North Carolina - Apr '24

made-in-nc refreshments | local waters | ice cream trail | go low — or high

North Carolina

S ome of North Carolina’s best summer spots have become internationally renowned, largely because of the blockbuster teen dramas set there. And of course, we totally understand flocking to the scene of, say, The Summer I Turned Pretty (the idyllic shores of Wilmington IRL). But the state is also home to plenty of lesser-known gems—places that offer all kinds of ways to keep cool, plus that wonderful sense of delving deeper into local life. To help you discover a few favorites, we’ve put together this primer. From hidden swimming holes to decadent ice cream trails, here are 30 ways to cool off—and experience the real North Carolina—this summer.

Some of the most delicious ways to keep cool are particular to North Carolina. Take Cheerwine, which—despite the name—has nothing to do with fermented grapes. A cherry soda born 110 years ago in the state’s Piedmont region, this bright red drink inspires such devotion that tens of thousands of fans descend on its hometown of Salisbury for the annual Cheerwine Festival each May, when all manner of Cheerwine-flavored treats (for starters, ice cream floats) are served up downtown, along with live music and other amusements. In fact, last year’s proved so popular that the attendance—estimated at 100,000—broke all previous records. But even if you can’t make this year’s (May 18), you’ll find Cheerwine at shops, restaurants and bars state-wide, in various incarnations. One of the most beloved (and most cooling) is the Cheerwine Slushie, dispensed by various gas stations and convenience stores. But there are also adult versions, such as the Jim Beam-spiked Cheerwine Slushie at Little Richard’s Bar-N-Cue in Winston-Salem. To round out your fruit-flavored summer adventures in North Carolina, hit the Winterville Watermelon Festival, August 22-25, when the famously cooling fruit is in unlimited supply (especially during the requisite watermelon eating contest).

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Cheerwine mural in Salisbury, North Carolina

Explore the French Broad River with Oxbow River Snorkeling

Try made-in-NC refreshments

Immerse yourself in local waters

Hit an ice cream trail

Go low — or high

French Broad Crayfish

Plan your trip

Wilmington Riverwalk in Wilmington, North Carolina

Larema Coffee House in Rocky Mount, NC

Kayaking in the Currituck Sound

Hawksbill Mountain

New Bern, North Carolina -- the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola

Upper Creek Falls swimming hole

Bald Head Island

Two Scoops Creamery in Charlotte, North Carolina

El Rio Ice Cream and Paleteria

Mile High Swinging Bridge

Mount Mitchell State Park

Linville Caverns

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Ocracoke Coffee Company in Ocracoke, North Carolina

Lake Lure in Rutherford County, North Carolina

Ice cream at Sweet Carolina in Aberdeen, North Carolina

Hiking Jane Bald in Mitchell County, North Carolina

Another refreshment born in North Carolina? Pepsi. And you can make a pilgrimage to the actual Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola—where pharmacist Caleb Bradham invented the drink in 1898—for frosty soda fountain Pepsi colas, a fun primer on Bradham and his invention and a refresher course on Pepsi’s jingles through the ages (nostalgia alert!). There's wonderfully retro merch. Adding to the feeling of time travel is the town itself: the riverside enclave of New Bern, the capital of the state until 1792. So come for the Pepsi, stay for the history. You can still visit the first capitol, Tryon Palace, and stroll past many of the houses and gardens of that era. In fact, the Palace gardens extend to the Trent River, where likely breezes along the banks will make your stroll through history even cooler.

There are many reasons to love North Carolina’s most famous beaches, from sheer natural beauty to perfect kiteboarding and windsurfing conditions. But there are at least as many reasons to go off the beaten path when you’re looking to get in the water this summer. For one: river snorkeling. Yes, this is actually a thing, as you’ll find in the Blue Ridge Mountains, specifically, through an outfit called Oxbow River Snorkeling that operates from mid-May to mid-September. Geared up in a wetsuit, hood, vest, gloves, mask and snorkel—with a freshwater biologist for a guide—you’ll explore the upper French Broad River, home to celebrity mega-salamanders (eastern hellbenders), French Broad Crayfish (a funky river crustacean) and dozens of species of fish. Though river snorkeling in and of itself will be memorable, you can also combine the excursion with river hiking and traditional hiking into a national forest, where bonus enticements range from wildflowers to waterfalls.

