Come See What’s New in North Carolina

Nature Discovery Center to Open at Grandfather Mountain
Grandfather Mountain extends its connection to natural wonder with the June opening of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery, the focal point of a new Conservation Campus at the UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve. The center will nearly double the size of Grandfather Mountain’s Nature Museum and add a dozen interactive exhibits and experiences that connect to the mountain’s 16 natural communities. New outdoor learning spaces will include a pavilion and an amphitheater with terraced seating while an ADA-accessible auditorium, classrooms and new food service facilities will extend the park’s capacity for hosting conferences and other events. Grandfather Mountain, a 5,946-foot peak off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, is known for its walking trails, wildlife habitats and the Mile High Swinging Bridge.
Olmsted Bicentennial Comes to Life at Biltmore, Other NC Places
The annual Biltmore Blooms celebration, a highlight of the calendar at George W. Vanderbilt’s 8,000-acre Asheville estate, takes on additional luster in 2022, the bicentennial of Frederick Law Olmsted’s birth. Biltmore, the first place to combine French and English landscape designs, will dedicate a new Olmsted Walking Trail in recognition of the visionary landscape architect’s contribution to the magnificent estate. During Biltmore Blooms (April 1-May 26), visitors will be treated to a succession of floral colors from daffodils to tulips, wisteria, azaleas, rhododendron and roses. Elsewhere in Asheville, the N.C. Arboretum pays tribute to Olmsted’s influence with a larger-than-life sculpture by Zenos Frudakis. Travelers can also celebrate Olmsted’s genius in Pinehurst, where his firm worked with James Walker Tufts to design one of the country’s earliest planned resort communities.
2022 U.S. Women’s Open Returns to Southern Pines
For a record fourth time, Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines will host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2022. Considered the ultimate test in women’s golf, the tournament’s 77th installation will be held June 2-5 on a course designed by Donald Ross and restored in 2017 by Ross aficionado Kyle Franz. Pine Needles, which hosted its first U.S. Women’s Open in 1996, became one of the most celebrated courses in women’s golf under the ownership of the late Peggy Kirk Bell, an LPGA Tour charter member, renowned instructor and women’s golf advocate. Following Annika Sorenstam’s win at the 1996 tournament, Pine Needles went on to host the event in 2001 (Karrie Webb won) and 2007 (with Cristie Kerr as victor). In 2014, neighboring Pinehurst Resort became the first course to host the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens in back-to-back play.
In other golf news:
Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte will host the 2022 Presidents Cup, set for Sept. 19-25. World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III, a Charlotte native and University of North Carolina alum, will be the U.S. team captain, a title held by Tiger Woods in the most recent tournament in 2019. As a counterpoint to the Ryder Cup, which pits the U.S. team against a European contingent, the Presidents Cup stages competition with international players from other points on the globe. Quail Hollow, which regularly hosts the Wells Fargo Championship, was the site of the PGA Championship in 2017 and will do the honors again in 2025.
The U.S. Golf Association inaugurates the S. Adaptive Open Championship on the No. 6 course at Pinehurst Resort with competition to take place July 18-20, followed by a second-year run in July 2023. The tournament, with 96 competitors and 54 holes of stroke play, is open to male and female golfers, both amateur and professional, with a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment. The U.S. Adaptive Open makes the 15th national championship for the USGA, which has designated Pinehurst as its first championship anchor site. The resort is home to nine courses, including the George and Tom Fazio-designed No. 6 and Donald Ross’s masterpiece No. 2 course.
Charlotte Football Club Debuts as 28th MLS Franchise
The Queen City’s long-held dream of fielding a Major League Soccer team comes true in March when the Charlotte Football Club plays its inaugural home game against Los Angeles at Bank of America Stadium. With an identity derived from Charlotte’s standing as the first U.S. city with a mint, the team has adopted a circular crest to suggest a coin and chosen Carolina blue, black, silver and white as its colors. The team, under head coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez, will play a 34-game season that includes 17 home matches starting March 5. Charlotte’s franchise was awarded to hedge fund manager David Tepper in 2019, 25 years after the city first expressed interest in joining the new league and less than two years after Tepper acquire the Carolina Panthers. His NFL team also plays at Bank of America Stadium.
Inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival to Honor Banjo Legend
The best of bluegrass, Americana and roots music will fill the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring at the first Earl Scruggs Music Festival, set for Sept. 2-4. Dobro king Jerry Douglas will host the event, whose lineup includes the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sam Bush Band, Alison Brown, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, and Dom Flemons. The festival’s presenters include the Earl Scruggs Center in nearby Shelby, a fingers-on-frets museum that tells the history of the place where Scruggs grew up. Other notable North Carolina music festivals that reflect the influence of native-born musicians include J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival (April 2-3 in Raleigh), MerleFest (April 28 -May 1 in Wilkesboro) and the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (Sept. 3-4 in High Point). Raleigh also hosts World of Bluegrass (Sept. 27-Oct. 1 in Raleigh), an expansive festival that’s part of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual conference.
Planetarium to Join the Lineup at Mayland Earth to Sky Park
Mayland Community College’s Earth to Sky Park adds another enticement for stargazers to visit the Blue Ridge Mountain campus in Burnsville: the 60-seat Glenn and Carol Arthur Planetarium, opening this spring. A certified International Dark Sky Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 6-acre Mayland park is home to the Bare Dark Sky Observatory and its 34-inch telescope, a viewing terrace, walking trails and gardens. Under the planetarium’s geodesic dome, visitors will be able to gaze at a 36-foot screen to view the skies from around the world, watch laser light shows and enjoy other experiences. Even before the planetarium opens, a visit to the Earth to Sky Park has been enlivened by a new Matt Willey bee mural.
Nantahala Outdoor Center Marks 50th Anniversary
Nantahala Outdoor Center, one of the nation’s largest outdoor recreation companies, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. With more than 120 river- and land-based itineraries at its main location on the Nantahala River in Bryson City and along seven other Southeastern rivers, NOC is best known for whitewater adventure on the Nantahala River, where more than 20 Olympic paddlers have trained. Beyond rafting for all levels, the main campus offers zip lines and treetop adventures, tubing, kayaking, hiking and biking. Training (including wilderness survival), multi-day events and multi-activity packages are available, as are on-site lodging, camping and dining.
New Food Hall to Enliven Dining on I-95
The nation’s first roadside food hall is on track to open in summer 2022, inviting travelers to exit Interstate 95 at the timeless railroad town of Selma for a bite and a craft beverage. Old North State Food Hall will draw on the state’s agricultural heritage with vendors featuring North Carolina produce, seafood, meats and cheeses along with beer, cider, wine and spirits in the 3,100-square-foot N.C. Craft House, a full-service bar and bottle shop. New York-based Hospitality HQ, led by celebrity chef/cookbook author Akhtar Nawab, will oversee operations.
News-Making Charlotte Restaurateurs to Open More Doors
Chef Greg Collier and wife Subrina, who have led Charlotte’s Black food renaissance and made national headlines for the past two years, plan to open four new restaurants and relaunch a fifth in 2022. The new restaurants will occupy space at the lively Camp North End industrial redevelopment, headquarters for 2021’s inaugural BayHaven Food & Wine Festival, which the Colliers created as a celebration of Black foodways. It’s also the location of their wildly successful Leah & Louise, which made Esquire magazine’s list of best new restaurants in 2020. Joining Leah & Louise: The Abyss, a craft cocktails-focused speakeasy; Passage Seafood, specializing in Atlantic bounty; B.A.D. (Beyond Amazing Donuts), featuring classic and seasonal doughnuts, fritters and cinnamon rolls; and Bird is the Word, a counter-service concept based on a popular Leah & Louise sandwich. The Colliers also plan to reopen the Uptown Yolk, a breakfast-focused restaurant that earned Greg notice from the James Beard Foundation. The Yolk, which closed in March, will have a new location plus menu enhancements, a coffee program and a full bar.
