6 Best Sights in The North Carolina Coast, North Carolina

One of the most popular photo sites on the Outer Banks is the 60-foot granite airplane's tail that pays tribute to Wilbur and Orville Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio who took to the air here on December 17, 1903. A sculptured replica of their WrightFlyer and stone markers showing the exact points and distances soared help you experience the historic day humans first made powered flight—and the multiyear, trial-and-error process the perseverant brothers endured leading up to it. Informative talks by National Park Service rangers also help bring the event to life. The museum and visitor center uses historical artifacts, reproductions, and displays to dive into the lives, legends, and flight process of the brothers.

In honor of the soda's 100th anniversary in 1998, the local bottling company opened the Birthplace in the same corner store where teacher-turned-pharmacist Caleb Bradham brewed his first batch of "Brad's Drink." He later renamed it Pepsi-Cola, marketing the syrup to other soda fountains, and a conglomerate was born. This old-fashioned shop feels like a museum, with its reproduction of Bradham's fountain and exhibits of memorabilia, including the original recipe that included coriander, nutmeg, and a half gallon of alcohol. Enjoy an ice-cold bottle of Pepsi while roaming the gift shop, full of Pepsi history and souvenirs ranging from T-shirts to thimbles.

About 10 miles north of Southport, you can explore the ruins and excavations of a colonial town and see the Civil War earthworks of Fort Anderson. The visitor center has a video presentation and a museum of historical items found at the site. Living-history events with costumed interpreters range from Civil War reenactments to colonial-era cooking demonstrations. It's also a great spot for a picnic.

This restored lifesaving station is now a museum that tells the story of the brave people who manned 29 stations that once lined the Outer Banks. These were the precursors to today's Coast Guard, with staff who rescued people and animals from seacraft in distress. Eight incredibly well-preserved buildings (given the frequency of hurricanes here) on 7 acres include a cookhouse, bathhouse, stables, workshop, and the original 1874 lifesaving station. You'll see original equipment and tools, artifacts, and exhibits. A 1907 cottage moved to the site portrays 19th- and early-20th-century life along the Outer Banks. Just across the street, there's a pirate-themed playground for once children tire of all the history. "Chicamacomico" is an Algonquin word meaning "land of shifting sands."

Fort Raleigh is a restoration of the original 1584–90 earthworks that mark the beginning of English-colonial history in America. The site has been identified as the original site of the doomed Lost Colonists, and the question that hangs in the air here is "What happened to the 117 men, women, and children of the 1587 expedition who disappeared without a trace?" A nature trail through the 513-acre grounds leads to an outlook over Croatan Sound. Native American and Civil War history is also preserved here.

This former plantation—one of the country's largest—once claimed 100,000 acres along Lake Phelps, producing rice, corn, oats, peas, beans, and flax. Its sophisticated sawmills handled thousands of feet of lumber from 1785 to 1865. The 800 enslaved people who were forced to live and work here throughout the plantation's 80 years planted and harvested crops and worked as carpenters, brickmasons, cobblers, and weavers. The site, which originally consisted of more than 50 buildings, has nine original 19th-century buildings, and four others have been reconstructed, including slave quarters. The huge grand trees around the grounds plus its out-of-the-way location make it a quiet place for reflection.

A raised boardwalk trail connects Somerset Place to Pettigrew State Park, which has a campground, a boat ramp, and a fishing dock. At 16,600 acres, Lake Phelps is the state's second-largest lake. Thirty submerged dugout canoes were discovered in the 1980s, the oldest dating back 4,400 years. Two canoes are displayed at the visitor center.