North Carolina Places to Visit

Elk Knob State Park

(Temporarily Closed) 

Crowned by on the state's highest peaks, Elk Knob State Park also features one of the state system's finest trails.

Eno River State Park

Eno River State Park—like its namesake—flows near urban areas of Durham and Orange counties with five scattered access areas, each just minutes from Durham and Chapel Hill.

Falls Lake State Recreation Area

(Temporarily Closed)

A collective of seven access areas scattered around the shoreline of an undeveloped, 12,000-acre reservoir just minutes from Raleigh and Durham.

Fort Dobbs

A frontier fort during the French and Indian War and North Carolina's only site from the period. Rental Options

Fort Fisher

A Civil War fort that tells story of the fall of Wilmington during the Civil War and served as a World War II training facility. Rental Options

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area offers visitors the opportunity to alternate between nearly six miles of pristine beach and trails through salt marsh brimming with wildlife.

Fort Macon State Park

A park with multiple personalities, featuring a perfectly restored Civil War-era fort, museum-quality coastal education center and unspoiled shoreline for swimming, surf fishing and beachcombing.

Goose Creek State Park

Eight miles of trails at Goose Creek State Park lead visitors through a broad range of coastal experiences including live oaks draped in Spanish moss a cypress swamp.

Gorges State Park

(Temporarily Closed) 

Backcountry-style recreation is a hallmark of Gorges State Park with distance hiking, backpack camping, trout fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding all available.

Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace

The birthplace of North Carolina’s education governor. Rental Options

Governor Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace

(Temporarily Closed)

A representation of 19th century frontier life and the birthplace of one of North Carolina’s most famous governors. Rental Options

Grandfather Mountain State Park

(Temporarily Closed) 

An icon in North Carolina’s landscape for generations, Grandfather Mountain offers stunning scenery, challenging hiking and backpacking and unmatched ecological diversity.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

A regional history museum that tells the story of thousands of shipwrecks that dot the North Carolina coast.

Hammocks Beach State Park

A crown jewel of the North Carolina coast,  Hammocks Beach State Park includes a three-mile-long, undeveloped barrier island accessible by ferry by paddling.

Hanging Rock State Park

Fish, swim, paddle, rock climb and hike in the shadow of the Sauratown Mountains, North Carolina's most easterly range.