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I have been to the Outer Banks a sleu of times and have traveled through the state on I-95 and have visited Asheville rather briefly and from all of that I can't say as though I've gotten a true feel for the state as in actuality my experience there is quite limited truely.
That is what brings me to the question, what places should I visit in NC to get a good feel for it as a whole. In short, I have always liked my visits to NC all be them somewhat limited and enjoy aspects of the South and am considering relocating with NC as one of my choices. This may be nonsensical but I have visited the ****.com website and most of the spots recommened to me were in NC. The top spot was Hickory and so that would be once of the places on my list. NC interests me as I am a teacher and teachers seem to be needed and the warmer, more temperate year round climate and ofcourse the cost of living, particularly when it comes to real estate. Granted I don't have my wife sold on the South yet even though we visited TN last year and she was not totally impressed and either was I for that matter, not that it was bad but I think I was expecting more but then again it was somewhat of a whirlwind trip in general.
So basically, what spots (say 3 maybe as a figure to throw out there) should I visit to get a good feel for NC and more importantly, what should we do or see while there. We have a 7 y/o daughter so things that are kid friendly are right up our alley not that we don't have interests also (fishing when it comes to me...other things for my wife, maybe more so like malls, cool restaurants, etc, nice spots, calm and safe, but with things to do.) I could just drive aimlessly through the state or pick a few big cities out and hit them while driving through little towns but my wife and daughter are tired of riding in the car all day. I don't know what places are no brainer visits and what things to do are no brainers that I should definitely not be missing. I need to pull it all together well so as I can sell it to my wife. I know she likes aspects of it but hasn't traveled a whole lot and she is stuck on vacationing in Maine but I know that she could like the South. Basically, we are thinking about relocating from PA to NH or NC and trying to decide between the two.
I'm sorry for my rambling. I love talking relocating.
Thanks!
You should be able to get a pretty good overall feel for the state by visiting all of the regions. Each region has its own uniqueness. If I had to limit my visit to just three metropolitan areas, I would do Wilmington, Charlotte and Asheville. Those areas would cover each region. Once you decide on a specific region, you may want to expand your search to that region for later visits.
wow there is so many in the state as a whole and it a good 10 to 12 hours from one end of the state to the other lol
Do you know which region you will be exploring?
Mountains
Waterfalls
Tweetsie Railroad for the little one
Sliding Rock a little scary in my opinion but fun and cold
Underground Caverns
Grandfather Mountain
Blue Ridge Parkway
Biltmore Estates (but tickets are pricey)
Piedmont
Wet & Wild Water park Greensboro
Old Salem (Moravian Village ) Winston Salem
Reynolda House A beautiful Reynolds home with alot of classic art (Winston Salem)
Raliegh the goverment buildings and governors mansion.
Duke Campus
Charlotte
Disovery Place a great interactive science exploration
ImaginOn Interactive childrens museum and library.
Ray's Splash Planet water park
White Water park
Concord
Lowes Motor Speedway
Concord Mills a entertainment mall with lots of outlet shopping, interactive games and a Bass Pro Shop for you to escape from the wife lol
Hey Sunny, how about the zoo in Ashboro. If I were in your shoes I'd take a look at Moore County. A bit hot in the summer for my liking but I read a lot of good things about the schools and it is centrally located. You could head to the beach one weekend and go camping in the mountains the next. Personally, I like the Hickory location the best but don't know about the school system.
I have been to the Outer Banks a sleu of times and have traveled through the state on I-95 and have visited Asheville rather briefly and from all of that I can't say as though I've gotten a true feel for the state as in actuality my experience there is quite limited truely.
That is what brings me to the question, what places should I visit in NC to get a good feel for it as a whole. In short, I have always liked my visits to NC all be them somewhat limited and enjoy aspects of the South and am considering relocating with NC as one of my choices. This may be nonsensical but I have visited the ****.com website and most of the spots recommened to me were in NC. The top spot was Hickory and so that would be once of the places on my list. NC interests me as I am a teacher and teachers seem to be needed and the warmer, more temperate year round climate and ofcourse the cost of living, particularly when it comes to real estate. Granted I don't have my wife sold on the South yet even though we visited TN last year and she was not totally impressed and either was I for that matter, not that it was bad but I think I was expecting more but then again it was somewhat of a whirlwind trip in general.
So basically, what spots (say 3 maybe as a figure to throw out there) should I visit to get a good feel for NC and more importantly, what should we do or see while there. We have a 7 y/o daughter so things that are kid friendly are right up our alley not that we don't have interests also (fishing when it comes to me...other things for my wife, maybe more so like malls, cool restaurants, etc, nice spots, calm and safe, but with things to do.) I could just drive aimlessly through the state or pick a few big cities out and hit them while driving through little towns but my wife and daughter are tired of riding in the car all day. I don't know what places are no brainer visits and what things to do are no brainers that I should definitely not be missing. I need to pull it all together well so as I can sell it to my wife. I know she likes aspects of it but hasn't traveled a whole lot and she is stuck on vacationing in Maine but I know that she could like the South. Basically, we are thinking about relocating from PA to NH or NC and trying to decide between the two.
I'm sorry for my rambling. I love talking relocating.
Thanks!
I grew up on the Mass. New Hampshire border. Spent 43 years there. Great place to raise a family, hour to the ocean, hour and a half to the mountains, Boston is 45 minutes. Lots to do. BUT the weather is tough to take. After 35 years there I decided to look elsewhere. I lived in Florida for 8 months and did not like it. NC on the other hand has 4 seasons, lots to do and a short winter. In New England the cold dark days start in late Nov. and linger into late April. It never bothered me when I was young, but it got old later on. NC has some great areas where alot of Northerners have relocated to. Good Luck.
Visit the area west of Asheville. Haywood County is great because it is close enough to Asheville, but still not too expensive yet (but not for long!) I grew up in Northern NH it is hard to beat the weather in NC.
If a small town appeals to you maybe you should consider Morganton. It's located in the foothills of western North Carolina about 60 miles east of Asheville and 15 miles west of Hickory. It has a beautiful downtown area, the locals are friendly and good schools. Morganton is located in Burke County, you can check out the Burke County Chamber of Commerce for more information.
Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach! Move here from Boston several years ago and love it.
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NH vs. NC