Then again, North Carolina has no shortage of waterfalls, and—not far from the river snorkeling site—one of the most beautiful cascades into a pool that’s perfect for summertime swimming and wading: Schoolhouse Falls in the Nantahala National Forest. There are various trails that take you to the falls, but the shortest is about 2.5 miles roundtrip, creating an inherently secluded feel to your swim. While you're in the neighborhood, don't miss the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where the water-based adventures range from river rafting to SUPing. And if you're looking for a cascade-fed swimming hole that requires a slightly shorter hike than Schoolhouse Falls, consider Hunt Fish Falls (a 1.5-mile roundtrip) — also in the mountains of the western part of the state, where the water stays refreshing throughout summer. In fact, there are many waterfall-fed swimming holes throughout this area, so you could easily spend a day pool-hopping through nature.

And these are just a couple of the highlights within the national seashore, where you'll also find prime swimming, kayaking, fishing, and — by night — stargazing ops. Indeed, in 2021, Cape Lookout National Seashore became the first Atlantic coastal Dark Sky Place in the NPS to receive International Dark Sky Park certification. The truth is, there are countless islands worth exploring along the North Carolina coast. One more of particular interest to lighthouse lovers? Bald Head Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and home to the 19th-century Old Baldy lighthouse, commissioned by none other than Thomas Jefferson. The island is also home to exceptional golf and protected, wildlife-rich maritime forests and creeks.

Though you need no excuse to eat ice cream—least of all in summer—nothing gives a sense of purpose to your indulgence like a full-blown immersive travel experience. And that’s where the Hendersonville Ice Cream Trail comes in, with local farm-grown fruits sweetening slow-churned treats, layers of creaminess enriching Mexican milkshakes and pretty much everything in between. The full trail includes a dozen stops—and if you’re in the area to explore its better-known trails (the ones that lace the Blue Ridge Mountains), you can surely work up enough of an appetite while you’re hiking to sample all 12. What follows is just a small sampling. McConnell Farms, home to some of the area’s well known apple orchards, grows much of what winds up in the shop’s farm-made ice cream. You’ll be tempted by all kinds of flavors, but if there’s apple ice cream on offer, it’ll give you the most traditional taste of Hendersonville.

Meanwhile, at El Rio Ice Cream and Paleteria, one of two Mexican outposts on the trail, you’ll find extra-creamy homemade ice cream in such flavors as avocado, queso and passion fruit—to say nothing of all the fun popsicles and multi-layered frozen treats (chamoyadas, choco fresas and banana splits, to name a few). For a taste of the Emerald Isle, or at least the ice cream-making techniques in County Kerry, head to the Celtic Creamery, where a rotating selection of 14 homemade flavors makes its way into signature sundaes or, cookie sandwiches and floats, to name a few. But save room for the made-to-order donuts.

For anyone who’d prefer to approach the entire state as if it were a frozen treat trail, once again, North Carolina doesn’t disappoint. If, for example, you’re in Johnson County’s Smithfield to check out the Ava Gardener Museum (an ode to the hometown heroine of Hollywood’s golden age)—or, just as likely, the area’s outlet shops—you can’t miss Hills of Snow. Literally. The entire operation is run out of a larger-than-life, brightly colored cup of icy goodness, complete with two straws protruding from the dome-shaped roof. Owned by a family whose closely guarded secrets of shaved ice alchemy inspires a steady line of devotees, this snowball-slinging shop is open seasonally starting in March, with formulas that range from light fruity shaved ices to rich “snow creams” (think: orangey “Dreamsicles”). Speaking of cream: Another stop not to miss if you’re surveying North Carolina’s most beloved frozen treats is Peaches n’ Cream in Anson County’s Wadesboro. Of course, the locally grown fresh summer peaches are a treat unto themselves, but blend them (or other farm-grown fruits) into the ice cream that’s made here daily in summer, and you get something magical.

Sometimes all you need to beat the heat is a little altitude adjustment: Keeping cool may be a simple question of reaching the most notable heights (or depths) of North Carolina. One prime example: the Mile High Swinging Bridge in the Grandfather Mountain nature park. This pedestrian suspension bridge will place you at an altitude—more than a mile up from the bottom of the chasm you’re crossing—where the temperature is 10-15 degrees cooler than in the foothills below, and the breezes can be…brisk, to say the least. (Highs in the 60s aren’t uncommon in summer.) Once you reach Linville Peak (elevation 5,305 feet), you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of the surrounding International Biosphere Reserve, home to every creature from otters to elk. (For all but guaranteed sightings, join a Behind-the-Scenes Habitat Tour, on offer during weekends from April to October.)

