Above:  Bright fall colors are reflected in the waters of a mountain stream

User's Guide

Every effort has been made to make this website as easy to use as possible.  The basic idea is to allow users the opportunity to scan through brief articles about hundreds of sites across the state, stopping when they find one that interests them, skimming over those that don't.  By listing the sites within a county, and then by grouping counties into ten regions, it gives users an opportunity to map out places they might want to visit on a day trip, weekend venture, or extended vacation.

The fundimental organization is simple.  North Carolina's 100 counties are grouped into 10 geographic regions, with each region featuring 10 counties.  The regions are numbered beginning with Region One in the northeastern corner of the state and then moving to the west and south.  Region Ten is at the extreme western side of the state.  A color-coded map is provided at the top of the GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS HOME PAGE.  Each region is given a general description, i. e., Northeast Coastal Plain, Southern Piedmont, Western Mountains.  Once the user selects a region, he or she may then select a particular county to see what attractions and points of interest are available.

All attractions/points of interest located in a county are featured in alphabetical order on the County Page.  A summary list of attractions featured on each County Page appears at the top of that page. A link to each specific attraction's own website is provided whenever possible so that users can quickly access additional information about sites that are of interest.

Don't know in what county an attraction is located?  No problem.  The COUNTY, CITY, and ATTRACTION INDEXES provide alphabetical listings, making it easy for users to quickly find in which region each county is grouped and in which county specific towns, cities, and attractions are located; the indexes provide links to enable users to move directly from the index to a specfic page.

Links are provided at the bottom of each County Page to allow users to return to the home page for the region, to go back to the Geographic Regions Home Page, or to move immediately to one of the counties bordering that county.

SPECIAL CATEGORIES provides lists of sites across the state that fit into a particular catagory, i. e., gardens, historic homes, state parks, etc.

EVENTS CALENDAR lists by month many of the special festivals and events that are taking place across the state and provides a link to detailed information.

Feedback is always welcome.  

Please click on CONTACT US to report any errors, ask questions, or offer suggestions as to how this website might be improved.