Jim Hargan - Explorers Guide North Carolina

Come join us on a trip through one of the most varied states in the nation. Well visit miles of beaches and mile-high peaks, quaint country villages and large vibrant cities, vast tracts of public lands and lovely little gardens, and sites from every period of American history, from Sir Walter Raleighs day right down to the present. Well pedal down bicycle paths, hike the Appalachian Trail, kayak Olympic whitewater, and drive along hundreds of miles of scenic highway. And along the way well stay in only the quaintest and friendliest hotels and B&Bs, and eat only good local food, prepared from scratch.

This Explorers Guide does a few things differently from most guidebooks you may have seen. For one thing, it doesnt stop at the state line; if theres something really great just over the line, well tell you all about it. This especially includes full coverage of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including hotels and restaurants in Gatlinburg and Townsend, Tennessee. Second, well tell you what an area will look like, and include a scenic drive and a walk or two, for those who enjoy beautiful scenery. And well describe the large tracts of public landsnational forests, national wildlife refuges, wild seashores, state game landsin which you can wander freely, and explore nature on your own terms. Well also cover the beaches (right down to parking), the rivers, and the great man-made recreation lakes. Then come all the best sites, the museums and galleries, the restaurants and hotels, but now in a context of the natural beauty of their region. Its a different approachan approach for explorers.

PRICES

Prices were checked in mid-to late 2010. These will, of course, slip as this book agesmainly upwardbut the relative brackets should remain comparable. These brackets have been chosen so that the lowest and highest brackets are very rare, but not unheard-of.

DINING PRICES Typical price for one full meal, with tea in a simple family restaurant or wine in an upscale restaurant:

$: Up to $7

$$: $815

$$$: $1629

$$$$: $3059

$$$$$: $60119

$$$$$$: $120-plus

HOTELS AND B&B PRICES These brackets are for double occupancy for one night, excluding tax. Some establishments may require reservations for more than one night; these have been pro-rated for comparison purposes.

$: Up to $69

$$: $70119

$$$: $120169

$$$$: $170349

$$$$$: $350999

$$$$$$: $1,000-plus

ATTRACTION PRICES These range from museums to driving a race car on a dirt track; prices are for one adult for one day unless noted in the text.

$: $14

$$: $59

$$$: $1024

$$$$: $2599

$$$$$: $100999

$$$$$$: $1,000-plus

RESTAURANTS

Please note the distinction between Dining Out and Eating Out. Dining Out places are more formal, more gourmet-oriented, and more expensive; Eating Out places are more casual and cheaper.

KEY TO SYMBOLS

This particular edition of the Explorers Guide series uses only two symbols, both applying to hotels and B&Bs, and to some restaurants as well.

The crayon designates kid-friendly establishments. If this is missing, assume that your prospective hotel will not allow children under 12. If young children are allowed, but restrictions or fees apply, this will be noted in the text.

The paw print designates pet-friendly establishments. Again, if this is missing, assume that pets are prohibited. With pets in hotels, restrictions and fees are the norm, and you should always contact the landlord in advance.

L ets start with the numbers: North Carolina is 500 miles long, 240 miles wide at its eastern end, and 16 miles wide at its western end. In other words, North Carolina is a big pie slice. The rim of the pie slice, suitably rounded, sticks out into the Atlantic as a crescent of beaches called the Outer Banks. Theres actually about 300 miles of beach (like all pie edges, this one is crinkly), ranging from big resorts to utter wilderness, and its all spectacular. At the other end of the state, the slices point includes the tallest mountains in the East, the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, with Americas two most popular national parks. Call it the lumpy end of the pie. Before North Carolina narrows to a point, it manages to fit in about 250 miles of lumps. Between the beaches and the mountains are the cities, some of the greatest of the old New South, forming a continuous urban arc nearly 200 miles long. Within these urban areas, money from tobacco, textiles, and furniture has produced a flood of museums, theaters, parks, historic restorations, professional sports teams, skyscrapers, zoos, and more than a smattering of eccentricity.

And if this makes North Carolina sound something just shy of complete chaoswell, thats part of its charm. Its exciting, and you can never run out of things to see or do.

North Carolina dates back to the late 17th centurynot counting Sir Walter Raleighs failed attempt to settle Roanoke Island in the late 16th century. Between Sir Walter and 1700 it was just Carolina, ruled from faraway Charles Towne (modern Charleston, South Carolina). European settlement consisted of a scatter of people in the far northeastern corner, who rather liked the fact that the constantly shifting shoals of the Outer Banks blocked the military ships that might bring lawmen and tax collectors. Sometime around 1700 the English started appointing a separate governor for this unruly district, the better to keep it under control. It didnt always work. In 1718 North Carolinas Governor Eden evidently made a deal with Blackbeard, the most notorious pirate of the day, to declare his booty abandoned goods in exchange for a 20 percent cut. Blackbeard even rented a house in Bath, where Governor Eden lived. Fifty years later the royal governors were still as blatantly corrupt; Governor Tryon raised taxes on his colony to get the money to build himself the biggest mansion in the South, Tryon Palace, now a stunning historic site in New Bern. This actually touched off an armed rebellion, the Regulation War, five years before the Revolution.