Must-SeeBiltmore Estate
North Carolina
America's largest private home, George Vanderbilt's 250-room French-style chateau in the Blue Ridge Mountains, near Asheville.
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North Carolina
8 places and 55 sights on our lists.
Places in North Carolina
Must-See
Must-See
Must-SeeGreat Smoky Mountains
North Carolina and Tennessee
America's most visited national park: misty ridges and old-growth forest.
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Worth a Detour
Worth a DetourAsheville
North Carolina
An arty mountain city with Art Deco streets, excellent breweries, live street music and the Biltmore Estate next door.
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Worth a DetourBlue Ridge Parkway
Virginia and North Carolina
America's favorite drive: 469 miles of mountain views along the crest of the Appalachians, without a stoplight or a billboard.
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Worth a DetourOuter Banks
North Carolina
A 120-mile chain of barrier islands, from the Wright brothers' dunes down to the shipwreck museum, the free ferry and sandy old Ocracoke.
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If You're Nearby
If You're NearbyCharlotte
North Carolina
A banking city with the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
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If You're NearbyRaleigh and Durham
North Carolina
North Carolina's Research Triangle: free state museums in Raleigh and Duke University's gardens and chapel in Durham.
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If You're NearbyWilmington and Cape Fear
North Carolina
A handsome port on the Cape Fear River, with a battleship, a Riverwalk and beaches just over the bridge.
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