Raleigh, NC (Oct. 26, 2009) - From outdoor recreation and unique lodging to arts and culture and fine dining, the charming small towns and vibrant urban locations of North Carolina offer something for everyone. Explore the highest peaks in the eastern United States and 300 miles of pristine coastline at VisitNC.com or call 1-800 VISIT NC (847-4862).
NASCAR Hall of Fame "On Track" For 2010 Grand Opening In Charlotte
Set to open May 11, 2010, the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech, four-level venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes exhibits and interactive displays, a state-of-the-art theater, a Hall of Honor to commemorate inductees, restaurant, retail outlet, and television and radio studio.
Blue Ridge Parkway Turns 75, Offers New Visitor Destination Center
“America’s Favorite Drive” celebrates 75 years of Parkway history, Appalachian culture, and spectacular scenic views in 2010. The year-long anniversary celebration will engage visitors in efforts to sustain the Parkway for future generations (www.blueridgeparkway75.org). The Parkway recently opened a $9.8 million visitor center near Asheville featuring a 70-seat auditorium with an HD film, and an I-Wall interactive parkway map. The Federal Highway Administration named the Parkway an All-American Road.
www.blueridgeparkway.org or 828-298-5330;
www.blueridgeheritage.com or 828-271-4779
Biltmore's Grandest Rooms Open For First Time In 100 Years
In 2009, Biltmore opened a suite of rooms never-before-seen by visitors. The suite includes the Louis XV room, often called the heart of Biltmore, and is considered some of Biltmore’s grandest rooms. The rooms provide a deep and revitalized connection between the two generations born at Biltmore and the visitors who come here to see George Washington Vanderbilt’s 8,000-acre estate, a National Historic Landmark.
www.biltmore.com; 877-BILTMORE or 828-225-1333
Civil Rights Takes A Front Seat In Greensboro
The International Civil Rights Center & Museum opens Feb. 1, 2010 in Greensboro in the original F.W. Woolworth’s building where the protest started. The museum will have 14 signature exhibits and a changing gallery with artifacts and archival installations on the civil rights movement. This includes an exhibit that allows visitors to experience the conversations of the four young men in the re-created North Carolina A&T dorm, prior to their historic act.
www.sitinmovement.org; 336-274-9199
Museum of Art $73 Million Expansion Features Rodin, Rockwell
The NC Museum of Art is opening a new 127,000-square-foot, $73 million building designed by New York architect Thomas Phifer. In April the museum will host a grand opening of its new gallery building, which will be commemorated by the unveiling of a Rodin gift to the museum along with other exciting acquisitions. Later in the year, the museum will open a new exhibit, “American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell.”
www.ncartmuseum.org; 919-839-6262
N.C. Skiing Celebrates 40 Years And a Return to Oz
North Carolina features the highest ski areas and the largest snow tubing resort in the eastern U.S. as well as great new runs and activities for the 2010 ski season. Sugar Mountain Resort gets even sweeter with special programs and deals to honor its 40th anniversary. Appalachian Ski Mountain is now the home for Burton Snowboards' first Progression Park in North Carolina. Hawksnest Snow Tubing Resort now has four different areas to snow tube with 20 lanes ranging from 400 to 1,000 feet long. At Ski Beech, the popular Oz run returns, while a second terrain park debuts this winter. North Carolina has six ski resorts and several snow tubing parks with runs for beginning and advanced skiers, snowboarders and other activities for people who just want to get out and enjoy the snow.
New Bern Celebrates 300
New Bern, North Carolina’s second oldest town, celebrates its 300th Birthday in 2010 and will host a year-long celebration. Throughout the year, New Bern and Craven County will offer a variety of special cultural, educational and historical attractions, tours and recreational opportunities for all. From museums, marinas and parks, to a beautiful palace, there will be plenty to do during the celebration.
www.newbern300.com; 252-635-1710
Canopy Tour Zip Line Opens In Nantahala Gorge
A Canopy Tour through North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains is now open at Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours. This three-hour glide and slide experience simulates flying and is fueled by gravity and a gradual elevation change. More than just a zip line ride, Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours takes you through multiple ecosystems; over hemlocks, and into hardwood treetops. The route takes you above the forest floor which is blanketed with mountain laurel, dogwood, fern, rhododendron, flame azalea, wild magnolia, and many other native plants. Your Canopy Ranger will also share the natural and cultural history of the gorge as you travel from section to section. Participants will also use three Sky Bridges and five transfer bridges to get to the 11 zip line sections that zigzag from the slope sides, trees, and elevated platforms.
