We’re new to the state but we are looking forward to exploring more of this state. There’s three distinct regions: the beaches, the Piedmont, and the mountains. We’ve only visited Charlotte, Asheville, and Raleigh but the beaches are definitely on our to-do list especially Kitty Hawk, where the Orville brothers had their first flight.
We are looking forward to exploring more of the mountains and driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Grandfather Mountain has a swing bridge that you must buy tickets to walk across. We plan to visit some waterfalls, including Whitewater Falls. We spent a day in The Highlands and went to Dry Falls this past winter. We are excited to tour Sliding Rock and even attempt white water rafting near Boone.
Barbecue is certainly a must in the state, and we plan to eat our way through as many restaurants as possible. Train travel is also available in NC, and we’ve identified two lines we want to explore. One is the train between Raleigh and Charlotte and another that goes through the Great Smoky Mountains near the Tennessee-North Carolina border.
What surprised us was the Biltmore wasn’t featured on the cup, nor is there a cup specific to the old Vanderbilt mansion. The Biltmore house seems to be on the top of most tourists’ lists (at least the people I talk too), and it’s in near Asheville — a cool, eclectic town in the Blue Ridge mountains.