10 Best Hidden Gems in North Carolina

Located in Pisgah National Forest, Linville Gorge is often overshadowed by the other nearby sites, like Looking Glass Falls or the natural waterslide known as Sliding Rock. But that just means that Linville Gorge is one of the best hidden gems in North Carolina.

Sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the Eastern USA, Linville Gorge is filled with soaring rock walls, thriving green trees, and the cascading Linville River. To experience the best that this gorge has to offer, a hiking or rock-climbing adventure is an absolute must.

If you’ve got a little history buff on your hands, there’s no better place to visit than Roanoke Island Festival Park. This incredible museum is filled with interactive exhibits that are great at keeping your kids entertained and educated. You can explore a Native American town, watch a blacksmithing demonstration at the Settlement Site, or dress up in 16th-century costumes in the Adventure Museum.

But if there’s just one exhibit that you have to visit at Roanoke Island Festival Park, it’s the Elizabeth II ship. Hop aboard this 16th-century replica ship, where you can help sailors swab the decks and prepare to set sail!

Put your gaming skills to the test at the Asheville Pinball Museum. With 35 pinball machines and an additional 35 classic video games, there are loads of activities for you to try out. Talk about a wave of nostalgia.

To make things even better, you won’t have to worry about reloading a playing card or running out of tokens. For a single-day flat rate, you can play as long as you’d like at the Asheville Pinball Museum. By the end of the night, you might be a pinball expert.

There are loads of beautiful gardens scattered throughout the Tar Heel State, including the North Carolina Botanical Garden and the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. But the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden at the Piney Ridge Nature Preserve is undoubtedly one of the best hidden gems in North Carolina.

Like its name implies, the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden exclusively houses carnivorous plants – a.k.a. meat-eating plants. The most popular carnivorous plant is the venus fly trap, but there are loads of other carnivorous plants in this garden, including sundews and jug plants. While these types of vegetation typically eat insects, the biggest plants can even consume small reptiles and mammals!

Officially known as the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Folk Art Centre, this Asheville attraction is home to all sorts of arts and crafts from local artisans. From quilts and clothing to glass art and pottery, there’s something for everyone to admire.

To start, you’ll want to peruse the upstairs gallery filled with upscale pieces, including paintings, glass art, and sculpture work. After that, head to the gift shop to purchase some smaller works, including woodwork, jewellery, and so much more.

Skydiving is on just about every thrill seeker’s bucket list as it’s a great way to get your adrenaline pumping. But the safety concerns often outweigh the bucket list factor, which is where Paraclete XP Indoor Skydiving comes in.

Rather than jumping out of an aeroplane, you can get the same adrenaline-inducing feel in Paraclete XP Indoor Skydiving’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel. So, what are you waiting for? Strap on your helmet and get ready for a thrill of a lifetime.

Take a stroll through Airlie Gardens for a perfect day out in nature. This waterfront botanical garden is filled with hundreds of blooming buds, including azaleas, camellias, and tulips. And with all the lovely flowers, it’s no wonder so many butterflies decide to fly on over.

While Airlie Gardens is particularly stunning in spring and summer, it also is a fantastic place to get into the holiday spirit! Each winter, the botanical garden is decked out in hundreds of colourful Christmas lights – perfect for an enchanted evening walk. And who knows? Santa himself might decide to pay the gardens a special visit.

No list of the best hidden gems in North Carolina would be complete without Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson. And the storey of this unique park starts with none other than Vollis Simpson himself.

Once upon a time, Simpson worked as a farm machinery repairman. As he got closer to retirement age, he decided to use many of his work-related skills to do something fun. He started to create huge kinetic sculptures that he dubbed “whirligigs.” The massive, wind-powered structures quickly caught the eye of locals and tourists alike, and in 2017, Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park officially opened to the public.

Did you know that North Carolina is home to a European-inspired town called Little Switzerland? And, as if that wasn’t cool enough, did you know that this small town once boasted an extensive gem mining industry? Well, now you do!

Today, you can test your gold and gem mining skills in Little Switzerland at the Emerald Village and North Carolina Mining Museum. After learning about the town’s mining history, you’ll be able to visit real mines. You might even be able to uncover some priceless gems – which you can keep as souvenirs.

Step back in time and learn about the history of written language at the Museum of the Alphabet. Located in Waxhaw, this museum takes a deep dive into the development of all sorts of languages – from familiar romance languages to lesser-known Native American ones.

But the education doesn’t stop there – the Museum of the Alphabet includes explores other forms of written communication as well, including maths, sheet music, and Braille. It’s safe to say that this museum is a North Carolina hidden gem unlike any other.