Site Consultant / Quality of Life

The Coastal & Mountain Regions

Residents of Zebulon not only have access to a wide array of arts, entertainment, culture, and recreational opportunities locally and in the Raleigh metro area, the town is less than 2 hours to the North Carolina coastline and approximately 3 hours from the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina.

The Blue Ridge & Smoky Mountains

The Appalachian mountain chain runs through the western part of the state, forming the lush landscape of the region. The Great Smoky Mountains in southwestern North Carolina are one of the country's top natural destinations, and visitors can enjoy 250 miles of the world-famous Blue Ridge Parkway winding through North Carolina's mountains. Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in the state, and at 6,684 feet, it is also the tallest mountain in the eastern United States.

Two-thirds of North Carolina's mountains are covered with hardwood forests, and in autumn, the over 120 species of trees put on a brilliant display of color. Some areas of the region see over 30 inches of snow a year, so skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports are popular activities. Summers are cool and refreshing with low humidity.

The magic of the North Carolina Mountains isn't just what you'll find at the top of them. It's what's waiting for you around every bend. More than eight hundred miles of hiking trails. Over three hundred waterfalls, some with sheer drops of four hundred feet. Miles of pristine trout streams. Fine artisan galleries. Quaint inns with five-star dining. Or camping spots with a billion stars overhead as your roof.

Some of the great tourist destinations in the U.S. are in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains including historic Asheville, NC and the Biltmore House & Gardens, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Lake Lure, the Cherokee Indian Reservation and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The North Carolina Coast

Not to be outdone by the beauty and majesty of the North Carolina mountains, the Atlantic coastline of North Carolina offers visitors just as much or more. 

Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the North Carolina Coast is a sunny place filled with pristine beaches, giant sand dunes (including Jockey's Ridge, the highest along the East Coast) and wetlands filled with wildlife and a variety of plants. The defining characteristic of the area is the Outer Banks, a chain of fragile barrier islands - 130 miles of unspoiled coastline surrounded by 900 square miles of water.

The area is also full of history, dating back to the 16th century, when the first English settlement was built - and then vanished. There are also sites from pre-Revolutionary Days through the Civil War. Not to mention the historic lighthouses (including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which at 208 feet is the tallest brick lighthouse in the nation). The city of Wilmington is a major US seaport. And, in 1903 the Wright Brothers ushered in the era of flight at Kitty Hawk. The average annual temperature here is 63 degrees. The growing season lasts 295 days.

At some of our more popular beaches, for example, you can lose yourself in the crowd. But then, just a short drive or ferry ride away, you can stroll a secluded ribbon of sand where there are no human beings for miles, and where the only high-rise you'll see on the horizon is a lighthouse.

Walk waterfront villages where "comers 'n goers" are warmly greeted or explore a colony from centuries ago that became one of the great mysteries in American history. Surf the restless waves or scuba dive among the hundreds of shipwrecks that lie below them. Pier fish above the ocean or fly fish on the sound. Float in a kayak across the Great Dismal Swamp or sail off a four-story-tall sand dune in a hang glider.

The North Carolina coast offers a number of excellent beaches and historic towns and cities including Wilmington, New Bern, and the famous Outer Banks communities of Ocracoke Island, Cape Hatteras, Kitty Hawk, and Manteo.  

And so it's only natural that this is the place where man first learned to fly. Everywhere you look, there's something else to make your spirit soar.

For more information about where to go, what to do, and where to stay along the North Carolina coastline, go to www.VisitNC.com