{ 5.00 Explain the importance of understanding destinations in the travel, tourism, and recreation industry. 5.02Explain major travel destinations in North Carolina.

{ Major destinations in the Coastal Region

  Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Lighthouse   Became the nation’s first national seashore in 1953   Tallest lighthouse in North America   Built in 1870   208 feet high, 268 steps   Beaches famous for surf fishing

  Fort Macon State Park   Fort completed in 1834 to guard Beaufort Inlet   Located on 389 acres   Five-sided construction of brick and stone   Twenty-six rooms (or casements) enclosed in 4.5 feet thick outer walls   Visitors can see a wide moat that protected the fort when waters from Bogue Sound flooded the area.

  NC Aquariums – Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores and Fort Fisher   Established in 1976   Promote education of North Carolina’s aquatic environment   Open year round

  Wright Brothers’ National Memorial – near Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills   First Flight Centennial Celebration, December 12-17, 2003   Tribute to Orville and Wilbur Wright, originally from Ohio   First powered flight   Lasted 12 seconds   Traveled 120 feet

  Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens – New Bern   First capital of North Carolina   Mansion constructed between 1767 and 1770   38-rooms mansion   Residence of William Tryon, governor of the colony and state of North Carolina   14 acres of beautiful period gardens

  Historic Bath   North Carolina’s first town   Founded in 1705   First official port of entry   Home to Blackbeard the pirate   Location of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, the state’s oldest church

  Fort Raleigh National Park – Manteo   Established in 1941   413 acre park   Commemorates the first English attempts at colonizing the New World

  Battleship USS North Carolina – Wilmington   Commissioned in 1941   Participated in every major campaign of WWII in the Pacific   Saved from scrapping in 1960 by a statewide fund-raising campaign

  “The Lost Colony” – Roanoke Island   America’s first and longest running outdoor drama   400 year old mystery of first settlers in North Carolina   Mysterious disappearance of 117 men, women and children in 1587 while establishing the first English settlement

  “Worthy Is the Lamb” – Swansboro   North Carolina’s third largest outdoor drama   Passion play about the life of Christ

{ Major destinations in the Heartland/Piedmont Region

  Concord Mills – Concord (near Charlotte)   Shopping entertainment with an oval racetrack layout reflective of the NASCAR area   Over 200 retail stores   24-screen state of the art AMC Theatre   Paramount’s Carowinds – Charlotte   The Carolinas’ 100-acre water and theme park   Shops, rides, games   A year-round campground

{   Kerr Lake State Recreation Areas – Henderson   Man-made lake with 800 miles of wooded shoreline   Kerr Dam   Built by the Army Corps of Engineers   Completed in 1953   Kerr Lake named after Congressman John H. Kerr   Jordan Lake State Recreation Area – Pittsboro   Covers 15,481 acres   The largest summertime home of the bald eagle in the Eastern United States   Named in honor of the former Senator B. Everett Jordan

  Lowe’s Motor Speedway or Charlotte Motor Speedway – Concord (near Charlotte)   Built in 1959 by O. Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner   President H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler   One and one-half mile speedway   Considered the Mecca of motor sports and home to NASCAR racing   Seating capacity of 167,000 in 2000   Guilford Courthouse National Military Park   233-acre park   A key battle site during the Revolutionary War   Site of the battle between the British Redcoats and the Continentals on March 15, 1781

  North Carolina Zoo – Asheboro   One of the world’s largest and finest walk-through, natural habitat zoos   Features more than 62,000 plants and nearly 1,100 animals   1,400 acres   700,000 visitors annually   Morrow Mountain Park – Stanly County   Ancient Uwharrie mountain range   One of the oldest in the eastern United States   10,000 visitors weekly

  Wet ‘N Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park – Greensboro   Largest water park in the Carolinas   34 rides and attractions   Airborne & Special Operations Museum – Fayetteville   Provides history and education about the US Army airborne and special operations   Established in 2000

{ Major destinations in the Mountain Region.

  Blue Ridge Parkway   469-miles of scenic toll-free roadway   Connects the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great   Smoky National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee   No commercial vehicles allowed   Great Smoky Mountains National Park   Established in 1934   520,408 acres of land with heights ranging from 840 feet at Abrams Creek to 6,643 feet at Clingmans Dome   One of the largest protected areas in the Eastern United States   An International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site

  Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Cherokee   Opened in November 1997 by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians   175,000 sq. ft. facility features an expanding gaming area   2,700 video-based gaming machines   A day-care facility available for families with children and young adults up to age 20   Must be 21 years of age or older to enter the casino, casino restaurants, and pavilion   Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week   252-room, 15-story luxury hotel opened in 2002 adjacent to the casino   Farmer’s Market – Asheville   36-acre market facility   Operated by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture   Open year round with seasonal hours

  Biltmore Estate – Asheville   America’s largest private house, created by George Vanderbilt in 1895   250-room French Renaissance chateau nestled among 8,000 acres   75-acres of gardens, walking trails and an award-winning winery   Among the country’s most visited historic residences   National Historic Landmark   Lodging available for visitors at the Inn on the Estate   Mount Mitchell State Park   1,855 acres   Highest point east of the Mississippi River   North Carolina’s first state park, dedicated in 1915

  “Unto These Hills” – Cherokee   America’s most popular outdoor drama   Re-enactment of the story behind the Cherokee “Trail of Tears”   Opened July 1, 1950   “Horn in The West” – Boone   Musical saga of Daniel Boone and the mountain men as they struggled with the red-coated militia and the Cherokee War Chief, Dragging Canoe   Started in 1952