From the mountains to the ocean, there’s a lot to do when you come to the
2026 National Congress

	The Biltmore Estate is the most visited attraction in North Carolina. In Asheville, 37 miles east of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which spans the TN/NC border, and adjacent to the Pisgah National Forest, the 250 room mansion and beautiful grounds is only one of many activities in the area. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa has welcomed travelers, including 10 U.S. Presidents, for over 112 years. For adventurous drivers (or riders), the Tail of the Dragon is an option on your way west from Asheville… starting near Robbinsville, NC, on US 129, it’s 318 curves in 11 miles!

	Carowinds is a large amusement park, water park, and entertainment complex on the SC/NC border south of Charlotte, featuring over 60 rides, including a steel roller coaster rated the world’s best.

	The North Carolina Mountains are a perfect summer destination. The Blue Ridge Mountains form a 220 mile border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Cooler temperatures and spectacular vistas make for a relaxing visit. In addition to Asheville, attractions include the southern entrance to the Pisgah National Forest in Brevard, the Carl Sandburg Historical Home in Flat Rock, the Historic Henderson County Courthouse & Heritage Museum in Hendersonville, Chimney Rock State Park and Lake Lure, Apple Hill Orchard & Cider Mill in Morganton, Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River, near Burnsville, Grandfather Mountain, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, a very scenic drive that runs, in North Carolina, from Cherokee in the south to Fancy Gap in the north, and on into Virginia. Three Casinos operate in NC, on Indian-owned land, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel, in Murphy, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, in Cherokee, and Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain. Accommodations range from luxurious hotels in Asheville to B&Bs and Cottages in quaint mountain villages.

	The Billy Graham Library is a 40,000 square foot museum in Charlotte documenting the life and ministry of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. It tops the list of “Things to Do in Charlotte“. Another unique attraction is the National Whitewater Center, the nation’s largest man-made white-water river with 1,300 acres of trails along the Catawba River near Charlotte.

	NASCAR fans are in for a real treat in North Carolina. There’s the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, visit the Team Shops of Hendrick Motorsports, Hass Factory Team, Penske Racing, JR Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and Richard Childress Racing in the area; and for the ultimate experience (at a price), drive a real NASCAR race car around the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

	The International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, a national historic landmark, is located at the site of the F. W. Woolworth store where four NC A&T State students staged a “sit-in” at the whites-only lunch counter on February 1, 1960. It is one of many attractions in the Congress host city.

	The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is the world’s largest natural habitat zoo, and in 2024 was voted “Best Zoo” in the US in the Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards. It is located 34 miles south of the Congress site via I-73. 15 miles south of the Zoo is the North Carolina Pottery Center at Seagrove where an abundance of red clay and hardwood forests for fueling kilns attracts potters from around the world.

	North Carolina is home to some of the best Golf Courses in the country… among them, Pinehurst No. 2, Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst No. 10, Pinehurst No. 8, Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club, Pinehurst No. 9, Mid South Club, Bryant Park (Champions Course), Occano, Grandover Resort (East), Finley Golf Club, Pinehurst No. 7, Forest Oaks Country Club, Lonnie Poole Golf Course, Waynesville Inn & Golf Club, Duke University Golf Club, and The Cardinal by Pete Dye, plus many others. Many of these golf courses are in the Fayetteville vicinity, home of Fort Bragg and the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.

	The Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe water park is in Greensboro, less than 3 miles south of the Congress site via Pinecroft Rd. It features over 40 attractions, from mild to wild.

	Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, the State Capital, form the Triangle, defined by the campuses of the University of North Carolina, Duke University, and North Carolina State University. The Triangle is a highly diverse community with many cultural and culinary opportunities, notably the North Carolina Museum of Art, and has both a Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest Hindu Temple in North America. In and around Research Triangle Park are industry leaders such as IBM, Lenovo, and Wolfspeed (Cree). For families that may be college-shopping, US News & World Report lists over 50 in North Carolina.

	The North Carolina Coast is a perfect summer destination, Morehead City is the gateway to Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle, and the mainland beaches continue down the coast with North Topsail Beach, Ocean City Beach, Surf City, Topsail Beach, the city of Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Bald Head Island, Caswell Beach, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, and Sunset Beach.

	The NC Outer Banks are spectacular places to visit. Between the Outer Banks and the mainland are the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, and numerous charming towns on the mainland. US 17 meets US 64 at Williamston, and both wind their way to the Outer Banks. US 17 passes through Edenton, the state’s first colonial capital, and then connects at Elizabeth City with US 158, which meanders to Point Harbor, across the Currituck Sound, to the Outer Banks. US 158 leads to Kitty Hawk, the nearest town to Kill Devil Hills, where the Wright Brothers made the first powered flights, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. State Road 12 leads north to Duck, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, and other Northern Outer Banks locations; and south to Nags Head, then Hatteras Island, Buxton and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (all at near-sea level). US 64 crosses through Roanoke Island at Manteo, and joins SR 12 south of Nags Head. Further south, on the mainland, on SR 92 off of US 264, on the Pamlico River, is Bath, North Carolina’s first town and port, and an area frequented by the notorious pirate Blackbeard. Still further south, on US 70 at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers and the headwaters of Pamlico Sound, is New Bern, the first State Capital, birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, and home to the NC History Center.

	The original Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built on Hatteras Island under the direction of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who himself had been in a shipwreck off Diamond Shoals as a teenager, and was later known as “Hamilton’s Light”. State Road 12 continues, via ferry, to Ocracoke Island, then via ferry to Cedar Island, where it meets US 70, leading to Morehead City. (The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is currently being refurbished, but will be fully operational in early 2026.)

	NC TRAVEL TIPS Both Beach and Mountain accommodations are extremely popular in the summer… make reservations early. Check DriveNC.gov before your trip. Iced tea, unless ordered unsweetened, will be thickly sweetened with sugar. Barbecue is distinctly different in the Eastern and Western parts of the state — Eastern has a thin vinegar-based sauce, often with red pepper flakes; Western has a vinegar, ketchup, and spice sauce. In either case, if “slaw” is offered, it may be provided on a sandwich, rather than as a side, unless otherwise ordered. Calabash style seafood is breaded and deep fried. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts started in Winston-Salem and is headquartered in Charlotte. There are retail locations throughout the state, and the freshly made ones are sinfully good. There are no longer any dry counties in North Carolina. A photo ID is required. Liquor by the bottle is only sold in Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) Stores, located in all counties but Graham. ABC Stores are not open on Sundays. Once opened, liquor bottles are not permitted in the passenger compartment of vehicles, but can be in the trunk. “Beach Music” does not in any way resemble Beach Boys music.