www.nantahalagorgecanopytours.com; 828-488-0252
N.C. Routes Named National Scenic Byways
The Outer Banks and Forest Heritage scenic byways have been named as national scenic byways in October 2009, the highest designation a route can receive in the United States. The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway begins at Whalebone Junction near the town of Nags Head, runs south along the Atlantic Ocean through Ocracoke Island and into the Down East area near Beaufort in Carteret County. With the help of two ferries, visitors on this byway get to experience the beaches and see the ocean from the barrier islands enjoying old time village communities that haven't lost their maritime culture. The Forest Heritage Scenic Byway begins in Brevard and travels north through the Pisgah National Forest, passing the popular recreation spot of Sliding Rock Falls and the Cradle of Forestry, home to America's first school of forestry. Visitors view history and beautiful scenery as they drive on old settlement roads past mountain peaks and cascading waterfalls. North Carolina has 54 designated Scenic Byways including two other National Scenic Byways.
Charlotte’s Wells Fargo Cultural Campus Continues To Rise Skyward
Through collaboration between the Charlotte business and cultural arts communities, the Queen City is adding another landmark to its ever-expanding skyline. The Wells Fargo Cultural Campus will feature a variety of museums and performance space in Uptown Charlotte. The Bechtler Museum of Contemporary Art, an $18 million, 35,000-square-foot museum featuring modern art is planned to open in January 2010. www.bechtler.org; 704-975-8330. The development also includes the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture which opened in October 2009 with 50,000 square feet with galleries, classrooms and a gift shop. www.aacc-charlotte.org; 704-374-1565. If all goes according to plan, the Mint Museum of Art’s new Center City building will be complete and open in early 2010. www.mintmuseums.org; 704-337-2000
New UNC Basketball Museum For Tar Heels’ 100th Year
UNC Basketball Museum Celebrates Tar Heels' 100th Year
Located on campus in Chapel Hill, the new Carolina Basketball Museum is celebrating 100 years of Tar Heel basketball during the 2009-2010 season. The museum features artifacts, videos, photos, and statistical and historical panels that highlight the history of the University of North Carolina basketball program. The museum features a "Game Day" theme where visitors enter a theater for pre-game, then step into the main museum space where they can visit interactive displays and view memorabilia and more than 450 artifacts from Carolina's storied program.
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/museum; 919-843-9921
North Carolina Birding Trail Continues Statewide Expansion
The final stretch of the North Carolina Birding Trail that spans from the coast to the mountains was completed in 2009. The trail was initiated in 2003 to provide a scenic avenue for bird watching. North Carolina has 460 of the 900 to 1,000 species of birds found across the country and 93 species of special concern, making the trail the perfect place to view rare and endangered birds.
www.ncbirdingtrail.org; 919-604-5183
Albemarle Features Art DuckO
The coastal traditions of duck hunting and decoy making are brought to life at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City in a new exhibit, “Art DuckO: Waterfowl Culture in North Carolina.” More than 100 decoys by noted carvers, unique feathered fashions and interactive activities are featured in the exhibit. Admission to the museum is free. The exhibition will be displayed through March 2010.
www.museumofthealbemarle.com; 252-335-1453
Charlotte’s Center City:
New Nightlife, Dining, Shopping & Luxury Accommodations
Charlotte has transformed into a vibrant urban center with a growing roster of entertainment venues, sports teams, restaurants and hotels – all made easily accessible through the City’s light rail system. And there’s much more on the way. Here’s an overview:
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Center City adds venues such as the 267,000-square-foot EpiCentre. EpiCentre is the hottest destination in Charlotte right now. It is a one-stop, mixed-use labyrinth and features an upscale steakhouse, Irish pub, bowling alley, Italian bistro, movie theatre, dueling piano bar, burger joint and breakfast diner. - Strike City Lanes is anything but a typical bowling alley, it offers 18 lanes with a stylish vibe, a 4,700-square-foot Libretto’s Pizzeria, and two private rooms for group functions.
