Experience a ‘Gilded Age’ Christmas

…and Visit the North Pole!

The economic news has been getting progressively worse and worse through the fall, politicians tell us we’re in for hard times, something the resourceful people of North Carolina are quite accustomed to. In the mountainous west of the state – designated in the best of times as an officially “depressed region” – the #1 source of income is tourism and our tremendous natural beauty in all seasons still draws millions of appreciative visitors from all over the world.

One of the most famous of the WNC attractions is America’s only genuine castle, the beautiful Biltmore Estate, once home to George Vanderbuilt and his wife Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, the estate continues the tradition of holiday festivities begun by the Vanderbuilts on Christmas Eve of 1895. With 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces, there’s plenty to decorate in the ornate style of the estate’s roots in America’s “Gilded Age.”

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Filed under Architecture, Art, Carolina History, Family Activities, Holidays, North Carolina, Resorts, Ski Resorts, Tourism, Winter Sports | Comment (0)

Top 25 Reasons to Visit NC – 4

Part 4: Reasons 16 – 25

16. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Cultural Feast

The cultural and educational offerings in the State Capital area will appeal to even the most sophisticated of visitors. Excellent history and natural science museums, the North Carolina Symphony, the North Carolina Museum of Art, Duke Gardens at Duke University and more great outings can keep interested visitors busy for weeks!


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Filed under Architecture, Art, Carolina Coast, Carolina History, Ghost Stories, Lighthouses, Nature, Night Life, Outer Banks | Comments (3)

A Guided Tour of New Bern

The first Colonial capital of North Carolina, historic New Bern maintains a regular time capsule of building styles in well-maintained houses and buildings. This is a narrated video tour of the coastal port city where the Trent and Neuse Rivers meet and flow into the southern arm of Pamlico Sound.

While in the coastal region, you may want to investigate some of the coastal legends that have accumulated over the centuries, from the storied Lost Colony through ghosts, pirates and even ghost ships, to a Dismal Swamp said to be home to a tragic Lady of the Lake.

To begin planning your trip to the beautiful and storied North Carolina coast, check out some of the offered information and links at CoastalGuide: New Bern.

Filed under Architecture, Carolina Coast, Carolina History, Ghost Stories, Native Legends, North Carolina, Tourism | Comment (0)