Places to See in North Carolina

Tryon Palace

Josiah Keller — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:51:43 +0000

Tryon Palace was built in New Bern at the request of William Tryon, a British soldier and colonial administrator. After taking office, he worked with architect John Hawks on the design, as a centrally located government building. By 1770, the building was finished, and Tryon moved in, before leaving to become the governor of the Province of New York just a year later. In 1775, near the beginning of the American war for independence, patriots took control of the Tryon Palace, and used it as the State capitol building. When Raleigh became the capitol some 18 years later, the palace was put to use in other ways, including a boarding house, school, and Masonic lodge. A fire in 1798 destroyed all but the Kitchen & Stable Office, and the kitchen was dismantled in the early 1800s.

In the late 1930s, a movement was begun to restore & preserve colonial New Bern, boosted further by the discovery of the original Tryon Palace plans. In rebuilding at the original place they faced monumental obstacles, including the removal of 50 buildings, rerouting North Carolina Route 70, and building a new bridge over the Trent River. When they finally were able to begin the building & restoration, they found the original foundation directly underneath where the old highway had been. After years of painstaking work, in 1959, the Tryon Palace opened to the public.

Today, Tryon Palace is one of North Carolina’s finest historical sites, with its accompanying History Center and museum. Central to the whole experience is of course the palace. Demonstrations & guided tours are given by costumed reenactors, who bring history to life, and life to history. The grounds have more than two dozen features, which include acres of magnificent gardens, historic buildings, a performance hall, a playground, a café, education centers, and more. See a map of Tryon Palace’s grounds here.

Special events occur frequently, so you should check their calendar before planning your visit.

Tryon Palace is open 9 am–5 pm Monday through Saturday, and noon–5 pm Sunday. Building tours have differing times, which you can find here. Admission is $20 for adults & $10 for grades 1–12 for a full pass to everything, $12/$6 for a galleries pass (museum, History Center, and gardens), and $6/$3 for the gardens pass. More info here.

Address:
529 South Front Street
New Bern, NC 28562

Official Website

See the waterfalls of the DuPont State Forest

Josiah Keller — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 15:42:23 +0000

If the DuPont State Forest is known for anything, it’s known for its beautiful and numerous waterfalls. The forest was also used in scenes for both The Last of The Mohicans (1992), and The Hunger Games (2012).

The park has six main falls, each unique and captivating in their own right. The first waterfall along Little River is the Bridal Veil Falls, which gets its name from the way it tumbles over an overhanging ledge, allowing you to walk along behind the waterfall! Next is High Falls, which pours 125 feet down a granite incline. The third waterfall along the river is in fact three falls in quick succession. Thus the name, Triple Falls. Collectively, the water drops 120 feet, in a energetic yet calming display of beauty. The fourth and final waterfall along the river is Hooker Falls, which only drops 12 feet, but is more than 50 feet wide, and absolutely gorgeous! After this final waterfall, the river runs into Cascade Lake.

There are two other waterfalls in the DuPont State Forest, both on the Grassy Creek. First is the Wintergreen Falls, getting its name from the teaberry groundcover, which stays green even during the winter. Wintergreen Falls is at the bottom of Grassy Creek Gorge, a 20 minute walk from the Guion Farm parking spot. Further down the stream is the lesser-known Grassy Creek Falls, not far from the mouth of Grassy Creek.

While the waterfalls of the DuPont State Forest are reason enough to visit, the 10,400 acre park has even more to offer. In the northeast corner of the park lies Stone Mountain, standing over 3,600 feet above sea level. From the top of the mountain you have a fantastic panorama view of the park, but you have a strenuous one thousand foot climb to the top from old CCC road, or a 500 foot climb from Sky Valley Road. There are five lakes in the forest, with lake Julia coming in as the largest, at 99 acres. 80 miles of roads and trails stretch through the park, for use by motorists, hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders. Hunting and fishing are allowed at the park, with certain restrictions & permit requirements. Visit the NC Wildlife Resources Commission website for more information.

Directions to the park and a map of the area can be found here.

DuPont State Forest Website

North Carolina Forest Service

North Carolina Museum of History

Christopher Tingom — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 00:03:41 +0000

Raleigh, NC, holds one of the coolest history museums in the state, the North Carolina Museum of History. The museum has exhibits on the history and story of North Carolina, Russian Tsars artifacts, Carolina bluegrass radio music, the Civil War (art), a whole section about important documents in U.S. history, and another full exhibit on the Watergate scandal that brought down President Nixon.

A large focus of the museum is on war history, and most of that is about The Civil War. But it has a secondary emphasis on sports history, and holds the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

The museum was formed from the personal collection of Frederick Augustus Olds, a well known resident of the state in the late 19th century. He merged his collection with a collection of items owned by the state of North Carolina at the time, and it became the “Hall of History.” Over time, this became known as the North Carolina Museum of History and finally moved to its current location in 1994. The museum is over 55,000 square feet and is definitely worth visiting.

Address:
5 E Edenton St.
Raleigh, NC 27601

Hours: Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Phone: (919) 807-7850