Our Guide To Family Vacations In North Carolina
Family vacations in North Carolina can be rewarding experiences or absolute disasters -- it all depends on pre-trip homework. To make planning easier, we've done all the preparation. As part of aHuffington Post Travel serieson traveling with children, here are recommended attractions for those planning North Carolina family vacations.
Outer Banks, North Carolina
Address:Kitty Hawk, NC
Hours:Open year-round
Price:Free
Marbles Kids Museum
Address:201 East Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone:919-834-4040
Hours:Tuesday through Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays: noon to 5 p.m. Marbles is closed on Mondays.
Price:Children under 1, free; ages 1 to 11, $5 or with Imax, $6.50; adults, $5 or with Imax, $8.95; seniors, $5, or with Imax, $7.95
NASCAR Hall Of Fame
Address:400 East Martin Luther King Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone:704-654-4400
Hours:The NASCAR Hall of Fame is open every day except for Christmas Day. Open most days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but hours can vary. Please check the calendar on the website before visiting.
Price:Children 5 to 12, $12.95; adults, $19.95; seniors and military, $17.95
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
It is no wonder that the 500,000-acreGreat Smoky Mountains National Parkis the most visited national park in America. It is a beautiful park that straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina border, and it is teeming with wildlife, including deer, turkeys, bears and elks. Casual and serious hikers will find miles of trails to explore, with many of them leading to the park's bountiful and beautiful waterfalls. The North Carolina entrance to the park is located near the town of Cherokee.
Address:Cherokee, NC
Phone:865-436-1200
Hours:The park is open 365 days a week, 24 hours a day, but there are areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that close in the winter.
Price:Free -- it is one of the few national parks that does not charge an entrance fee
NASCAR Race Shops
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Tony Stewart
Address:4400 Papa Joe Hendrick Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262
Phone:704-455-3400
Hours:Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call to confirm.
Price:free
The Time Warner Cable Blues & BBQ Festival
Time Warner Cable Blues & BBQ festival
Address:935 N. Graham, Charlotte, NC 28206
Phone:704-332-9583
Hours:A three-day festival held in September.
Price:Admission is free
Biltmore House
Address:1 Lodge Street, Asheville, NC 28803
Phone:800-411-3812
Hours:Open year-round from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Price:Adults, 17 and older, from $54 to $69 depending on the season and day of the week; children, ages 10 to 16, $5; under 9 are free
North Carolina Zoo
TheNorth Carolina Zoois a beautiful natural habitat zoo, meaning that the animals are generally given more room to roam and live more like they would in the wild. It is one of the largest such parks in the United States, and there are trams and buses available within the park to ferry guests between three stops within the zoo. The North Carolina Zoo has over 1,100 animals from Africa and North America in its displays.
Address:4401 Zoo Pkwy., Asheboro, NC 27205
Phone:800-488-0444
Hours:April to October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; November to March, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Price:Children under 2, free; children 2 to 12, $6; seniors (62 and up), $8; adults, $10
Have you been to North Carolina? What are your favorite attractions?
Check out moreFAMILY TRAVEL GUIDES.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
