NC Travelers Can Find Alternative Experiences During Shutdown

RALEIGH, NC (Oct. 1, 2025) — The federal government shutdown might force travelers to adjust their plans, but North Carolina offers a wealth of places for camping, scenic drives, nature experiences and connections to history. Here are alternatives to federal sites that may be adjusted by the shutdown.

Blue Ridge Parkway 

Campgrounds remain open at least in the short term, though most visitor centers and attractions staffed by the National Park Service are closed. Exceptions include Flat Top Manor at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park near Blowing Rock, home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild's craft shop (ranger tours are not offered) and the guild's Folk Art Center in Asheville. Travelers can also find a welcome at on-the-Parkway sites such as Pisgah Inn. 

Same with NC State Parks. Just-off-the-Parkway options include Stone Mountain and Mount Mitchell with Gorges, Elk Knob and Mount Jefferson State Natural Area just a short drive away. Chimney Rock and Grandfather Mountain, signature off-the-Parkway attractions surrounded by state parkland, are also open.

For camping, Stone Mountain and Gorges are among the mountain state parks with sites. Peruse the map at ncparks.gov and link to northcarolinastateparks.reserveamerica.com to book a stay. Private campgrounds along the route appear on an interactive map created by the nonprofit Blue Ridge Parkway Association.

Without the convenience of visitor centers and comfort stations, drivers might plot stops in some of the winning towns along the route. Beyond such popular destinations as Blowing Rock, Asheville and Bryson City, curious travelers are rewarded in the Highlands section with stops in Sparta, West Jefferson, Boone, Banner Elk, Spruce Pine, Old Fort, Little Switzerland, Mount Airy and North Wilkesboro. Farther south, the Pisgah section is home to Burnsville, Hendersonville, Brevard, Waynesville, Sylva, Tryon, Lake Lure, Marshall and Cherokee. 

Travelers interested in expanded horizons can also consider an alternate route. The downloadable North Carolina Byways guide details more than 60 drives. Of the two dozen mountain options, rewarding choices include the Cherohala Skyway, Waterfall Byway and the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

While some park services and facilities might be affected, Oconaluftee and Kuwohi visitor centers will remain open at least for the short term. Most roads, campgrounds, picnic areas, trails and restrooms are open, and trash collection will continue. And scenic U.S. 441 is open to traffic. 

For more local experiences, travelers can opt for an ultra-panoramic route aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, which departs from Bryson City with excursions that take in Fontana Lake and the Nantahala Gorge. For camping, find private options in Cherokee, the Bryson City area or Haywood County.

National forests

Roads, campgrounds and other sites throughout all of North Carolina’s four national forests — Pisgah and Nantahala in the mountains, Uwharrie in the Piedmont and Croatan on the coast — remain open at least for the short term. Should the status change, those with campground reservations can expect notification from recreation.gov.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

The seashore itself remains open, though facilities and points of interest may be affected. In lieu of a Bodie Island Lighthouse climb, lighthouse lovers can climb to the top of the 162-foot-tall Currituck Beach Lighthouse. 

Find a list of private marinas at outerbanks.org and a map of public access points maintained by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission at ncwildlife.gov. Outerbanks.org also lists campgrounds as does visitocracokenc.com.

Cape Lookout National Seashore

While access to the beaches remains open, restrooms as well as the Harkers Island Visitors Center are closed and visitor services are unavailable. Island Express Ferry Service, the seashore’s official concessionaire, will transports visitors to Shackleford Banks, home of a herd of wild Colonial Spanish mustangs, and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse area. Note that the lighthouse remains closed for restoration. Portsmouth Island is also open to visitors and accessible via Portsmouth Island Tours. The Great Island Cabin Camp may be be closed. Beach camping may be permitted though the seashore does not have water pumps, toilets or other amenities. Other alfresco sleep options can be found at crystalcoastnc.org. 

