Virtual Visits: Explore North Carolina Attractions and Destinations From Home

Hike our beautiful mountains full of breathtaking views, stroll through 300 miles of coastline and admire our bustling cities with fascinating museums – all from the coziness of your couch.

You can also share the beauty of North Carolina with others by downloading a custom Zoom background, where you’ll be transported to a serene location sure to inspire your next trip when travel is once again safe.

MOUNTAINS

Blowing Rock Area

The Blue Ridge Mountains in the High Country

Blowing Rock Area

Visit The Blowing Rock outcropping and downtown Blowing Rock via webcams, listen to interviews with local figures from the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, and enjoy Grandfather Mountain’s “Nature Minutes” while you become friends with some of the wildlife.

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Merlefest

Merlefest

Though MerleFest 2020 was canceled, get your fix of the premier music festival by watching videos of musical performances (including The Avett Brothers and Brandi Carlile) from the 2019 event.

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Blue Ridge Parkway

Linn Cove Viaduct

Blue Ridge Parkway

Appreciate this famous 469-mile scenic byway through the eyes of the people who love it and know it best with “Explorers of the Blue Ridge Parkway,” an interactive guide designed to look, move and sound like a real-life journey on the Parkway. It also offers tales, trails, top hikes and animated vistas of endless mountain ridges.

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Asheville Art Museum

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville Art Museum

In addition to looking through the museum’s exhibits and collections virtually, get to know staff and volunteers, take a deeper dive into works of art, relive grand opening parties and play “I Spy” with your kids using artwork from the museum. For more arts in Asheville, check out The Asheville Symphony Sessions celebrating the diversity of music in the western area of our state, plus Iamavl's restreaming of favorite performances captured on video.

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Hiking in the Asheville Area

Catawba Falls

Hiking in the Asheville Area

Thanks to the Google Trekker, you can explore more than 20 iconic Asheville-area hikes and destinations such as Catawba Falls, Craggy Gardens, the peak of Mount Mitchell, Sliding Rock and Biltmore (and be sure to check out the estate’s playlist of virtual tours on its YouTube channel, plus its Bloom Report on its website). If you'd rather relax and calm your immune system, join Namaste in Nature for free yoga videos in front of a backdrop of vistas and waterfalls.

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Bryson City Area

Tubing on Deep Creek

Bryson City Area

Get your Great Smoky Mountains fix with about a dozen videos showing off the abundance of excursions to take in the area: zip line through the treetops, spot elk in the distance, fish for mountain trout, tube on Deep Creek and so much more.

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Additional virtual experiences

 

CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

Raleigh

Woman walking on path in the outdoor Museum Park at North Carolina Museum of Art on sunny day
Museum Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art

Raleigh

Indulge in the arts around our state’s capital when you take part in the North Carolina Museum of Art’s “NCMA Recommends,” a new weekly series – inspired from members’ and visitors’ favorite exhibits – that reveals connections between its collection and other arts, themes and ideas. Or explore exhibits from the North Carolina History Museum, catch past ballet performances from Carolina Ballet (including fan favorites Frankenstein and Boléro) and more.

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Tobacco Farm Life Museum

Tobacco Farm Life Museum

Learn about Johnston County’s history with the “Clips of Time” Facebook live series, where the museum director uses newspaper stories, museum collection items and more to educate viewers on a variety of topics.

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Carowinds

Carowinds

Carowinds

Though you might not feel the wind in your hair, you can still enjoy Carowinds' world-class rides in Charlotte with a YouTube playlist of your favorite roller coasters and water park thrills, including Copperhead Strike and Fury 325. Throw this on a big screen and put those hands in the air.

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U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum

U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum

U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum

This immersive 3D museum tour in Fayetteville invites you to walk through the exhibits and see Iron Mike through the computer screen. It serves to create community and conversation, and it also provides parents with a new tool to engage their children in history lessons.

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Additional virtual experiences

 

COAST

Tryon Palace

Tryon Palace

Tune in every weekday at 10 a.m. on Tryon Palace’s Facebook page for lectures, tours and demos including a range of topics from how faux food is made and used in the palace to the history of dueling.

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Onslow County

Lejeune Memorial Gardens

Onslow County

Even though you might be inside, you can still enjoy Onslow County’s great outdoors with virtual cruises through Bayonet Enterprises and Lady Swan Boat Tours, plus a video tour of Lejeune Memorial Gardens. Then head inside for visits to Walton's Distillery and Onslow County Museum – and even cook up recipes from the Redneck BBQ Lab.

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Wilmington

Wilmington Riverwalk

Wilmington

Wilmington and its beaches offer a wealth of digital greatness: Feel as though you’re actually wandering on the Riverwalk with its SkyNAV tour, practice social distancing when you stroll through a self-guided walking tour with the Wilmington.tours app, take a virtual tour through the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens and Bellamy Mansion, interact with the Cape Fear Museum through its videos on Facebook, meet some of the wildlife at The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, or follow along with #ConnectWithCam for a series of videos and art-inspired posts from Cameron Art Museum.

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Additional virtual experiences

Updated April 2, 2020
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