Category: Tourism

More Americans will take a year-end holiday trip this year than last year — despite falling consumer confidence, but perhaps buoyed by lower gas prices — the auto association AAA said Tuesday (yesterday). AAA projects 94.5 million Americans will take a trip of at least 50 miles sometime during the holiday period — a 0.6 percent increase from the estimated 94 million last year. The motor club federation defines the holiday period as December 21 to January 1. The group …

The Official 2014 North Carolina Travel Guide is now available. A photo-centric design and state-of-the-art digital options bring natural, manmade and historic attractions to life in a handbook that’s unique among state travel guidebooks. Two covers are available for the guide, which takes in more than 880 attractions, nearly 4,000 accommodations and travel resources in every county. One cover photo commemorates the back-to-back U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open championships on Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst and one features two …

For the week of Dec. 19 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, top off the holiday season with a performance of “The Nutcracker” by the Carolina Ballet in Raleigh. See what’s new at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson. Explore the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Fayetteville. Enjoy the great outdoors at Rocky Face Mountain Recreational Area in Hiddenite. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Midwood Smokehouse in Charlotte. (Please note: listings are subject to …

Gov. Pat McCrory has conferred the Order of the Long Leaf Pine on Mary Anne Perkinson, who is retiring at the end of the year as manager of the I-85 North Welcome Center in Warren County. Director of Operations Bryan Gupton and Visitor Services Program Manager Wally Wazan presented the honor at the Welcome Center in Norlina yesterday (Tuesday). The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is among the most prestigious awards presented by the governor and is presented to …

With the temporary closure of the Bonner Bridge – which spans the Oregon Inlet, connecting Hatteras Island to the mainland – the Outer Banks VB has created the Bonner Bridge Advisory webpage to address questions and concerns for potential visitors. While the bridge is closed, ferries are providing alternate transportation to and from Hatteras Island and the N.C. Dept. of Transportation has brought in additional ferries and revised the ferry schedule for the area. Traffic along N.C. State Highway 12 …

Applications are due on Jan. 31 for the N.C. Dept. of Commerce’s Certified Retirement Community Program for communities that are positioning themselves to attract retirees as an economic and community development strategy. To gain certification, a local government must submit an application for consideration. Applications are accepted twice each year. Once a community has completed the certification process, the Division will help market and promote the community as a retirement destination. There are currently seven Certified Retirement Communities in North …

For the week of Dec. 12 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, get into the holiday spirit with a Holiday Concert by the Raleigh Ringers. Find the perfect poinsettia or other holiday plant at Mitchell’s Nursery in King. Step back in time at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. Enjoy a tour of the Harper House at the Hickory History Center. And discover some things to do in Raleigh after a N.C. Symphony concert. (Please note: listings are subject to …

Next year at the Greensboro Science Center in Greensboro, visitors can not only see the exhibits, but also be the exhibit. SkyWild will take visitors through the treetops on a fitness and adventure course while other visitors watch from below. Expected to open in May, the $600,000 exhibit is part of the second phase of development in the center’s master plan, financed primarily through a bond approved by voters in 2009. The exhibit also is seeking corporate sponsorships and support. …

Daniel Boone’s life has been the subject of books, magazine articles and even a TV series. But will interest in the legendary frontiersmen translate into tourism dollars in Davie County? Local officials hope so. They are involved in the launch of a mobile-friendly website that will allow Boone fans to explore historical sites while on the road. “We have a lot of people who stay at our campgrounds, and they love coming to the visitor center to find out what’s …

A pair of California sea lions went on exhibit for the first time last Thursday at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. The male named “Dyson” and the female named “Storm,” are estimated to be 17 months old. The two sea lions will join the harbor seals in the zoo’s Rocky Coast exhibit complex.

US Airways and American Airlines closed their $17.7-billion merger Monday, creating the world’s largest airline. So what does it mean for the average traveler? Not a whole lot so far and the airlines say it’s business as usual. But changes to the airlines’ operations will start next year, and will soon accelerate as US Airways and American work to combine their business. Charlotte Douglas International Airport will be the combined airline’s second-busiest hub, behind only Dallas/Fort Worth in the airline’s …

For the week of Dec. 5 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, enjoy the Raleigh Little Theatre’s production of Cinderella. Trace the history of mountain biking at the Museum of Mountain Bike Art & Technology, housed at First Flight Bikes in Statesville. Take in a show at the Carolina Civic Center in Lumberton. Learn some history of the Roanoke Canal Museum in Roanoke Rapids. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Alexander Michael’s Restaurant and Tavern in Charlotte. (Please note: …

Highway rest stops may be the most universal travel experience in America. Think about it: Not everyone has faced the challenges of a airport’s connecting flight, and many travelers will never take a cruise, or visit a ski resort. But almost every American has taken a road trip and had cause to stop. That’s why rest stops offer the most democratic cross-section of the traveling public anywhere. Now, with the busy Thanksgiving driving season in mind, Foursquare, as reported by …

AAA projects 43.4 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a decrease of 1.5 percent from the 44 million people who traveled last year. This decrease falls just shy of last Thanksgiving’s four-year peak since the recession-driven declines in 2008-09 when Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 27, to Sunday, Dec. 1. Ninety percent of travelers or 38.9 million to travel by …

For the week of Nov. 21 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, get into the holiday spirit with Christmas decorations from Piedmont Floral Galleries in Salisbury. Have a tour and learn the history of Bath. Enjoy the great outdoors at Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap. View the many artful pieces at Seven Sisters Gallery in Black Mountain. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Mert’s Heart and Soul Restaurant in Charlotte. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) …

The absence of damaging, tourist-chasing hurricanes in 2013 didn’t hurt anybody on the Outer Banks. Meal and lodging earnings are on record pace again, according to recently released figures through September. Prepared-food revenue in Dare County, which encompasses most of the Outer Banks, reached $183.5 million, an increase of 2 percent over the same time last year, when the current record was set. In all of last year, meal receipts totaled $208.7 million, an increase of nearly 10 percent, the …