Appalachian Trail 

All sections of the trail are accessible, though services provided by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service are unavailable. The trail communities of Franklin and Fontana Dam are perfect for everything from day hikes to overnight visits (camping at the “Fontana Hilton” shelter belongs on the bucket list). In Hot Springs, NC’s third AT community, recovery from Hurricane Helene continues though hikers can find relief from the rigors of the trail. 

Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail 

Most North Carolina sites are open on this hiking and driving trail, which traces the route used by Patriot militia during the pivotal Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. That includes the Orchard at Altapass and the Museum of North Carolina Minerals on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Spruce Pine.

History lovers can also pursue experiences at Fort Defiance in Lenoir, Overmountain Vineyards in Tryon, and the Morganton area’s Lake James State Park and Quaker Meadows. The Wilkes Heritage Museum in Wilkesboro features the relocated home of Capt. Robert Cleveland, who fought at Kings Mountain beside Col. Benjamin Cleveland, his brother and celebrated battle hero.  

National historic sites

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock is closed. For a literary fix, Asheville is home to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, the rambling Victorian boarding house known as Dixieland in “Look Homeward, Angel.” Drive to Oakdale Cemetery in Hendersonville to see the titular angel statue. Wolfe is buried at Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery, as is Greensboro-born William Sydney Porter (O. Henry).

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro may be closed, but access is possible through the adjacent Country Park.  Moores Creek National Battlefield, whose entrance is gated, is closed. For a pre-Revolutionary War battlefield experience, the Alamance Battleground State Historic Site in Burlington interprets events from 1771.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is closed, though lovely Elizabethan Gardens remains open within its boundaries. Many of the site’s storylines are presented at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo, which examines the history of America’s first English settlers with a representative 16th-century sailing ship, an American Indian Town, a settlement site and a museum. Fort Raleigh includes stops on the federally designated Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, which has unaffected sites in Hatteras, Edenton, Roanoke Rapids, Halifax, Creswell and elsewhere.  

Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills may be closed, but visitors can connect with the namesake aviators’ airborne adventure at Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Hang gliding and kite flying are among the available activities, and Kitty Hawk Kites offers a soaring experience on a replica of the 1902 Wright Brothers glider.

Wildlife refuges

The federal wildlife refuges in North Carolina may be closed and programs canceled, but state parks and properties within the North Carolina Coastal Reserve provide another way to experience the fall bird migration and view species protected on the federal sites. Here’s a general geographic rundown:

• The Outer Banks (Alligator River, Currituck, Mackay Island and Pea Island wildlife refuges) is home to Currituck Banks Reserve and Kitty Hawk Woods. Kitty Hawk Kites offers guided horseback rides through Buxton Woods.
• The Central Coast (Cedar Island and Swanquarter wildlife refuges) has the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve, home to a herd of feral horses. Find details about how to reach and explore the reserve at crystalcoastnc.org. At Hammocks Beach State Park near Swansboro, visitors can book campsites on the beach as well as explore the natural wonders.
• The inner coast (Mattamuskeet, Pocosin Lakes, Roanoke River and Great Dismal Swamp wildlife refuges) is home to Dismal Swamp State Park (foliage and temperatures make fall perfect for a paddle) and the Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve.
• In the Piedmont, the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge is near Morrow Mountain State Park in Albemarle.

For more information to inspire and plan your trip, stop by VisitNC.com.

###

About Visit North Carolina:

Visit North Carolina, the state's official destination marketing organization, is part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, a private nonprofit corporation that serves as North Carolina’s economic development organization. The EDPNC focuses on business and job recruitment, existing industry support, international trade, tourism and film marketing.

The mission of Visit NC is to unify and lead the state in positioning North Carolina as a preferred destination for leisure travel, group tours, meetings and conventions, sports events and film production to maximize economic vitality statewide. Each year, North Carolina welcomes about 40 million visitors who spend nearly $37 billion during their visit. The tourism industry employs more than 230,000 people and generates nearly $2.7 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information, travel ideas and inspiration, go to VisitNC.com.

###

CONTACT:

Veda Gilbert ǀ Suzanne Brown ǀ Emily Prickett
media@VisitNC.com