- As for nightlife, there’s Howl at the Moon, where entertainers man baby grand pianos, saxophones, guitars, and drums and rock out to just about any request an audience member can throw at them. Then there’s Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s Whisky River. Not a typical country bar, its “Top 40” tunes attract Charlotte’s who’s who along with a chic interior complemented by a belt buckle-trimmed bar and sassy mechanical bull.
www.epicentrenc.com or www.charlottesgotalot.com; 704-331-2715
Biltmore To Open Antler Hill Village
The Biltmore Company, which operates the National Historic Landmark Biltmore in Asheville, has announced that it will break ground on a new guest attraction, Antler Hill Village. Located adjacent to the Winery and River Bend Farm on its grounds, the area will be open to guests as part of daily admission to Biltmore. This pedestrian-friendly village, opening Spring 2010, will become a center of activity that joins two historically significant and popular attractions at Biltmore. Antler Hill Village will expand current guest offerings at the estate and include a new exhibition space, village green with live entertainment, dining, shopping and a new outdoor adventure center. As part of this project, Biltmore Winery will be enhanced to offer a newly designed tour and tasting areas. The existing interpretive farm area with historic barn, kitchen garden and farmyard will be incorporated as well. Estimated cost of this project is $18.6 million.
www.biltmore.com; 877-BILTMORE or 828-225-1333
Whitewater Center Offers Mega Zip, Play All Day
The new 1100 foot long zip line at the U.S. National Whitewater Center can accommodate up to four people simultaneously and offers a bird’s eye view of the largest expanse of whitewater at the Center. If you’re craving more adventure, they can take on the rapids, explore additional high ropes courses and trails, or grab a GPS and take part in the facility’s latest treasure-hunting craze – eco-caching. Now with the Center’s AllSport Pass, guests can buy one Pass and play all day.
www.usnwc.org; 704-391-3900
N.C. Music Factory
The N.C. Music Factory and Live Nation opened a Fillmore Music Hall in the entertainment complex in uptown Charlotte’s Fourth Ward. The concert promoter also exclusively books the Music Factory’s 5,000-seat outdoor boutique amphitheater. The original Fillmore opened in San Francisco in 1965 and attracted such music acts as The Who, Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead. Since then, Fillmore venues have opened in New York, Miami, Detroit and Denver. The N.C. Music Factory is part of a larger mixed-use project called Uptown Village near interstates 77 and 277 on the site of a renovated century-old textile mill complex. The N.C. Music Factory will be home to offices, recording studios, and a host of bars and restaurants, including nightclubs Butter and Crobar and daiquiri shop Wet Willies.
www.ncmusicfactory.com; 704-987-0612
Coast Guard Aviation on Display
Out of the Blue: Coast Guard Aviation is a new exhibit at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City. It features more than 120 artifacts, photographs, graphic panels and a child-size helicopter to tell the story of the Coast Guard from its formation in 1790 to the present day. Coast Guard members and employees make up much of the Elizabeth City population, as it serves as home to the largest Coast Guard Air Station.
www.museumofthealbemarle.com; 252-335-1453
Lodging News
$100 Million Great Wolf Lodge Opens
Great Wolf Resorts opened a more than $100 million, 36-acre northwoods-themed Great Wolf Lodge in April 2009, offering one of the largest indoor waterparks in America. The four-story, 475,000 square-foot resort and conference center features an 80,000 square-foot indoor waterpark plus additional outdoor waterpark; more than 400 guest suites with nine different configurations; 20,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space; an outdoor pool area; an Aveda Concept Spa plus ice cream-themed kid spa; technology center for teens; MagiQuest, a live action fantasy adventure game; 100-game arcade with ticket redemption center; themed 18-hole miniature golf course and more. The lodge is located near Lowes Motor Speedway.
www.greatwolf.com/concord/lodge; 866-925-9653
Charlotte Opens First LEED-Built Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Center, opened in October 2009 in the heart of dynamic Uptown, as the first LEED-built hotel for The Ritz-Carlton and for the city of Charlotte. The contemporary 147-room hotel is set in a sleek 18-story building designed to attain LEED Gold environmental certification from the Green Building Council, which certifies new buildings based on sustainability, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design. Guest rooms at The Ritz-Carlton begin at 506 square feet and offer uniquely upgraded air quality, thanks to a state-of-the-art air transfer system that efficiently circulates large amounts of outside air into rooms and suites. Further energizing its green commitment, the hotel utilizes a sophisticated Natura Water Purification System, diverting 73,000 plastic bottles from landfills, saving more than 104 barrels of oil, eliminating nearly 49 tons of CO2 emissions and saving almost 605,000,000 BTUs of electricity each year.