Other notable restaurant openings:
Areta’s, Asheville. Chef Clarence Robinson’s soul food kitchen flashes back to the days when Black travelers stayed at Rabbit’s Motel and dined on “pork chops the size of Bibles” at the on-site restaurant. Named for Robinson’s aunt, Areta’s continues Claude Coleman’s redevelopment of the Green Book-era motel as SoundSpace@Rabbit’s, which offers rehearsal and studio space for musicians and artists.
Pik N Pig, Renowned for an adjacent landing strip as well as its smoked pork, the destination barbecue joint returns, rebuilt on the original site a year after being destroyed by an overnight fire. Proximity to the Pinehurst-area golf mecca and a spot on the N.C. Historic Barbecue Trail contribute to the Pik N Pig’s popularity.
Milkbread, Having made headlines for milk bread when he opened his namesake restaurant, James Beard semifinalist Joe Kindred and wife Katy make it the star at their new all-day café nearby. Milk bread doughnuts, crispy chicken sandwiches, vegetable bowls and salads will be featured. The Kindreds also own Hello, Sailor at Lake Norman. Plans call for a second milkbread location in Charlotte.
Crawford Brothers Steakhouse, Cary. James Beard semifinalist Scott Crawford, known for refining and elevating classics, adds this steakhouse to a portfolio that includes Crawford & Son and Restaurant Jolie in Raleigh and the new Crawford Cookhouse in Clayton. The steakhouse will specialize in dry-aged beef and an extensive wine program.
Zweli’s Ekhaya, Durham. Zwelibanzi Williams, who added Zimbabwean fare to the region’s menu with Zweli’s Piri Piri Kitchen, creates a tapas menu that will fuse flavors from central Africa’s Bantu peoples. Williams’ new restaurant will open at the American Tobacco Campus, where other 2022 newcomers include Queen Burger (from the owners of Kingfisher cocktail bar and the newly opened Queeny’s), Seraphine (Louisiana-style fare from the creators of NanaSteak) and Five Star (new location for the Raleigh Asian restaurant).
Ever Andalo, Charlotte. On the heels of launching the sensational Supperland in a former church building, Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel will convert their Crepe Cellar Kitchen & Pub into Ever Andalo, specializing in homemade burrata, pasta and other Italian specialties in the NoDa arts and entertainment neighborhood
Restored ‘Green Book’-Era Property Reopens to Overnight Guests
Jackie Robinson slept here. So did James Baldwin, James Brown, Gladys Knight, Ike and Tina Turner, and other Black travelers who needed a place to stay in the Jim Crow South. The Magnolia House Motel, whose listing in “The Negro Motorist Green Book” was starred as a recommended Greensboro site, faded after it closed in the 1970s. After four decades and a consummate restoration of the 1914 structure, Historic Magnolia House now hosts weddings, concerts and other events, and in December, it again welcomed overnight guests to the second-floor rooms, whose decor honors the celebrated travelers. Guests can check out history displays that showcase the motel’s history from its prior ownership and that of the Pass family, the current owners, whose relatives figure into the region’s civil rights history. Plans for the next phase call for construction of an adjacent museum.
Boutique Hotel Renews Historic Space in Spruce Pine
Less than a year after its 2021 opening, the Blue Ridge Boutique Hotel will double its room count to 32 as part of Mayland Community College’s reinvention of the century-old Pinebridge Complex in Spruce Pine. Originally built as a school on land donated by mining magnate C.J. Harris, the complex includes the 5,000-seat Pinebridge Coliseum, once home to the Southeast’s largest ice rink and a hockey team, the Pinebridge Bucks, who made Spruce Pine the smallest town in the United States to field a professional hockey team. Renovations at the Blue Ridge Boutique Hotel, which opened in July with 16 rooms plus a library and conference space, have resume this winter to add 16 rooms plus a restaurant and bar (it’ll be called the Principal’s Office) for 2022. The college is also transforming the coliseum into the Three Peaks Enrichment Center, which will include a 2,000-seat event space and college-community connections.
