Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for north carolina
For the Love of Blueberries
By Linda Tancs
Burgaw, North Carolina is a small town of 4000 or so inhabitants. So why does such a tiny hamlet attract nearly eight times its population during the annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival? Well, it is the state’s official ‘blue’ berry–and blueberry production got its start in this southeastern part of the state. But Burgaw also brims with historical delights in its downtown location. The old railroad station, for instance, is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Civil War Trail. Dating back to 1850, it is believed to be the oldest standing depot in North Carolina. Just decades older, the courthouse, a focal point for festival goers, is a mix of Georgian and Colonial architecture. And just west of town is Moore’s Creek Battlefield, an 86-acre site dedicated to the Revolutionary War battle of Moore’s Creek. So, for the love of blueberries, stop on by this Saturday.
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Home Furnishings Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
Furniture shoppers are well aware of High Point, North Carolina. The nation’s largest furniture store is there, along with 50 discounters. Not surprisingly, that’s where you’ll also find the World’s Largest Chest of Drawers, a roadside attraction. What you might not know is that you can explore High Point’s furniture heritage even further at the High Point Museum. The exhibit includes interactive elements, video, photographs, memorabilia, machinery and, of course, furniture.
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Asheboro’s Jurassic Park
By Linda Tancs
Dinosaur aficionados, take note. The North Carolina Zoo is offering a full complement of animatronic dinosaurs as part of a special exhibit running through October 2012. Now is your chance to experience Brachiosaurus, T-Rex, Dilophosaurus, Triceratops, Therizinosaurus and other amazing life-like dinosaurs in a deep forest full of ancient plants. For the best value, get the Combo Pass, which also includes admission to the Dino 4-D Theatre.
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Linking Greensboro With the World
By Linda Tancs
It’s only been two years since the International Civil Rights Center & Museum opened in Greensboro, North Carolina, but ICRCM has already garnered a stellar reputation for promoting an understanding of the struggles for social justice and equality in the United States and around the world. Visitors experience some of America’s landmark events, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Selma to Montgomery March, Freedom Summer, the Poor People’s Campaign and the March on Washington. Even the original Woolworth lunch counter is on display, memorializing the six-month long effort that successfully integrated the lunch counter in Greensboro during 1960. The counter retains its original footprint as the 1929 Woolworth building was preserved from demolition to act as an archival facility, housing the museum complex.
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Prettiest Small Town in North Carolina
By Linda Tancs
The locals crowned Blowing Rock the prettiest small town in North Carolina. At only three square miles, it’s also likely to have made the most use of its space, with more than 100 shops, about two dozen restaurants, and nearly 20 hotels and inns. The Blowing Rock is North Carolina’s oldest travel attraction since 1933. Your short scenic walk includes views of Grandfather Mountain (the highest point in the Blue Ridge), Table Rock, and Hawksbill. Another memorable attraction is Moses Cone Memorial Park, sporting 25 miles of preserved carriage trails and breathtaking views from Flat Top Mountain, winding through the estate that once belonged to “Denim King” Moses Cone and his wife. The kids will love Tweetsie Railroad, a Wild West family theme park featuring a three-mile, steam-powered train ride through the North Carolina mountains.
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The World’s Whistling Capital
By Linda Tancs
Do you whistle while you work–or work on your whistle? Whichever it is, you have plenty of company. The International Whistlers Convention takes place each year in Louisburg, North Carolina. Now in its 38th year, competitors come from around the world. This year’s event takes place from 6 to 10 April. If you tire of whistling, you can skydive at the local center. That will really give you something to whistle about.
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Pea Island Birdwatching
By Linda Tancs
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and neotropical migrants. Located on the north end of Hatteras Island, a coastal barrier island in North Carolina and part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks, the refuge is a diverse environment including ocean beach, dunes, upland, fresh and brackish water ponds, salt flats, and salt marsh. Loved by birders for its 365 species including threatened peregrine falcons, loggerhead sea turtles, and piping plovers, the area is also home to 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians. So this Mid-Atlantic refuge is more than for the birders.
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Blue Ridge Parkway Celebrates Milestone
By Linda Tancs
Did you know that the most heavily visited unit of the U.S. National Park Service is the Blue Ridge Parkway? Now in its 75th year, the longest roadway planned as a single unit winds through portions of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, providing panoramic views of mountain passes, waterfalls, forests and meadows. There are plenty of celebrations taking place to honor this natural resource, like traditional mountain music and dancing at Beacon Mill Village near Asheville, North Carolina. Or perhaps you’d like to bike through the Shenandoah Valley on a five-day tour with the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains as your backdrop! Enjoy the region’s rich heritage through a multitude of festivals celebrating food, culture and scenery. After all, it’s more than a road; it’s a way of life.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Let’s Go Fly a Kite
By Linda Tancs
What better way to soar into spring than to unfurl a kite. But where best to harness the wind? That’s easy. It’s the Outer Banks of North Carolina where Wilbur and Orville Wright flew into history. With near perfect wind conditions year round, it’s no wonder there’s a kite event in the region for every season. This weekend the season officially kicks off in celebration of National Kite Month with an event at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head from 10 am to 4 pm. This free, family fun gathering features general kite flying as well as stunt and power kite lessons.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Just Plane Art
By Linda Tancs
North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport might be better known for its snow-white rocking chairs in the atrium, but it’s art that’s at the heart of the airport’s enhancements for hassled travelers. Specifically, Just Plane (not plain!) Art is an exhibition of permanent and rotating exhibits highlighting local history. Take, for example, the 1/2 scale replica of the original Wright Flyer flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright on December 17, 1903–or the 15-foot-high bronze sculpture of Queen Charlotte in the airport’s Queen’s Courtyard, located in front of the terminal. The pre-Revolutionary War city is, after all, named after King George III’s wife. So enjoy the local lore and take some tedium out of travel.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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