www.ritzcarlton.com; 704-547-2244
Asheville Gets Bohemian With New Boutique Hotel
The Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville opened in April 2009 positioning guests just steps away from the gates of The Biltmore Estate. Old world charm provides a unique atmosphere for the Tudor-inspired boutique hotel where guests have a contemporary Kessler Collection hotel experience. Despite its rustic ambiance, the hotel features modern luxuries, 104 well-appointed guest rooms and suites with a Poseidon Spa and more than 5,700 square feet of event space.
www.bohemianhotelasheville.com; 828-505-2949
New Hotel Takes Charlotte aloft
If Ikea designed a hotel, this would be it. Now open, aloft is a new brand from the brains behind the ultra-chic W Hotels located in Center City’s mixed-use development, The EpiCentre. Watering holes like the W XYZ Bar, the Re:Fuel 24/7 pantry, and the Re:Mix lobby are contemporary and inviting and encourage guests to mingle. As for the rooms, beds are positioned toward oversized windows instead of facing the standard dresser or armoire, and average 325 square feet with nine-foot ceilings.
www.alofthotels.com/charlotteuptown; 704-333-1999
Culinary Interests
Taste Carolina Offers Gourmet Food Tours
Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours takes participants behind-the-scenes while introducing them to the food community’s best – from legendary restaurants, farms, farmers markets, bakeries and specialty stores, to the chefs, artisans and farmers themselves. The tours focus on locally-owned restaurants serving innovative food and using local ingredients. Tour guides give a historical, architectural and culinary account of the area with an emphasis on its food history and renaissance. Tours including talking with chefs and sampling their amazing food. Taste Carolina offers regularly scheduled three-hour walking tours of Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh and custom tours throughout North Carolina.
www.tastecarolina.net; 919-237-2254
Calling All Foodies: News From North Carolina
Here’s the latest on a few of the state’s most acclaimed and interesting restaurants and wineries
- For the traditional palette, Black Water Grille, located in historic downtown Lumberton offers steaks, seafood, ribs, pastas and lowcountry cuisine. Housed in a century-old mule stable with exposed brick walls, timber beams and 20-foot ceilings, Black Water Grille exemplifies “down east” style. The restaurant earned the N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council’s 2008 North Carolina Beef Backer Award for Independent Restaurants. www.blackwatergrille.com; 910-738-5566
- Another great (and socially responsible) North Carolina dining spot is The Second Fret, an independent coffee shop in historic downtown Statesville. In addition to serving fresh food, this hot spot offers Bird Friendly coffee – grown in conditions that protect migratory birds. In addition to helping protect birds through patronage of The Second Fret, guests can shake their own tail feathers with live entertainment featured every Friday and Saturday night. www.thesecondfret.com; 704-878-9889
- For a bit of the French countryside in North Carolina, visit La Farm Bakery in Cary, which introduced a new café in February 2009. The European-style café offers patrons handcrafted artisanal breads, pastries, tartines (morning sandwiches), soups, salads, cheese and pizzas in a setting featuring a communal farmhouse table for 10 as well as café-style seating both indoors and out. La Farm Bakery has earned accolades from national media Food & Wine, Country Home and O Magazine. www.lafarmbakery.com; 919-657-0657
Looking Ahead: late 2010 and 2011
Greensboro, N.C., Selected To Host 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
U.S. Figure Skating selected Greensboro, N.C., as the host city for the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 22-30, 2011. The event, held annually since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event. Over the course of a week, 12 national champions will be crowned in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing on the senior, junior and novice levels. The seven-day event is expected to attract approximately 1,500 figure skaters, coaches and officials. Tickets are now on sale.