Uptown Greenville to Welcome Boutique Hotel
A new boutique hotel in Greenville will elevate the destination status of the lively Uptown neighborhood when it opens in 2023. Taking its name from the historic tobacco factory the hotel will occupy, The Ficklen will feature 70 rooms, a chef-driven restaurant and lobby bar, and a 10,000-square-foot event space plus a community-focused food hall and market in the adjacent the Star Warehouse. The property is poised to draw on the energy of the adjacent Dickinson Avenue Arts and Innovation District, downtown events and activities at East Carolina University. The Ficklen will be affiliated with Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio collection of independent hotels. City officials are working with developers on three additional hotel projects nearby, including one that will be part of ECU’s new Intersect East campus.
Looking Ahead
Public Will Encounter ‘Dueling Dinosaurs’ in Raleigh in 2023
Two stars of the dinosaur world will take center stage in Raleigh in 2023 with the opening of “Dueling Dinosaurs,” a permanent exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. The most complete fossils of a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops ever unearthed will be displayed as they were found: locked together as if dueling at the time of their death. The museum is building a state-of-the-art research center, called SECU Dinolab, where the public can get a close-up view and meet scientists seeking to uncover secrets that were buried for 67 million years. The museum announced the acquisition of the T. rex and Triceratops in May 2020, 14 years after they were excavated at a Montana ranch.
USGA to Establish ‘Golf House Pinehurst,’ Adds U.S. Open Dates
A new equipment-testing facility, innovation hub, museum and visitors center will become part of the landscape at the U.S. Golf Association’s “Golf House Pinehurst,” a second headquarters for the USGA. The developments also include a new 36-room boutique hotel at the resort. In announcing the plans and a 2023 target completion date, the USGA added U.S. Open dates for the famed No. 2 course at Pinehurst Resort. Recognized as legendary architect Donald Ross’ masterpiece, the No. 2 course adds 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047 to its U.S. Open card and becomes the USGA’s first U.S. Open anchor site. The 2024 U.S. Open will mark the fourth time the tournament has been played on No. 2. The plans are part of the USGA’s strategy to expand its impact and extend its mission to champion and advance the game.
NC Zoo to Extend Displays to Include New Asia Habitat
The North Carolina Zoo, the world’s largest natural habitat zoo, adds a third continent to its realm with an 8-acre Asia exhibit, targeted for a 2023 opening. Construction on the $46 million expansion is set to begin this fall. Tigers, red pandas, Komodo dragons and Chinese alligators are among the species expected to occupy the space, which will also include a glass-walled restaurant with views of the animals. The Asheboro zoo, which opened in 1974, currently features Africa and North America displays plus desert habitat and an aviary with exotic birds and tropical plants.
Museum With ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ Plane to Reopen at CLT
The Carolina Aviation Museum is expected to reopen in 2023 on the Charlotte Douglas International Airport campus. The 10-acre tract includes the historic Southern Airways Hangar, where the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane and other exhibits have been stored since the museum vacated its temporary quarters in 2019. The Smithsonian affiliate museum boasts a collection of helicopters and commercial, military and civil aircraft, but its star is the Airbus A320 from US Airways Flight 1549. On Jan. 15, 2009, Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger miraculously landed the plane after its engines were destroyed in a run-in with Canada geese. In addition to new quarters, the museum will get a new name that honors Sully’s feat.
Recent News
Outdoor NC Initiative Aims to Inspire Travelers to Enjoy and Sustain
With travelers craving open space as never before, Visit North Carolina and the N.C. Outdoor Recreation Industry Office have joined with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics on a campaign to inspire outdoor experiences and manage natural assets for future generations. With Outdoor NC, North Carolina is first coastal state to partner with Leave No Trace, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the outdoors and inspiring people to use it responsibility. As people relish the relative safety of fresh-air spaces to escape confinements imposed by COVID-19, the partnership focuses on ways to welcome travelers and engage them in protecting the natural places they crave. Connect with the principles and outdoor travel inspiration at Outdoor NC.
