Nation makers

Rich in History, North Carolina is the ‘Birthplace of America’. Whether it’s through a hundred-year-old lighthouse, a Native American Indian Village, a battleground or a civil rights movement museum, history comes alive in North Carolina like nowhere else!

North Carolina’s Civil War Trails

Sites and battlefields from the American Civil War and Revolutionary War are scattered throughout North Carolina, mostly in the eastern and coastal areas.

You can follow a Civil War Trail covering General William T. Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign. The trail includes more than 100 interpretive markers and plenty of signposts. Pick up an explanatory brochure at a visitor centre, or look at the online version at www.civilwartraveler.com or www.civilwartrails.org.

The Cherokee Indians

Evidence suggests that the Cherokee Indians have lived in what is now western North Carolina for thousands of years. The Cherokee are the second largest American Indian tribe in the United States, and more than 200,000 members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are resident in North Carolina.

Today, you can visit the Indian reservation at Cherokee in the North Carolina mountain ranges. Learn about their customs, crafts and history of this native people. Guests can really get to grips with the Cherokee experience by visiting the Museum of the Cherokee Indians, whose exhibits include historic manuscripts, jewellery, pottery, clothing and wood carvings. Guests can even purchase local handmade products from the museum store. Entry to the museum starts from $9 (approximately £6) but do bring extra – the handmade goods are a must buy!

Aye-aye Captain Blackbeard

Ahoy there! Fantasy lovers should take a trip to beautiful and historic Beaufort, home to the notorious Edward Teach. Better known as Captain Blackbeard the Pirate, Teach operated around the low-lying coastal areas of North Carolina at the beginning of the 18th century, preying upon enemy ships with the blessing of the British government.

Becoming steadily less fussy about who and what he attacked, he progressed into piracy and gained a reputation for treating his victims brutally. He eventually settled in Beaufort, immeasurably enriching the history and folklore of this coastal town. Take in the scenery at the waterfront, where captains, skippers, merchants and their boats can still be seen working.

Another must is the Legend of Blackbeard tour. Walk the same streets as the famed buccaneer, taking in downtown Beaufort, Blackbeard’s House, and the Old Burying Ground – a 300 year old cemetery.

Captain Blackbeard was eventually killed while on an engagement with the British Navy near Ocracoke Island, now part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and famous for its glorious, unspoilt dune beaches. His ship, the famous Queen Anne’s Revenge, went down with him, but the wreck is now open for divers to explore.

Reach great heights

Let your imagination take flight at Kill Devil Hill, where Orville and Wilbur Wright launched the first manned aircraft on 17 December 1903.

Kill Devil Hill, at Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, has everything a pioneering aviator would look for when attempting the first sustained manned flight: space, isolation, wind, and soft sand to cushion any unplanned landings.

The scenery along the coast is simply breathtaking, which is why the brothers chose this area on that historic day back in 1903. A 60-foot granite monument (right), constructed in 1932, is perched atop the 90-foot Kill Devil Hill commemorating that first-ever flight. There’s also a visitor centre with a replica of the original Wright Flyer, a reconstructed hangar and a First Flight trail.

Moravian magic in Winston-Salem

Founded in 1766 to house professional Moravian craftsmen, Salem, a congregational town and trading centre, was a haven for entrepreneurs. Now known as Old Salem, it is one of America’s most authentic and well-documented colonial sites, with 100 restored and reconstructed buildings (right).

Today, Old Salem offers guided re-enactment tours which offer visitors the opportunity to experience life back then. Pottery, carpentry, shoemaking and tailoring are all demonstrated.

Another must visit whilst in Old Salem is The Old Salem Toy Museum, containing a collection of toys, dolls and miniatures from European and American collections that date from as early as the third century BC. With more than 1,200 exhibits, including a small but incredibly rare group of Moravian toys, it is regarded by experts as one of the world’s most prestigious toy collections.

Demure Durham and charming Chapel Hill

The booming city of Durham attracts visitors from far and wide and is famed for its wealth and the beautiful campus of Duke University.

It owes many of its world-class facilities to the generosity of the Duke family, which made its fortune from tobacco. Visit Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum for a glimpse into the history of the family whose name became synonymous with tobacco in America. The tour covers the ancestral home of the Duke family, and visitors will learn about the tobacco manufacturing industry that built Durham’s financial empire.

Having discovered the Duke family history, take a tour of the university grounds and gardens and take in the grandeur of its architecture and setting. Here you will see the neo-gothic Duke University Chapel with its spectacular 5,200-pipe organ, 210-foot tower and intricate stained glass window (above left).

Also popular, and well worth a detour, is the beautiful campus of the University of North Carolina at nearby Chapel Hill (right) which is the oldest university in the US.

The old New Bern

New Bern is the ideal vacation spot for sun-seekers and history buffs alike. Two historic towns along the coast, New Bern and Havelock, blend the past with the present, beckoning visitors from around the world to sample their rich history.

New Bern, the second oldest town in North Carolina after Beaufort, is situated where the Trent and Neuse Rivers meet. There is history around every corner in New Bern, with over 150 historic landmarks, the magnificent Tryon Palace (left), the birthplace of Pepsi and a 157,000-acre national forest. Come and experience the four walking tours that explore New Bern’s heritage. Self-guided brochures are available and all trails are well signposted, making it simple for visitors to step back in time.

Authentic New Bern is also the birthplace of Pepsi, which was invented by Caleb Bradham in his pharmacy in 1898. The store is still in its original location, and to this day is operated by the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of New Bern, Inc. This landmark building is open to all visitors, and houses a store where Pepsi enthusiasts can purchase all things Pepsi.

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All images are courtesy of North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. Bill Russ, Photographer