheville (2 hr. drive) and the southern region of the Blue Ridge Mtns.(of which the Great Smoky's are part) than Raleigh is (4 hrs.). But Raleigh is about 2 hrs. closer to Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach (2 hr. drive) - the nearest beach area to either city.

The beautiful Outer Banks are quite a bit further, no matter where you start, but I'm guessing Wrightsville might meet your needs - or possibly Myrtle Beach, which is about 15 minutes closer to Charlotte than it is to Raleigh.

Moreover, RDU has a nonstop American Air flight daily to/from Heathrow -- and otherwise has plenty of flights to other cities, so if you fly into any hub on the east (NY, DC, Atlanta, etc.) you can easily connect. (There are also small commuter flights from Raleigh to Wilmington, but why not drive?)

I believe you can fly nonstop between Gatwick and Charlotte on USAir (United codeshare?), and maybe there are other non-stops between UK and Charlotte.

However, it isn't the size of the airport so much as what meets your needs. I would take guidance from your schedule and fare preferences and fly into EITHER Charlotte OR Raleigh. You'll do fine either way -- although I also suggest you go to GoogleMaps for an orientation/mapping of the state for distances.

(Comments about time of year are relevant, as well.)

I've been to the Rocky Mountains, the most convenient airport for me is Denver.

;-)

BigRuss: Not SLC? Pocatello? Jackson?

Thanks folks for the replies. Silly me, I meant the Smokey Mountains not the Rocky Mountains. We have actually been to the Smokey Mountains from the Gatlinberg side. Doh!!
Anyway considering all your advice we have decided to fly into Washington and to drive down the coast, as we live in the North of England and will be flying from Manchester. Flights dont appear to leave Manchester for anywhere in N. Carolina. It should be an adventure and we have 3 weeks.
Also we will leave it until mid-late May as it sounds like the weather will be warmer.Thanks again.

I think you have a good solution for a direct flight, and a nice drive. And that will be a nice amount of time for the trip. I would go all the way to charleston and then up to the mountains maybe for a round trip back to DC.
My former boss was from Manchester. Great accent y'all have!!

I just got in on this thread....your plan of driving down the coast sounds more feasible but you'll need to allow plenty of time. There is lots going on in Washington, plus I like the airport there. The beaches around Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Manteo (NC) are very nice but quiet. I really like that area. You could continue on down the Outer Banks on Hwy 12 to Hatteras and Ocracoke, then take the car ferry (2.5 hrs) very pleasurable on to Beaufort/Morehead city, Atlantic Beach area (still in NC) then take Hwy 24 down to Myrtle Beach (SC) which is very lively and touristy then continue on to Charleston SC (very quaint and historic).

The Outer Banks is a lovely area, but really really--it is 'way 'way "out there". It takes a long time to get there, and by the same token, a LONG time to get back. Case in point, it is a constant 8 hour drive to go from Nags Head to Myrtle Beach, as an example.
The NC and SC beaches are really lovely and worth a stop for sure, without perhaps going all the way to OBX. Just another opinion.

I believe the Swan Quarter-Ocracoke and the Ocracoke-Hatteras ferries require reservations and cost something like twenty bucks.

Welcome to North Carolina,marly. There are a number of forum regulars who live in NC, many have already posted to this thread. I imagine most of us would love to help you with your trip plans because we love to show off our beautiful state.

I highly recommend a stop in Winston Salem if your route includes I-40W to the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains. te historical center is a lovely place to stop for lunch and a walking tour. We also have the Reynolds estate which has many shops and restaurants and a gorgeous garden area. If you do decide to come our way and enjoy wineries, let me know. We are very proud of the Yadkin Valley wines.

Another option for your Manchester flight would be Atlanta. It's 198 from Atlanta to Asheville and 278 miles from Washington to Nags Head. The distances in between within NC remain the same

That gives you another airport option. You could always circle back via Charleston or Savannah which may be of interest.

The last weekend in May is our Memorial Day holiday, a three day weekend that is the equivalent of your May Bank Holiday. You do not want to arrive in Washington or Atlanta on the Friday, because everyone will be trying to get out of town at once. Saturday is fine. If you come on Friday, just spend the night at an airport hotel and see the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles.

NW of Dulles is the Virginia Hunt Country, where we still have fox hunting (!), SW is the Virginia Wine Country, which looks a lot like Chianti if you stick to the byways, but the wine isn't nearly as good.

If you haven't been to Thos Jefferson's house at Monticello, outside Charlottesville, this is a good time to do it. He was an interesting man, and the guides do a good job of dealing with his many anomalies.

You can take US 29, a dual carriageway highway at the foot of the eastern slope of the mountains, which is a nice compromise between the high speeds of Interstate 81 and the scenic but slow Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway. US 11 serves a similar role on the west side of the mountains, and it is very easy to bounce around among the four roads as you find places of interest you want to see. Eventually, I-81 will take you to I-77, and that will cross I-40 at Statesville. I-40 is the road to Asheville and the Smokies.

I-26 will take you to Charleston relatively quickly, but I would encourage you to spend more time in the mountains of Western North Carolina -- towns like Sylva, Cashiers, Highlands, before dipping down into South Carolina and connecting to Scenic Highway 11, east to Greenville, where you can join I-26. Downtown Greenville has reconstructed itself as a dining and entertainment center and would make a nice overnight.

You have good advice on Eastern North Carolina and the North Carolina beaches. The area around Winston Salem (see Old Salem if you get a chance) is moderately interesting, and Chapel Hill, seat of the University of North Carolina, has great charm and beautiful girls.

Myrtle Beach is like Blackpool without the Illuminations.

Have a wonderful time! If you like to drive, you are going to see a lot.

As you get closer to your trip, I would be happy to help with more information.

I live in Kitty Hawk and usually recommend my guests fly in to ORF Norfolk VA international airport. It is only 1 1/2 hrs from the Outer Banks. Maybe you could start your trip on the east coast and head west? NC is incredibly diverse and beautiful from end to end. You have chosen a beautiful state.

Also it is the Smoky Mountains and not Smokey.