The 31st state we visited on our road trip was North Carolina from mid-February to early March.
Normally we’d have spent 5 weeks or so in a state the size of NC, but with us speeding things up on the road trip (see here for more about that), we reduced our time there to 3.5 weeks so that we have time for more states throughout 2023. We also used to live in Virginia and had visited North Carolina several times before we set off on our road trip on January 1, 2018, so that was another reason we decided not to extend our time there
Whenever we complete a state, Shae and I always share our favorite and not-so-favorite things from our time there, so here’s our best and worst things from North Carolina.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – Although the Candlewood Suites we stayed at in Asheville was the nicest Candlewood Suites we’ve ever stayed at (I wrote a review of it over on Frequent Miler) and the Hyatt House we stayed at in Raleigh/Durham was also nice, I’d have to pick this Airbnb we stayed at in Wilmington. It was a two bedroom, two bathroom house and so we had plenty of space. It was quiet, plus there was a small fenced in backyard for Truffles to chase after her ball in.
Shae – I always love a Hyatt House but I have to agree that I enjoyed the Airbnb in Wilmington too. My mom and I also stayed in Wilmington in September when Stephen was away on 3 Cards 3 Continents and if we’d had a better experience with service I’d have chosen that accommodation. Its location was fantastic, right by the river and close to all the fun downtown, and the space itself was great. But we had issues with the internet, the fire alarm and blinds fell (the blinds hit me in the head as they fell) and we couldn’t get any real help from Vacasa who we’d booked with.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – This is a tough one. The pulled pork sandwich and fries I got from Foothills Food Truck at Hi-Wire Brewing was delicious – possibly the best food truck food I’ve ever eaten. However, I think I liked my lunch at Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ a little more. Both of these were in Asheville, so Asheville wins for dining regardless.
Shae – My favorite was definitely the Bear Attack from Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ. An honorable mention for amazing drinks is One Jumbo in Asheville and get the salt and pepper pistachios. You won’t be sorry!
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – We didn’t eat out a ton in North Carolina and the food we did get was all excellent. I’ll therefore vote for the drinks we had at Palate in Wilmington instead. My beer wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anywhere near as good as at Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, plus Palate just had a bit of a weird vibe.
Shae – I didn’t have a disappointing meal.
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – Wandering around downtown Wilmington as it’s so cute there, although I also really liked the hikes we did in Dupont State Recreational Forest and it was great to see Bryn and Zak again.
Shae – For me it was learning all about the history – it’s a tie between going to different sites and learning more about the Wilmington Coup in Wilmington and the Greensboro History Museum which had a great exhibit on democracy and voting.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – Easily the Battleship North Carolina. One of the best and most interesting paid activities we’ve done on the road trip so far.
Shae – I have to agree that it was the Battleship North Carolina for me too.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – End of Days Distillery in Wilmington. They’re pet-friendly inside and out.
Shae – I feel bad just agreeing with Stephen, but I’d have to say End of Days too. It was cute, great drinks and Truffles loved the attention she got.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – Having a severe bout of food poisoning which delayed our arrival in North Carolina by a few days. Also, making a special diversion to a dog park we’d seen a sign for on the Interstate so that Truffles could stretch her legs on a moving day, only to find it closed.
Shae – Sadly, this is also really easy for me. It’s the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro. Based in the old Woolworth’s building where the famous lunch counter sit-ins happened I had high hopes. But the price was high for what it was. There was a kind of weird virtual tour in the theater before starting a self guided tour. There weren’t a lot of artifacts or even images just a lot of cutouts and writing. It lacked the immersive experience that so many other civil rights museums have. The lunch counter recreation is cool too but not being able to take any pictures in the museum is another downside.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – We only went hiking one day at Dupont State Recreational Forest, so those two short hikes would be it!
Shae – We only went on the one hike and it was nice. But my mom and I went to the Wright Brothers Memorial in the Outer Banks. While it wasn’t a “hike” strictly speaking, it was a fair bit of walking to move around the property. You can drive but we enjoyed the walk up to the monument.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – I can’t think of anything particularly quirky that we did.
Shae – North Carolina was distinctly lacking in quirky things.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Hanging out at Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville (their Biltmore Village location). We met up with Bryn and Zak and had a lovely evening. The beer was excellent, the food from the food truck was delicious and Truffles was able to come as it’s pet-friendly inside and out. The only downside was having to wait forever for an Uber to arrive at the end of the evening.
Shae – My favorite memories are always when we hang with friends. I loved seeing Bryn and Zak and my new IRL friend (we’ve been FB friends for years), Kendra and listening to her sing at Root Bar in Asheville. I loved seeing a dear friend from high school in Greensboro. Sara and I went to the Civil Rights Museum together and grabbed a meal afterwards.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – Seeing Truffles making out with a bear.
Shae – Trying to get Truffles to make out with this bear. We used macaroni and cheese to “glue” some brisket to the wall, then had to try and position ourselves just right to get the pawfect shot!
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – My food poisoning. Not just due to me not feeling great, but it meant we had to change some of our accommodation options which meant we weren’t able to stay quite as close to downtown Asheville as we’d originally planned.
Shae – I always regret not getting more time at the beach, so I wish we’d had time to spend in the Outer Banks. I grew up only a couple hours away so it’s my “happy place” in many nostalgic ways. I regretted not being able to stop for lunch in Greenville on our way down to Wilmington as my mom and I went to a great restaurant there – 5th Street Hardware – and I really wanted to go back for myself and have Stephen experience it.
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – Turtleback Falls in Gorges State Park. This has a rock slide into the pools below and looks like a lot of fun, but February/March isn’t the time to be doing that!
Shae – I’d like to go back to the Biltmore for Christmas time once, but overall I don’t feel like missed out on that much from North Carolina.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – How little BBQ we ate in North Carolina.
Shae – How unimpressed I was with Asheville. It has its charms but it just felt like a more expensive Roanoke, VA.
My North Carolina Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Take a drink every time you see a brewery. It’s not hard to do in NC, plus it would be the easiest drinking game ever.
Shae – Take a drink every time you see a historic marker. They have a ton in North Carolina compared to other states we’ve been through.
Summary Of North Carolina In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Good food, good beer, prettier when not February to March.
Shae – It’s nice enough but nothing special. Sorry North Carolina.
North Carolina Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – Wilmington, Asheville, Raleigh. I think. I can’t quite place why I preferred Wilmington though seeing as Asheville had better food, beer, hiking, etc.
Shae – Wilmington… Asheville and Raleigh are kind of a tie for me. I’ve been to Raleigh a few times and had a better time on those visits. Asheville was cute enough but I didn’t get my socks knocked off like I expected to.
This is a big disappointment. Where to eat and sleep and drink aren’t important in the scheme of siteseeing trips. You don’t even choose the best places to seriously visit.
I think that depends entirely on the person. The hotel or Airbnb that people choose can have a big impact on their enjoyment of a visit, while food and drink can sometimes play a large part in what people like to do when exploring a city.
As for the best places to visit, that’s subjective too. For example, I know a lot of people like visiting the Biltmore when going to Asheville, but that didn’t interest us personally, particularly considering the cheapest tickets seem to be $65 per person and go up to almost $400 per person if you want a guided tour. That cost would absolutely be worth it to some people, it’s just not for us. We can only share the things that we’ve done and whether we’ve enjoyed it or not – we’re certainly not saying that people should follow our itineraries exactly when visiting these cities.