Category: Tourism

The Raleigh Convention Center will be transformed into a basketball showplace this weekend as it hosts the Deep South Classic, April 19-21. The Deep South Classic will bring more than 265 girls travel teams to Raleigh from throughout the U.S., featuring many of the nation’s top players during a live recruiting period. The exhibit hall will have 18 courts, and games will be played on all courts simultaneously throughout each day. Hundreds of college coaches will be in town for …

For the week of April 18 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, get your toes a-tappin’ at Merlefest in Wilkesboro. Take in a show at the Old Theater in Oriental. Step back in time at the Historical Museum and Indian Village of Grifton. Enjoy a tour of Liberty. And check out the fare at Cast Iron Waffles in Charlotte.  (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by the N.C. Division of Tourism. In addition, UNC-TV has …

Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford County – known for the giant Chimney Rock you see when you’re driving U.S. 74A through the Hickory Nut Gorge – has been closed for over a week. The park has been closed since last week so that N.C. Dept. of Transportation could shake loose a gigantic boulder hanging over the main roadway. “We’ve got a huge boulder hanging above the lodge and the road between the Meadows and the Chimney, in one of …

For the week of April 11 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, usher in spring at the Block House Steeple Chase at FENCE in Tryon. Take in the history of Pantego Academy in Pantego. Test your skills at Black River Paint Ball in Angier. Check into the Monte Vista Hotel in Black Mountain. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Antonia’s in Hillsborough. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by the N.C. Division of …

The 2013-14 State Transportation Map has officially arrived and is available free of charge. The map is funded and produced by the N.C. Dept. of Transportation, but it will now be distributed through the Division of Tourism and can be ordered online or by calling 1-800-VISITNC. “One of our central goals is to improve efficiency and streamline our operations,” N.C. Transportation Secretary Tony Tata said. “We are also striving to identify ways we can work together across state agencies to …

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina’s prime lighthouse-climbing season begins April 19 with the historic Bodie Island Lighthouse opening for regular tours for the first time. The newly restored lighthouse, its magnificent first-order Fresnel lens cleaned down to the shine, becomes the sixth along the state’s 320-mile coastline to allow visitors a top-of-the-tower view. Also expected to open for tours this spring: the restored 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse in Edenton. The 2-story structure, the only remaining screw-pile lighthouse built on North …

The Bodie Island Lighthouse will open to the public on April 19 for the first time following a three-year, $5 million restoration. The opening has drawn national attention from lighthouse enthusiasts, said Bruce Roberts, board member and co-founder of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society. The Division is working with the Outer Banks CVB to promote the lighthouse opening through editorial media coverage and through domestic and international travel trade promotions. The lighthouse tower has been listed on the National Register …

RALEIGH, NC (April 3, 2013)— Brewing a new tradition, North Carolina rings in spring with its inaugural Beer Month as a testament to the state’s influence in the craft beer business. Sponsored by the North Carolina Brewers Guild and the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Beer Month takes in special tours, tastings, dinners, classes, festivals and lodging packages celebrating local variations on this heady beverage.  Toast North Carolina’s beer craftsmanship and the destinations where it thrives with these seven fun facts …

For the week of April 4 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, see the renowned Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. Hop on a Cycle to Farm Ride in Black Mountain. See the spectacular Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort in Cherokee. Relax at the Pamlico House Bed and Breakfast in the heart of Washington, North Carolina’s historic waterfront district. And experience the Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar in Charlotte. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten …

Fans of The Hunger Games trilogy and movie can now get a taste of what it’s like to be heroine Katniss Everdeen with a tour of Henry River Mill Village. The village was one of the filming sites for the movie and stood in for District 12, home of Everdeen and other fan favorites. Hunger Games Fan Tour, based in Brevard, is offering and conducting the tours. The tours are possible after Ed Phillips at the Burke County TDA helped …

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and NC Arts Council have launched a new initiative, the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, in conjunction with the publication of the new Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina Guidebook, to be released in late April. The Blue Ridge Music Trails Initiative kicks off with listening sessions seeking input from individuals and groups who are interested in the traditional music of Western NC and who want to become part of the …

For only the second time in its history, the North Carolina Zoo closed its gates temporarily Monday afternoon when parking lots reached overflow capacity and visitor facilities began to reach capacity. By mid-afternoon, as visitors began to leave the park, other guests were allowed to enter. Spring temperatures in the high 60s and days off for the Easter weekend and spring breaks for students helped swell the park’s attendance to one of its busiest days on record. Monday’s attendance was …

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 1, 2013) — A spring breeze, the crack of a bat, the sense of place that defines Minor League Baseball — all that and a choice of craft brew: What more could a baseball fan want? From Asheville to Zebulon, games unfold in towns where Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramírez, Chipper Jones, Cal Ripken Jr., Derek Jeter and “Crash” Davis once played. And at the ballpark, beer lovers can sample dozens of the state’s …

For the week of March 28 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, take in a movie – or more than one – during the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham. Step back in time at Poplar Grove Plantation in Wilmington. Enjoy the great outdoors at Rendezvous Mountain Educational Forest in Purlear. Experience a variety of art at the Siler City Arts Incubator in Siler City. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Taverna Agora in Raleigh. (Please note: listings …

Michell Hicks sees more than flashing lights and upscale decor when he looks at the renovations to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. He sees jobs. “The bottom line is about helping people,” said Hicks, the principal chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, which owns the casino. “We’ve created a lot of jobs, not just for tribal members, but also for Western North Carolina,” he said. The casino employs 2,500 people, including 400 enrolled tribe members, said Brooks Robinson, …

April’s inaugural North Carolina Beer Month celebration has generated coast-to-coast attention from print, broadcast and online media outlets to tap the growing beer travel market. A triple hit in The New York Times scored $191,751 worth of coverage with an In Transit column lead, a piece in the Sunday print edition and a digital tablet app. The coverage reached a circulation of more than 22 million readers. The Daily Meal, a website that targets food-enthusiasts, cooks and wine connoisseurs, also …

As the first quarter of 2013 comes to an end, the N.C. Film Office continues to see record-breaking numbers for the state’s film industry. More than 20 productions have indicated they intend to film, or have already begun filming, in North Carolina, with a total direct in-state spend in excess of $138 million, while creating more than 13,000 job opportunities, including 2,100 well-paying crew positions for the state’s highly skilled film professionals. Production is already underway on NBC’s hit series …

The number of hotel rooms in downtown Wilmington could soon more than double if all projects currently in the works come to fruition. The roster of new projects downtown includes one hotel that’s under construction and two others in the works – make that possibly three – and at least one other prominent piece of property being marketed as a prime site for a future hotel. Being within walking distance of a targeted destination is very important for hotels’ success, …