To reach even greater heights, head to Mount Mitchell—at 6,684 feet, the highest peak east of the Mississippi—where temperatures are typically 10-30 degrees cooler than in nearby Asheville. Little wonder the landscape at North Carolina’s first state park looks positively alpine. In fact, according to the U.S. National Park Service, the spruce-fir forest you’ll experience at the peak exists in very few places on earth. Whether you decide to hike through the trees, eat at the onsite restaurant or simply take in the surreal views from the summit’s ADA accessible observation deck, you’re unlikely to break a sweat all summer.

A more unusual way to keep cool? Rather than head up a mountain, head inside it, as you can do at Linville Caverns in western North Carolina's High Country region. Set inside Humpback Mountain, these chambers astonished the 19th-century geologist who stumbled upon them during a fishing expedition, then said of the experience in a local newspaper: “now began the wondrous splendors of the hidden world...we emerged into an immense passage, whose roof was far beyond the reach of the glare of our torches, except where the fantastic festoons of stalactites hang down within our touch. It looked like the arch of some grand old cathedral, yet it was too sublime, too perfect in all its beautiful proportions, to be anything of human, but a model which man might attempt to imitate.” (Also: It's 52 degrees year-round.) The space became accessible to the public several decades later, and it’s now open for guided tours on various days throughout the summer (check the website for hours).

If beer gardens are more your scene, and you’re looking for someplace to kick back with a great craft brew on a warm afternoon or sultry summer night, North Carolina doesn’t disappoint. Especially Charlotte: In the just-released results of the 2024 USA Today Readers’ Choice for the 10 best beer gardens in the nation, the top spot went to the city’s Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, where the century-old, string-lit hickory, pecan, and oak trees help set the mood for savoring house-brewed hefeweizen, pilsner porter and more. And another local spot made the top 10: the Charlotte Beer Garden, which came in at number 6 with, according to the judges, “one of the largest selections of draft beers you’re likely to find in a single restaurant, with more than 400 beers on tap.” Another North Carolina City in the top 10? Raleigh, where the Raleigh Beer Garden claimed the number four spot thanks to the first floor’s dedication to North Carolina beers and an international floor that covers the rest of the globe.

Lattes and churros at Cocoa Cinnamon in Durham, North Carolina

Another subterranean option to consider: Midland’s Reed Gold Mine, a North Carolina Historic Site and scene of the first documented gold find in the U.S. You might not have the same luck the eponymous Mr. Reed did on that fateful day in 1799, when he found a 17-pound gold nugget while he was fishing in Little Meadow Creek. But panning for gold, learning local history from experts in period costume, and wandering the mine’s the cool (in every sense) tunnels can feel nothing short of priceless at the peak of summer.

Reffen Street Food Market Photo credits: Lukas Bukoven (left); Reffen - Copenhagen Street Food (right)

Pan for gold at Reed Gold Mine

Of course, for some, summer isn’t summer without copious quantities of guzzle-able iced coffee concoctions—and on that front, North Carolina has you covered, too. Durham’s Cocoa Cinnamon shops—purveyors of the award-winning Little Waves Coffee—take things over the top with such drinks as Mi Querida Patria de Voces Inocentes (Salvadorian Horchata iced latte topped with cinnamon and nutmeg) and Venezuelan Gatorade (Papelón con limón — essentially, limeade — with espresso over ice). If it's another famed Latin American coffee you want, say, an iced cafecito Cubano, head to Jacksonville's Havana 58, where you'll find Italian coffee drinks and sodas, too, as well as creative combos such as iced coffee and ginger beer. You can also find entire coffee trails, some with guided tours, in cities from the mountains to the coast.

Taps at Raleigh Beer Garden

Karaoke at Raleigh Beer Garden

Raleigh Beer Garden

Hills of Snow

Of course, for some, summer is synonymous with island life. If that's you, you'll want to proceed directly to North Carolina's 320-mile coastline, the majority of which is dotted with islands. Some of them need no introduction, like the aforementioned Outer Banks. But there are others that you may not have heard of—and that you'll want to get to know. Consider the barrier islands along the 85-mile Crystal Coast, aka the Southern Outer Banks. Here you'll find Harkers Island, home to the Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitor Center as well as some of the best views of the cape's crown jewel: the Diamond Lady, or—as she's officially known—the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, a 20th-century light station that you can explore in depth if you catch the ferry from the Visitor Center. If wild horses frolicking on deserted beaches are more your thing, the same visitor center offers ferry service to Shackleford Banks, where the prevailing theory is that a Spanish shipwreck centuries ago led to the "Banker Pony" population you see onshore now.

Wild horses in the Outer Banks

made-in nc refreshments | local waters | ice cream trail | go low — or high