Biltmore Estate, Ripley’s Aquarium and Carolina Opry are the most visited places in the Carolinas though that’s just the tip of the iceberg! There are literary hundreds of other great places you can visit in the Carolinas such as Discovery Place in Charlotte, NC Arboretum, Alligator Adventure in North Myrtle Beach, and the Folk Art Center in Asheville.
However, if you’re traveling to the Carolinas for the first time you certainly want to make sure you include the following places on your itinerary:
Magnolia Plantation, Charleston SC
The Magnolia Plantation in Charleston is without a doubt, one of the best 18th century plantations left standing in the US. The plantation's slave cabin quarters offer a very good insight into the housing conditions of slaves back then.
Besides offering an interesting history tour, the plantation features a petting zoo and also offers fun train rides and boat tours of the plantation’s surrounding forests and swamps which allow you to see cool wildlife such as gators.
NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte NC
Whether you’re a Nascar junkie or not, the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte should high on your list of places to visit in the Carolinas.
Besides learning about the history of stock car racing and seeing cool racing cars on display, trophies and driver suits, you'll also get to enjoy other cool activities such as pit crew challenges and riding car racing simulators.
Patriots Point Naval, Mount Pleasant SC
If you’re looking for more interesting things to see in the Carolinas, you won’t want to miss visiting the famous Patriots Point Naval in Mount Pleasant.
If you’re a war buff, you can easily spend an entire day at Patriots Point Naval seeing WWII aircrafts, old Navy Seals equipment, visiting the Medal of Honor museum, touring the flight deck of the amazing USS Yorktown, and enjoy a fun ride on the onsite flight simulator.
Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet SC
The Carolinas is no doubt, home to beautiful gardens but one of the most stunning gardens you’ll come across in the region will be Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet (just a short drive south of Myrtle Beach).
Brookgreen Gardens is huge and boasts stunning flowers, water gardens, hundreds of figurative sculptures, a small zoo and some of the most beautifully groomed lawns you’ll ever see! Better still, you'll be able to also enjoy fun boat tours and trekking excursions with the Lowcountry Center, which is also located inside the gardens.
Battleship NC, Wilmington
Battleship North Carolina is another great attraction you can’t miss visiting during your travels in the Carolinas. Even if you aren’t much of a military fan, you’ll definitely enjoy climbing the ship and tour all the different room areas of the ship to get a nice insight into the life of a sailor.
Whenever you visit Battleship North Carolina, you’ll be able to enjoy behind the scenes tours and reenactments, though if you can make it for the 4th of July celebrations you’ll also get to see some great firework shows!
Myrtle Beach SkyWheel
The Ferris wheel in Myrtle is without a doubt, one of the top places to visit in the Carolinas and taking a ride a on the SkyWheel is certainly one of the coolest things you’ll do.
Day time is definitely the most popular time to experience the SkyWheel because of the spectacular views of the Grand Strand and the Atlantic Ocean. However, if you can visit the SkyWheel at night it’s totally worth it because of the light shows.
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh NC
If you’re a fan of art museums, the NC Museum of Art is far one of the best art museums to visit in the Carolinas. The museum’s permanent collection on world art is huge and includes an Egyptian jar over 5,000 years old and three portraits by John Singleton.
You can easily spend 3-4 hours there seeing all the collections and exhibitions, joining the free guided tours and catching regular music performances.
Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia SC
If you’re looking for more pleasant things to do outdoors in the Carolinas, be sure to add the Riverbanks Zoo to your list. Even if you aren’t too much of a zoo fan, you’ll complaetley change your mind about this zoo, which is one of the best in the southeast region.
You'll more than enjoy a day at the Riverbanks Zoo seeing the gorillas, giraffes, hyenas, and elephants and watching the daily feedings. Besides seeing the animal exhibits, the zoo also offers "Adventure tours" that allow you to see wildlife behind the scenes.
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