Discovery Place Undergoes $31.6 Million Renovation
Charlotte’s Discovery Place is in the midst of a $31.6 million renovation to provide new science and technology exhibits, interactive displays, better traffic flow, improved infrastructure and the ability to rotate exhibitions frequently and to more regularly host world-class exhibitions such as Body Worlds and The Dead Sea Scrolls. The renovations are scheduled for completion by June 2010. During the 17-month renovation period, significant parts of Discovery Place and The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theatre will remain open.
www.discoveryplace.org; 704-372-6261
African-American Heritage Music Trail Will Bring Home Legends In Blues And Jazz
North Carolina was home to some legendary historical figures of jazz, blues, and gospel including John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, and Elizabeth Cotton, and the upcoming African-American Heritage Music Trail promises to take visitors on an educational journey through the blues and jazz talent that originated in eastern North Carolina. This cultural tourism experience will start in Kinston and stop in eight counties: Lenoir, Greene, Jones, Pitt, Wayne, Wilson, Nash and Edgecombe. The trail is expected to be completed by 2011, and will include interactive videos and audio kiosks of musicians.
www.ncculture.com; 919-807-6520
N.C. Music Factory Adds Hottest Clubs
Planned for summer 2010, Location #2 in the historic mill renovated and turned into the N.C. Music Factory will open Butter Lounge, the toast of Manhattan, and dance club heavyweight, "Crobar" who will now count Charlotte among other locations in New York, Chicago, South Beach, Buenos Aries and Beijing. National daiquiri bar, "Wet Willies" will also join the fray in what will be their largest location to date. The N.C. Music Factory is part of a larger mixed-use project called Uptown Village, which will eventually include a residential component as well. It is near interstates 77 and 277 on the site of a former textile mill complex. In addition to its two music venues, the N.C. Music Factory will be home to offices, recording studios, and a host of bars and restaurants. Several tenants have already moved in, and most of the entertainment venues are expected to open by summer 2010.
Harrah's Breaks Ground On 532-Room Tower
Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel is constructing a 532-room luxury tower, part of an expansion that will make the property the largest hotel in the state. When completed in 2012, the 37-acre property will have a 3,000-seat events center, entertainment and VIP lounges, a 16,000-square-foot spa, additional restaurant and retail outlets, and hotel and casino parking garages. Harrah's Cherokee is also renovating current casino facilities and doubling the size of its casino floor to 150,000 square feet while increasing video and table game capacity. The facilities will incorporate the Eastern Band of Cherokee's collection of Native American arts.
www.harrahscherokee.com; 800-427-7247
N.C. Aquariums Plan Construction Of Educational Ocean Fishing Piers
Beginning in 2010 and extending through 2012, the North Carolina Aquariums plan to build and operate three storm-resistant ocean fishing piers – one near each of the state’s aquariums – Fort Fisher, Pine Knoll Shores and Roanoke Island. The proposed piers will extend 1,000 feet into the Atlantic. The design will employ green building principles and stormwater treatment methods. Among the many programs planned will be fishing conservation workshops, beach walks, sleepovers, science camps, school programs, kayak excursions and surfing classes.
www.ncaquariums.org; 800-832-3474
Kings Mountain Gateway Trail
The Kings Mountain Gateway Trail is a greenway designed to connect the City of Kings Mountain to Crowders Mountain State Park, Kings Mountain State Park, Kings Mountain National Military Park, the Overmountain Victory Trail and the Appalachian Trail. This 8 to 10 mile greenway will consist of paved trail, soft-packed gravel trail and single-track mountain biking trails to be opened over the next several years. The first phase consisting of the trail head, picnic area and two miles of trail, part asphalt, part packed gravel opened to the public in November 2009.
www.kmgatewaytrails.org; 704-739-4755
Riverfront Wilmington Convention Center Construction Underway
Scheduled open in August 2010, the Wilmington Convention Center is now under construction and will feature approximately 50,000 square feet of meeting space. The convention center will include green space along the river and a 581-space parking deck. A privately funded full-service hotel will be located adjacent to the center as well as a high-end, full-service marina. The marina will feature 200 slips and is the first phase of a long-range project that will include restaurants, commercial and residential development.
www.wilmingtonnc.gov/CityManager/SpecialProjects/ConventionCenter.aspx
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Media Contacts:
Susan Dosier
704-953-9408 (mobile)
sdosier@visitnc.com
Wit Tuttell
919-733-7420 (office)
wit@visitnc.com