Oyster Trail Connects Coastal Cuisine, Heritage
Oyster farmers, restaurants. markets and educators invite travelers to indulge and learn along the new N.C. Oyster Trail, which highlights an industry whose colorful history includes a war against out-of-state poachers. Stops extend from the Outer Banks to Bald Head Island with oyster farm tours, exhibits, excursions and dining with inland markets and restaurants sharing the delicacy with their customers. The Oyster Trail is administered by the N.C. Coastal Federation and N.C. Sea Grant in partnership with the N.C. Shellfish Growers Association.
High Hampton Resort Reopens as Elevated Experience
High Hampton, a mountain retreat well-loved by generations, has turned the welcome lights back on after a consummate renovation by the team behind Blackberry Farm with guidance from the N.C. Historical Preservation Office. The revitalization includes the 18-room inn and its restaurants, 40 cottage rooms and three separate cottages plus a redesign of the 18-hole golf course by Tom Fazio with new club amenities. Located at 3,600 feet on the edge of Nantahala National Forest, the 1,400-acre resort retains its hallmark rustic character with modern accents in the mix. Guests can access more than 15 miles of hiking trails; a pool and hot tub overlooking Hampton Lake, a 35-acre spring-fed lake with beach; and a kids camp with supervised activities and programs. High Hampton had been owned by the McKee family for 95 years until 2017, when Daniel Communities and Arlington Family Offices acquired the property and brought in team from Blackberry Farm/Blackberry Mountain. highhampton.com
JW Marriott Joins Charlotte Luxury Lodging Landscape
JW Marriott Charlotte, the first of Marriott International’s luxury flagship hotels in North Carolina, opened in July across the street from the Charlotte Convention Center. With 381 oversize rooms and suites, the property features 22,240 square feet of meeting space, a Spa by JW, rooftop lounge and pool, Dean’s Italian Steakhouse and Caroline’s Oyster Bar. In other developments, the 175-room Hyatt Centric SouthPark Charlotte opened in June. The first of the millennial-minded brand’s properties in North Carolina, the hotel features such colorful touches as a 6-foot-tall peacock sculpture and murals saluting Charlotte’s Revolutionary War history and the nation’s first gold rush. Dining options include IRO in the lobby and Mizu, a seafood-focused rooftop restaurant.
New Tropical Aviary Expands Bird Park’s Conservation Efforts
Raggiana birds-of-paradise, green pygmy geese and plum-headed parakeets are among the residents of a new aviary that opened Oct. 9 at Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck. The “Birds of Paradise” aviary, which will house more than 300 birds native to New Guinea and the South Pacific, is a collaboration with California’s Pandemonium Aviaries, which shares Sylvan Heights’ commitment to preserving rare and endangered species by maintaining sustainable breeding populations. The new aviary will allow Sylvan Heights guests to experience close-up encounters with the colorful birds, whose breeding will be supported in a separate propagation facility. Sylvan Heights, home to more than 2,000 birds, features the world’s largest collection of waterfowl as well as parrots, flamingos and other exotic species in an 18-acre setting that includes paved trails and a wheelchair-accessible treehouse.
Destinations Map History With New African American Experience
With a timely Juneteenth launch, the African American Experience of Northeast North Carolina invites travelers to explore the contributions of Black communities along a history-rich coastal corridor. The self-guided tour, accessed at NCBlackHeritageTour.com, highlights histories in a six-county region that includes the Outer Banks, the Dismal Swamp, and the riverfront towns of Elizabeth City, Hertford and Edenton. Among the featured sites are the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum in Manteo, Mariners’ Wharf in Elizabeth City, the Dismal Swamp Canal in South Mills, the U.S. Colored Troops monument in Hertford, the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School in Jarvisburg and sites on the Harriet Jacobs Trail in Edenton. The experience was developed by tourism leaders in Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties with assistance from Raleigh-based BRANDilly Creative Group.