North Carolina offers more than coast and countryside. Here are three fantastic family itineraries you can do in less than two weeks. The state has legendary National Parks, historic cities and cinematic towns, splendid road trips, a dozen islands and countless annual festivals. It’s also well connected, just fractionally bigger than England, and direct UK flights to Charlotte and Raleigh take less than nine hours. We asked the experts at Visit North Carolina to put together three family-friendly itineraries that fit easily into two weeks.
A long string of barrier islands and dramatic beaches stretching from south to north, the Outer Banks (OBX) extend along more than half North Carolina’s Atlantic coast. Stay right at their heart in historic Kitty Hawk, just minutes from where the Wright Brothers first took flight in 1903.
What kids love about the Outer Banks
Swap coastal thrills for three days of urban adventure in Raleigh: the family-friendly capital of North Carolina.
What kids love about Raleigh
‘High Country‘ is North Carolina’s modest description of the Appalachians, and if kids thought Jockey Ridge dunes were impressive, wait till they see the Blue Ridge Mountains.
What kids love about the High Country
How to get there
Direct UK flights to Raleigh take eight hours, 45 minutes.
Where to stay
Outer Banks: Hilton Garden Inn, Kitty Hawk. Family room, sleeps four, from £187 per night.
Raleigh: Sheraton Raleigh Hotel. Family room, sleeps four, from £111 per night.
High Country: Chetola Resort, Blowing Rock. Family room, sleeps five, from £121 per night.
Drive times
Raleigh to Kitty Hawk: three hours, 20 minutes.
Raleigh to Boone: three hours.
Find America’s coolest small town and finest seafood; a 12-storey lighthouse and 1,000ft-long fishing piers; beaches next to a historic state park; and a maritime museum packed with pirate relics: all on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast.
What kids love about the Crystal Coast
North Carolina’s biggest city is famous for big, bold street art, giant rollercoasters; the world’s largest manmade white-water river, and a bigger passion than anywhere in the US for racing fast cars.
What kids love about Charlotte
A three-hour drive west of Charlotte brings you to Bryson City. More of a friendly mountain town than a major city, it’s plenty fun for families, and best of all: gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
What kids love about Bryson City
How to get there
Direct UK flights to Raleigh take eight hours, 45 minutes.
Where to stay
Atlantic Beach: Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront. Family suite, sleeps four, from £140 per night.
Charlotte: Double Tree by Hilton Charlotte. Family room, sleeps four, from £137 per night.
Bryson City: Watershed Resort. One-bedroom family cabin, sleeps four, from £135 per night.
Drive times
Raleigh to Atlantic Beach: two hours, 40 minutes.
Atlantic Beach to Charlotte: five hours, 20 minutes.
Charlotte to Bryson City: three hours.
Spend six days in the northerly reaches of the state’s long coast, and let Currituck’s beaches astonish kids, again and again. Wild Spanish mustangs, known as Bankers horses, still roam this area: amazingly, they’re descended from the same horses that crossed the Atlantic with Spanish explorers five centuries ago.
What kids will love
History lovers can’t miss Wilmington. Even the beaches are historic, and the town of Wilmington itself is so heritage-rich, you should definitely take a tour. Then drive an hour north to the Brunswick Islands, where 45 miles of south-facing sands, and 30-plus golf courses, are just a few reasons this laidback area is a holiday favourite with North Carolina families.
What kids will love
How to get there
Direct UK flights to Raleigh take eight hours, 45 minutes
Where to stay
Corolla: Hampton Inn & Suites – Family room, sleeps four, from £203 per night
Wilmington: Staybridge Suites – Family suite, sleeps four, from £110 per night
Drive times
Raleigh to Corolla: 4 hours
Corolla to Wilmington: 5 hours
Wilmington to Raleigh: 2 hours
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