North Carolina vacation questions
 

We're considering visiting NC the end of May for the Nascar race at Lowe's/Charlotte area. We would like to spend a total of 7-10 days in NC - could you suggest a general itinerary? Should we visit the mountains area, shore area, or both? We're aren't familiar with the area at all, so any help would be much appreciated to start our planning.

http://www.visitnc.com/

All you need to know to get started.

Curious

Where is your point of origin? Are you flying or driving? Any particular interests (besides racing)? You may want to stop off in Lexington, NC and visit Richard Childress' new winery (on site restaurant is good) .

South Carolina beaches are closer to Charlotte than North Carolina beaches.

You would enjoy one of the Charleston Beaches.

PS. We refer to it as beach, not shore:-D

What kinds of things are you interested in doing? What kinds of beaches do you like? Boardwalk and activities or quiet and residential? As far as mountains - hiking, sight seeing, shopping?

We would fly in from Minneapolis/rent a car. We enjoying sightseeing, local shopping & restaurants, historical sites, scenic drives, art/craft shows - just about anything different than our little corner of the world! We prefer just walking (as opposed to hiking), and aren't into water sports. We love to take walks along the beach & explore whatever an area has to offer. I'd like to hear what other people have enjoyed, rather than just rely on a tourism site.
Thanks for any help offered!

From Charlotte you are about 2 hrs from Asheville,NC. You can go by way of Hickory and explore all the furniture markets, drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway which would be beautiful that time of year, stop at the Folk Art Center and then spend some time in Asheville. I would recommend the Biltmore House and downtown Asheville. Maybe spend a couple of nights in Asheville. You could then or alternatively head down to the beaches around Charleston and spend a few nights down there. Charleston is a little over 4 hrs from Asheville. Very historic, walking or buggy tours, beaches nearby....On the way down 26 from Asheville you could stop for lunch in Asheville and visit Congaree Swamp which is like something out of the prehistoric age or the State Museum in downtown Columbia.

I'd suggest you might like Wilmington, NC. It's about 4 hours from Charlotte,has a wonderful beach and a very nice historic district. The other choice for the beach would be Charleston--the ultimate walking historical city, nice beaches nearby, great seafood and dining. About 3+ hours from Charlotte. May is a GREAT time to go to the beach. I assume you will be travelling AFTER the race?

Roughly an hour and a half from Charlotte (come straight up 85N to 52N) will bring you to Old Salem in Winston Salem. It is an absolutely exceptional historical area and well worth a drive up.
If you remember the old Andy Griffith Show from the 50's and 60's, you might enjoy a visit to Mt. Airy, NC. It was Andy's home till he was about 18 and there are many connections to the show in the town. There are some excellent wineries (particularly Shelton) nearby.
GoTravel and Leahinsc have suggested two excellent cities well worth a visit, Charleston and Asheville. I also love Wilmington, suggested by Gretchen. Looks like plenty to keep you busy during your visit. Y'all come on down, it is lovely here in May.

Since you enjoy walking, the NC Zoo in Asheboro would be a good way to spend one of your days. It’s about an hour N.E of Charlotte. NC hwy 49 can take you to Asheboro, and then follow the signs.

Trust me, this isn’t a typical zoo and is practically “made” for walking. Anybody that has tried to cover the distance from the N. America part to Africa and back can tell you. The Zoo is very picturesque and many of the animals are in huge natural looking habitats. The weather should be in the 80’s at the end of May but the walking trails are heavily wooded and shady. The zoo and the Asheboro area in general is part of an ancient worn mountain range called the Uwharries so the land is quite hilly and pretty. Just take your walking shoes.

There is a strip in Asheboro (US 64) which has many restaurants you can try. I always like the Friendly’s restaurant for casual dining (and the ice cream is good too).

Lots of good options suggested by others. I really don't think you could go wrong with either. I really like Wilmington a lot, but I would chose Charleston instead for a memorable coastal experience (wonderful place to visit) or the Asheville area, depending on whether you want mountains or beach more. I know I always missed the beach the most when I lived in the Midwest, but that's just me. Charleston offers tons of history, nice peaceful beaches, beautiful old areas for walking, great food, plantations, and shopping. Asheville has the Biltmore House and winery, gardens, waterfalls nearby (many accessible without long walks), and of course the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway.

There are many beaches in the Wilmington area. Wrightsville. Carolina. Kure. Topsail. Sunset.

If you've never visited the race shops around the Charlotte area, that can be a fun day or two of free entertainment. www.raceshops.com has listings and maps to all the race shops, hours they are open, what exactly there is to see. On Mondays you can often run into drivers or team members at the shops. The Roush complex is close to the Speedway adjacent to the Concord airport. You can visit the team shops, and they also have a really nice museum / retail shop. Hendrick and Ganassi are nearby, and others are further out.

If you go to the Asheville area, I think you'd enjoy driving around Lake Lure and visiting Chimey Rock. From the Asheville area you can take the Blue Ridge Parkway south to the Smoky Mountains, or north toward the NC High Country and towns of Boone & Blowing Rock. Linville Falls is just off the Parkway in that area and it's beautiful.

If you need more race-related travel info, just let me know. Leave a message here or email me -- [email protected].

All good suggestions. However, in NC we go to the COAST, not the shore.

From Charlotte, it's easier to get to the mountains (and I think everyone calls them mountains). Take 74 west to I-26. Also in Asheville is the recently reopened Thomas Wolfe home. Near Asheville is the Carl Sanberg home, you'll do some uphill walking there. Also I'll give a second to the Folk Art Center. The Blue Ridge Parkway shouldn't be missed.

If you like tacky, we've got you covered in either direction. In the mountains is the tacky town of Cherokee. In addition to the tacky tourist desitnations is the non-tacky, quite nice Cherokee museum there. Lose some money in the slots, and then head into the Great Smoky Mtn. NP. If you end up going to the coast/beach/shore, there is the world famous "South of the Border." on I-95 just south of the NC border. Pedro says stop there. Whether or not you will depends on how much you like tacky, tourist traps.

WOW! Thanks to everyone who responded with all the GREAT ideas! It's given us a good base to start planning on; it all sounds so fun!
Another question, just to educate myself, and no offense to my being corrected: What is the difference between the beach, the coast, and the "shore" (as in seashore)?

I would visit Charleston (great historic district & restaurants) for 3-4 days and Asheville for 2-3 days (Biltmore & mountains). In May the ocean temperatures may be cool to cold.