North Carolina Coastal Plain

Understand

In the coastal plains you can go surfing, boating, swimming, hang gliding, scuba diving, fishing, snorkeling, making sand castles, bungy jumping, volley ball, jet skiing or just relax.

Regions

Cities

• Atlantic Beach — Situated on the Bogue Banks, Atlantic Beach is within reach of a wealth of activities. From the clean sandy beach, golfing and world-class fishing to the maritime history, museums, shopping, nightlife and famous fresh seafood, the Crystal Coast offers fun and recreation for every member of the family.
• Elizabeth City — historic town located on the Pasquotank river, home to USCG Air Station Elizabeth City and Elizabeth City State University. Aviation, agriculture, and medicine are important aspects of the economy.
• Fayetteville — Winner of the All-America City Award at least three times, Fayetteville is one of North Carolina's larger cities and is right next to Fort Bragg--the most populated military installation in the world.
• Greenville — filled with historic sites from its former status as a tobacco boomtown, Greenville is now home to the Pirates of East Carolina University.
• Kill Devil Hills — a popular beach town on Bodie Island, and the largest city in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Home to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating the first powered flight on December 17, 1903. Jumping off point for most destinations on the Outer Banks, including Jockey's ridge State Park in nearby Nags Head.
• New Bern — Their motto is "North Carolina begins here", original capital and second oldest town in North Carolina. North Carolina Historical Museum, Tryon Place, Fireman's Museum, birthplace of Pepsi Cola. One of the most beautiful cities on the East Coast.
• Rocky Mount — town at the intersection of I-95 and future I-87, almost half-way between Miami, Florida and New York, New York. Original home of Phil Ford.
• Sunset Beach — Sunset Beach is a small barrier island located at the southeast corner of North Carolina. To reach the island you pass from the mainland over one of the last pontoon swing bridges operating in our state. Sunset Beach is truly a quiet family beach, with virtually all of the development on the island comprised of family cottages. It boasts one of the widest and cleanest beach strands on the East Coast.
• Wilmington — At the mouth of the Cape Fear River, at the southern end of the Crystal Coast. Wilmington is one of the oldest cities in North Carolina, and is the gateway to nearby beaches such as Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach. The city itself contains a large historical district and is famous for the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial.

Smaller towns

• Bath - North Carolina's oldest town
• Calabash — seafood on the border with South Carolina
• Edenton
• Elizabethtown
• Goldsboro
• Havelock
• Jacksonville
• Kinston
• Laurinburg
• Lumberton
• Pembroke
• Plymouth
• Raeford
• Roanoke Rapids
• Rockingham
• Scotland Neck
• Southport
• Tarboro
• Washington
• Wilson
• Windsor

Other destinations

• Bald Head Island (Smith Island)
• Carolina Beach — Beach town home to the rare Venus flytrap.
• Dismal Swamp State Park — The North Carolina side extenuation of the large swamp, featuring the Great Dismal Swamp Canal, purported to be the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States. Good for kayaking.
• Hatteras — Whether you are lured by the world class fishing or the east coast's best beaches, Hatteras Island has plenty to offer.
• Holden Beach — Recognized by National Geographic Traveler Magazine, Holden Beach was named one of the 38 Best American Beaches and rated 9th out of all United States beaches, in the Family Beach Category.
• Kure Beach
• Merchants Millpond State Park – Cypress swamp with canoeing and wetland wildlife.
• Oak Island — Cross over the bridge from Southport, North Carolina to an island that echoes southern traditions and is picturesque year-round. People are friendly and accommodating, the beaches uncrowded and clean, and the homes comfortable and affordable.
• Ocean Isle Beach — a quiet, unspoiled beach known to thousands of family vacationers. Ocean Isle Beach is an island approximately seven miles long located in Southern North Carolina. It's a family oriented, kick back and relax beach with very little commercial activity. There are twelve golf courses and numerous restaurants within 10 miles.
• Topsail Beach — Topsail Island is a frequent destination of NC natives located in the beautiful Crystal Coast, and has very good fishing

Get in

By plane

Fayetteville (FAY), Greenville (PGV), Jacksonville (OAJ), and New Bern (EWN) each have a small regional airport with service to Charlotte and Atlanta only. Wilmington (ILM) also has service to a few other major cities in the Eastern US.

By car

• I-40 is the major highway for traffic towards Wilmington.
• I-95 passes through Fayetteville and Rocky Mount.
• US-64 is the main entry point for going to the Outer Banks.
• US-70 is most useful for getting to the Crystal Coast.

Go next

• Piedmont
• Eastern Virginia
• Grand Strand (South Carolina)