Top 10 Vacation Spots in North Carolina

This artsy mountain city offers hiking along the nearby Appalachian Trail, or a visit to the magnificent Biltmore Estate, where you'll find the largest private residence in the U.S. as well as an outstanding winery. You can spend days exploring the funky and hip shops, restaurants, bars and theaters of the city, or settle into a nearby cabin to take in the mountain air.

Learn some U.S. geography--and history--on the thin line of islands that stretches along the coast of North Carolina, where you'll find pristine beaches and family-friendly activities. In the northern part of the Outer Banks, from Duck through Nags Head down to Avon, is the location of the first (ultimately unsuccessful) English settlement of Roanoke Island; perfect weather for sailing, surfing or windsurfing and plenty of great golf courses.

Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke Island are only reachable by ferry or a very long drive, but the wild, undeveloped area is worth the time it takes to get there. From funky beach dive restaurants to long stretches of untouched coastline, the southern Outer Banks are the perfect location for a romantic getaway or a vacation with the whole family.

Sprawling across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited park in America, and when you drive into the mountains, you'll understand why. Stay in one of the towns nestled therein, like Bryson City, or nearby Maggie Valley, and take advantage of all the area has to offer, like whitewater rafting, hiking and shopping in the quaint mountain towns.

Pisgah National Forest is also known as "the Land of the Waterfalls," a nickname you won't question after exploring Looking Glass Falls, Hooker Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Mountain towns nearby do have their charms, but the real star of this area is the natural beauty at wonders like Table Rock, Lake James and Mount Mitchell.

Wilmington has become known as much for its movie and TV industry as for its storied history. You can take tours of sites around Dawson's Creek, made famous by the popular TV show, as easily as you can of the historic battleship USS North Carolina, just across the Cape Fear River. The quaint riverfront downtown offers great restaurants, upscale shops and historical buildings and homes stretching back to pre-Revolutionary times.

Just north of the South Carolina line, you'll find some of the most popular beaches and coastal towns in North Carolina. From Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure Beaches near Wilmington; to the charming, historical Southport; and down into Sunset, Ocean Isle and Holden Beaches, you'll find friendly people, pretty stretches of coastline and great accommodations on the state's southernmost coast.

From Carowinds theme and amusement park to Lowe's Motor Speedway, you'll find all sorts of entertainment options in and around North Carolina's largest city. Catch a Sunday afternoon Panthers game, spend a day shopping and eating in SouthPark, check out some of the many art, history and cultural museums or head down to Quail Hollow Golf Course for some championship action.

Catch one of the great college sports rivalry games here at Duke, UNC Chapel Hill or N.C. State, or spend the day exploring the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. There are many great golf courses in the area that you can play most of the year, but there's also history and culture to be explored in small cities like Durham, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Chapel Hill.

For the top golf destination in North Carolina, head to Pinehurst, and the surrounding towns like Southern Pines and Aberdeen. This area calls itself the "Home of American Golf," and after spending a day there, you'll understand why, with the abundance of courses, golf stores and restaurants and bars that cater to golf travelers.