America 250 Commemorations Zoom in on Journeys to Independence
North Carolina, the first colony to officially sanction independence, invites travelers to explore places with resonant history and personal stories along the path to freedom. From re-enactments and historic site tours to performances and outdoor recreation, America 250 activities connect seekers with more than facts and figures. A handful of highlights: Tryon Palace in New Bern showcases the past with a robust calendar of tours, exhibits and presentations. NC Trail Days (June 4-6 in Elkin) includes hiking on the Overmountain National Historic Trail and other treks that speak to natural and human history. Outdoor dramas — "The Lost Colony" (June 4-Aug. 22 in in Manteo), "Horn in the West" (June 26-Aug. 8 in Boone) and "Unto These Hills" (May 30-Aug. 22 in Cherokee) — bring history to life under the stars. And on July 4, the Capitol 250: NC Freedom Fest highlights the state's defining arts, history, nature and cultural heritage. For more possibilities, try a filtered search of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resource's comprehensive calendar.
NC's Soccer Star Rises with FIFA World Cup, All-Star Game
Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Greensboro are poised to draw the interest of international soccer fans this summer as the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds. The Charlotte Football Club's Atrium Health Performance Park will serve as the training site for the Scotland national team while. Bank of America Stadium, the club's home field, will host the May 31 Allstate Continental Clásico, a pre-Cup exhibition match between the US Men's National Team and the powerhouse Senegal National Team. In Winston-Salem, Germany's national team will set up at Wake Forest University with training at W. Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium. Norway's national team will be based in Greensboro with training at UNC-Greensboro's soccer-only facility. The 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Afterward, major soccer play returns to Charlotte on July 29, when Bank of America Stadium hosts the national Men's Soccer League All-Star Game. Learn more about the team base camp destinations here.
Carolina Museum of the Marine Sets June 8 Opening
Lejeune Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville will welcome a new signature attraction with the June 8 opening of the Carolina Museum of the Marine. Paying tribute to North and South Carolina Marines and Sailors, the 25,000-square-foot museum promises to inspire visitors with artifacts, personal stories and immersive Marine history. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was established on May 1, 1941, as an amphibious training facility. Paths through the 5-acre Lejeune Memorial Gardens lead to the Beirut Memorial, the Onslow Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Montford Point Marine Memorial and the 9/11 Memorial Beam from the World Trade Center.
Land of Oz Returns with New, Well-Loved Immersions
Good news for L. Frank Baum fans: The magical experience returns to Beech Mountain with the 2026 Homecoming Season at the Land of Oz, which sat out last season in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. New to the attraction is the summertime "Tea With Dorothy and Aunt Em," followed by the fan-favorite Autumn at Oz event. The immersive summer experience, which quickly sold out, features a new musical comedy, access to the Over the Rainbow Observation Deck, a guided stroll along the Yellow Brick Road and encounters with well-loved characters. In June, tickets will go on sale for the park’s annual Autumn at Oz, which will run for three weekends in September (dates TBA). The fall event re-creates the twister and Dorothy's adventures on the Yellow Brick Road, a 3/4-mile pathway paved with gold-glazed bricks. The Land of Oz theme park opened in 1970 with Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher making the scene. It closed after the 1980 season. Click here for a complete history of the park and its revival through Autumn at Oz.
New Gateway Enhances the Duke Gardens Experience
Sarah P. Duke Gardens, one of the nation’s premier public gardens, enriches the experience with its new Garden Gateway. The gateway, which opened in April, features a new welcome center with a café, lobby, gallery space, outdoor plaza and upgraded restroom amenities. The project also includes enhanced learning and event facilities, a more accessible entrance and expanded green spaces for events. The 55-acre site on Duke University’s West Campus is celebrated for its original Terraces, the H.L. Bloomquist Garden of Native Plants, the W.L. Culberson Asiatic Arboretum with its iconic red bridge, and the Doris Duke Center Gardens.
47 NC Restaurants Featured in MICHELIN Guide American South
Charlotte’s Counter- tops the list of NC restaurants recognized in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide American South, which was unveiled Nov. 3. In addition to the star rating for Counter-, Colleen Hughes of Charlotte’s Supperland received a Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award, and Counter- and Asheville’s Luminosa earned Green Stars for their inspiring visions. Luminosa also received a Bib Gourmand designation for good food and good value as did Mala Pata and Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh; Prime Barbecue in Knightdale; Little Chango and Mother in Asheville; and Lang Van in Charlotte. Find an interactive map with all 47 restaurants and descriptions at VisitNC.com. The Guide covers Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Atlanta as well as North Carolina.
'Luminere' Enhances the Biltmore Experience With Light, Sound, Stories
Biltmore adds an extra glow with “Luminere,” a light, imagery and sound experience that unfolds as day turns to dusk on the Asheville estate. Made in collaboration with the experiential design studio Klip Collective, “Luminere” reimagines the façade of the 250-room Biltmore House and the estate’s renowned gardens as a dreamscape of color, motion, sound and storytelling. On select evenings, guests embark on a self-guided journey through outdoor settings. With a series of projections on the front of George W. Vanderbilt’s mansion, milestones in the 8,000-acre estate’s history come to life. Scenes inspired by Biltmore’s architecture, landscapes and legacy are set to an original score by Julian Grefe. Artisan picnics on the grounds, craft beverages served in the garden and curated menus in estate restaurants enhance the experience. “Luminere” runs through Oct. 18.
Trolls Take Up Residence in NC Cities
Raleigh, High Point and Charlotte have become the forever home of the largest North American collection of Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo’s celebrated troll sculptures with the creation of seven outsize figures. At Raleigh’s Dix Park, the awakening began with five trolls crafted from natural and reclaimed materials that are connected via storyline to one each in High Point and Charlotte, which come with a quest to find The Grandmother Tree. The NC seven join more than 150 other Thomas Dambo sculptures that have transformed public spaces, forests and greenways across five continents and attracted a devoted following that pursues the artist’s global Trollmap.
National Trust Recognizes NC Furniture Craftsman Studio
The Thomas Day State Historic Site in Milton is among 13 new additions to the list of Historic Artists' Homes and Studios, a program of the National Trust. Day (1801-1861), a free Black cabinetmaker, was known for his blend of Greek Revival, Gothic and Italianate influences and his bold, original forms. With help from the enslaved people on his property and free artisans living with him, Day became the state's largest furniture maker in the 1850s. The site tells the story of his life and craft within the broader history of free Black life in the antebellum South. More examples of Day's work, which is part of the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the NC Museum of Art, can also be seen at Milton Presbyterian Church, the Richmond-Miles History Museum in Yanceyville, and the restored Historic Magnolia House in Greensboro, a former Green Book site whose guest list included James Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, Jackie Robinson and James Baldwin.