lailajuno3

My two brothers and I are going to fly into Charlotte on March the second for ten days.We are in our 60's and 70's and would like to see some coastal areas and also historical spots.What are the top spots to see on our journey.

tomfuller

I'll start you off with the most historic spot I know of on the coast of North Carolina. The Wright brothers flew their plane on the beach at Kitty Hawk in December of 1903. There is a monument there. Farther south you can see the Cape Hatteras lighthouse that was moved to higher ground to prevent it from being claimed by the sea.

PrairieHikerII

Charleston, SC is the most visited destination by Southerners (other than Florida and New Orleans) because of all of the wonderful historic architecture, cuisine, etc. Wilmington, NC has blocks and blocks of historic buildings as well and is cheaper than Charleston. Asheville, NC in the Blue Ridge Mts. near Great Smoky National Park is a primary destination because of outdoor recreational opportunities, restaurants, folk music venues, etc, Then there is 18th Century Colonial Williamsburg, VA with dozens of original buildings, homes and shops to explore.

jamie99

With only 10 days I would stick to either NC and Virginia or the two Carolinas.
For history, it is hard to beat Virginia. I have been to many areas of that state since my husband was from there. Maybe start with Charlottesville, VA and visit Monticello, President Jefferson's home and beautiful, then right in town is UVA (University of Virginia). The grounds are stunning and see the Rotunda which was designed by Jefferson, as was his home. You can also see Montpelier, home of James Madison, nearby.
You could see Williamsburg and a couple of nearby plantations and between that and the Charlottesville area would use up maybe 5 days. I have only been to a few beaches in Virginia, Virginia Beach and a few places over on the Eastern Shore and was not too impressed, but then again I am from Southern California.
Have spent less time in N. Carolina, mainly Asheville and Charlotte. I liked Asheville (BIL lives there) and did not care much for Charlotte (too commercial). I have not visited the Outer Banks but have always wanted to, so maybe hit the beach for a day or two. No idea what the weather will be like, but cannot imagine March being beach weather other than for maybe walking. A good friend lives close to Ocean Isle Beach and I have seen pictures, it looked very wide.

mrwunrfl

Yorktown Battlefield Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Gretchen

I take it you are renting a car. Spend some time in Charlotte on one end or the other. I'll list some things here later.
You could drive to Winston Salem (1.5 hours) and visit Old Salem, a restored 18th century settlement. There is alos the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts, a mansion with period decor.
Near Winston is Seagrove, an area that since the 1700s has been home to many potteries because of the clay available there and at one time supplied the clay used by Wedgwood for its jasperware. There is a small museum there and many potteries to visit.
From Charlotte you could also head south to Charleston (3.5 hours). It is indeed worth a visit. From Charleston you could drive north to Georgetown ( 1.5 hours) which is a delightful Revolutionary War town with lovely old homes on oak lined streets. Just north of Georgetown (20 minutes) is the HObcaw Barony, a tract of land granted by George!! and purchased by Bernard Baruch for a duck hunting preserve. It was given to Clemson by his daughter as an ecological study area now.
From this area just south of Myrtle Beach you could then go to Winston Salem and then back to Charlotte.
Just outside Charlotte is Latta Plantation, a country home dating from the 1700s. In Charlotte is the the Mint Museum with a world class ceramic exhibit among other collections. In downtown Charltote is the Bechtler Museum with a world class modern art collection. Lots of good dining in charlotte also.
Enjoy the Carolinas!! There's more than what I've suggested of course.

Daniel_Williams

Hi lailajuno3–

There are some great suggestions here. Given you’re going in very early March, I’d tend to head southeast toward the coast and Charleston rather than toward the mountains so as to up your chances for warmer weather, as much as I enjoyed a recent trip to Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Charleston oozes with charm and history, and the Low Country cuisine is unique and delicious. I would especially recommend the boat ride out to Fort Sumter if you get a nice day. Savannah also is a jewel if you’ve never been, a fascinating contrast to Charleston with lots of character, stellar dining and handsome squares. In between the two, Beaufort is small but worth investigating; my uncle lived there and it’s lovely.

I quite liked the upbeat energy of Charlotte and agree with Gretchen that it might be worth planning a full day there on either end of your trip, since you’re flying in and out of there anyway. Plenty of museum and dining options; I didn’t explore too many neighbourhoods but liked the Fourth Ward area of the city especially for its colourful homes and verdant parks.

happy travels

Daniel

Gretchen

Daniel is a great resource. He has done some creative trips with us here so is a traveler like you will be with some experiences.

PrairieHikerII

I second Daniel's recommendation for Beaufort. It has lovely antebellum homes and trees dripping with Spanish moss and a fairly lively downtown. There is the Spanish Moss Trail, a rail-trail for walkers and cyclists which goes to Yemasee.

lailajuno3

thanks so much for the info

lailajuno3

That sounds great