Springer's Point is a 120-acre coastal nature preserve with a legendary past. First settled in the early 1600s as a bustling shipping port, its flow of goods and barrier-island features attracted one of Ocracoke’s most infamous visitors, Edward Teach. Better known as notorious pirate captain Blackbeard, Teach used the sound and ocean access of Springer’s Point to raid and plunder well-stocked cargo ships.

Roaming freely along the windswept shores of Northern Outer Banks, the wild horses of Corolla are living links to a bygone era. Believed to be descendants of Spanish mustangs brought here by explorers over 400 years ago, these striking horses have adapted to life on the barrier islands, navigating dunes, salt marshes and scrub forests with quiet resilience. These wild herds are a reminder of the unique and untamed spirit that still defines the Outer Banks.

Visitors who want to see the inner workings of a coastal forest can get an unmatched experience at the Brice’s Creek Saltwater Trail in Croatan National Forest, the only true coastal national forest in the Eastern US.

With 318 curves in just 11 miles of roadway, it's no wonder U.S. Highway 129 at Deals Gap near Tapoco has been named the top motorcycling road in America many times over. Known as the Dragon after its curves that resemble a dragon's tail, this highway is a favorite of motoring enthusiasts due to its remote location in the Great Smoky Mountains, lack of intersections, abundance of scenic vistas, and proximity to other remarkable drives.

With 17 slopes and trails plus nine lifts, there’s plenty of skiing and snowboarding to be done at Beech Mountain Resort. And at an elevation of 5,506 feet, you’ll be skiing in the highest town in Eastern America. You can even sit at the top with snacks and a cold Beech Mountain Brewing Co. beer at 5506’ Skybar.

Not only is Fontana Dam a beautiful vista on the drive through the Great Smoky Mountains, at 480 feet high it's also the tallest concrete dam in the Eastern US. After crossing the length of the top of the dam, you've even traveled a bit of the grandiose Appalachian Trail.

A short drive from Hendersonville stands Jump Off Rock, a photogenic spot offering beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The origin of the name comes from a more than 300-year-old Native American legend that tells a tragic story of love and loss.

From the time Cherokee and Catawba roamed North Carolina's northern mountains, people have reported seeing strange lights at night in the Brown Mountains near Morganton. Sometimes they're pale, ghostly lights slowly moving along the trees, and sometimes they whirl and dart rapidly across the forest. The Brown Mountain Lights always appear in the woods, rise above the mountain then slowly disappear.

The Cherohala Skyway might be the only National Scenic Byway that resulted from a joke. In the 1950s, someone made a joke about the only roads between North Carolina and Tennessee being old wagon trails. That started an annual wagon trail ride, which gave rise to the idea for a highway that would run along the crest of the Unicoi Mountains from Robbinsville to Tellico, Tenn. After 40 years and at a cost of $100 million, the 43-mile Cherohala Skyway was finished.

Each fall, the side of Highway 64 near Cashiers in Jackson County becomes a location for one of the most unique leaf-looking experiences in the country – the Shadow of the Bear. This naturally occurring phenomenon makes an appearance for just 30 minutes on sunny days around 5:30 p.m. from mid-October through early November. It starts with a small dark shadow at the bottom of the valley and grows until it finally evolves into the bear.