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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
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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.
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.
Blue Ridge Parkway
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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.
Asheville Art Museum
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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.
Hiking in the Asheville Area
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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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Additional virtual experiences
- Apple Hill Farm
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Hendersonville
- Mitchell County (plus virtual puzzles of Mitchell County landmarks)
- Tryon (including a Nina Simone tour)
CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
Raleigh
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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.
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.
Carowinds
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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.
U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum
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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.
Additional virtual experiences
- Alamance Battleground State Historic Site
- Animal Park at the Conservators Center
- Ava Gardner Museum
- Billy Graham Library
- Duke Arts
- Lake Norman
- Morehead Planetarium & Science Center
- Randolph County
- Sanford Mural Trail
- The Temple Theatre
COAST
Tryon Palace
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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.
Onslow County
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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.
Wilmington
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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.