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Mt. Airy along with Pilot Mountain (it looks like it has a wart on top of it) and Hanging Rock state parks. If your family likes scenic mountain hikes, there are a lot of options in western part of the state.
Richmond, VA is a nice getaway and King's Dominion nearby if you like theme parks.
Winston-Salem for Old Salem.
Do your kids like pirates? The Mariner's Museum in Beaufort has artifacts from the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's ship. Might be hard to find something oceanfront at this late date, but maybe a place to stay in Morehead City or New Bern?
Pinehurst Resort near Southern Pines. Less than two hours away, pools for the kids, tennis, free bikes, lots of room options (hotels to inns), close-in shopping at Pinehurst, then make an afternoon out to Southern Pines downtown.
Some good suggestions here! I just wanted to add that it depends on where you are going on the Outer Banks, but Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills are only about 3 hours away. Duck 3 1/2, Corolla 4. Hatteras and other southern beaches will be around 3 1/2-4 hours. But I wouldn't want to head that way this weekend. Pretty much any weekend after this one until early May it's much quieter at the OBX.
Mountains will also probably be very congested for this end of season (until October) weekend. Lots of people with travel trailers headed that way.
My suggestion would be West Virginia. From Raleigh to Bluefield, WV it's about 3 1/2 hours.
You could add another hour and go to the New River Gorge in Fayetteville, WV. The New River
Gorge area has the Endless Wall Trail, Rend Trail, Concho Point and of course the
New River Gorge Bridge and a lot of other outdoor activities too numerous to mention.
Sometimes I'll get lucky and catch a CSX freight in Thurmond, WV which is basically a
ghost town now but it still attracts a lot of people.
From Bluefield I like starting there and following the Pokey which is Norfolk Southern's
Pocahontas route. It is one sweet sound hearing those trains work so hard coming
up a mountain! West Virginia is a photographer's dream, you have a bit of everything.
I have never stayed there because all my West Virginia trips are day trips. The thing I love
about West Virginia is there is so much to do while at the same time there is nothing to do
depending on how you feel. Wherever you go be safe and have fun!
Thanks for the great suggestions. Narrowing it down further:
POTENTIAL
-- Asheboro Zoo
-- Virginia Safari Park (is it worth it? next to a large National Forest are there other things to stay overnight for?)
-- Pinehurst Resort/Southern Pines (sounds like a good idea, is there much to do if we're not into golf?)
-- Mt Airy/Pilot Mountain (sounds interesting, can one actually drive up the mountain to take in views?)
OUT
-- Beaches are out due to congestion and we've been there many times already
-- DC and Atlanta too big too much to do
-- CLT/Great Wolf Lodge went there a few months back for a business trip while family stayed at Great Wolf Lodge
-- Mountains maybe but went there last year for wedding near Boone and visited Tweetsie Railroad
-- Williamsburg/Busch Gardens went there for the Christmas Town last year
Hard to make a whole holiday weekend out of Pilot Mountain itself, but nearby is also Hanging Rock and the Dan River. Mount Airy has a brewery and some shops. Tubing is popular on the Dan. We did a fun zipline place up that way a while back. You’re also not all that far from Meadows of Dan and Mabry Mill in Virginia (on the Blue Ridge Parkway)
Hard to make a whole holiday weekend out of Pilot Mountain itself, but nearby is also Hanging Rock and the Dan River. Mount Airy has a brewery and some shops. Tubing is popular on the Dan. We did a fun zipline place up that way a while back. You’re also not all that far from Meadows of Dan and Mabry Mill in Virginia (on the Blue Ridge Parkway)
Is Mt. Airy/Pilot Mountain worth a day trip then? Looks to be about 2 hours from here.
Either that or Asheboro Zoo....decisions decisions.
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