Travel & Vacation Guide, North Carolina

By Sunil Tanna

The United States is blessed with many wonderful public golf courses, including several in the state of North Carolina. In this article, we will review some of the best public golf courses in the North Carolina, and what they offer.

1. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Course in Southern Pines, was laid out by the Scottish born golf architect, Donald Ross. The course, which has always been lovingly maintained, has in recent years been restored back towards the original Donald Ross design, while the greens’ foundations have nevertheless been rebuilt to USGA specifications.

2., 3. and 4. Pinehurt Resort and Country Club in the village of Pinehurst is home to no less than 8 different golf courses as well as the Pinehurst Golf Academy. The most highly rated are No. 2, No. 4 and No. 8. The No. 2 course was designed by Donald Ross in 1907. The No. 4 and No. 8 courses are both designs by Tom Fazio (2000 and 1996 respectively), although the No. 4 course owes a great debt to an earlier Ross course on the same site. The No. 2 is especially known as a challenging course, not because of any individual feature, but because of the combination of features that it offers, and hence is a popular site for golf championships, more in fact than any other course in the country, including having hosted the 2005 U.S. Open Championship.

5. Rivers Edge Golf Course is an Arnold Palmer Signature Course in Shallotte. The course is home to spectacular landscapes, and six of the holes sit upon bluffs which overlook the Shallotte River and surrounding marshlands.

6. Ocean Ridge Plantation in Sunset Beach is home to four courses: “Lion’s Paw”, “Panther’s Run”, “Tiger’s Eye”, and new in 2007, “Leopard’s Chase”. While all the courses have something special to offer, perhaps the best known and most highly regarded is the “Tiger’s Eye” which has been rated as one of the best public golf courses in the country by Golf Digest.

For contact details of 100 excellent public golf courses in the USA, and a detailed guide to family-friendly golf vacations in the USA, please visit http://www.guide2golfvacations.com/

For a guide to improving your golf fitness, please visit http://www.guide2golffitness.com/

by BETTYE WHITTEN

The great thing about North Carolina aside from its abundant history and developing industry is being a perfect place to go RVing. Located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the Southeastern United States, North Carolina has a wide range of alluring outdoor recreation sites that you can really enjoy while RVing. If you are planning an RVing trip to North Carolina, here are some spots where you can experience the satisfaction of thrill and adventure. If you have a great desire to leave the frontier of the city for a relaxing and rejuvenating mountain getaway, there is no better travel destination
than Asheville. Located in Hendersonville, Asheville is the main city in the western part of North Carolina. The allure of this city is becoming widespread and now it has been tagged as the Paris of the South. The area is filled with plenty of fascinating attractions from national parks to historical sites and nature tripping activities. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful passage that travels through the mountains that is a convenient way from the north of Hendersonville. Tagged as “America’s Favorite Drive”, this parkway is 469 miles of roadway that will lead you to several scenic mountains in the United States. Along this National Parkway, you can just resist to make a stop over to visit the Folk Art Guild, located along the roadway, where you can buy crafts and other items made by the native people in the city. Along the way to North Carolina, you can reach the Nantahala Outdoor Center that provides different river rafting adventures. You can have a stop and try river rafting activities in the Nantahala River, an enjoyable way for adventurous RV travelers to relax, unwind and rejuvenate from the unstoppable trips. The rivers range is quite difficult, but Nantahala offers great guides especially for the beginners for them to enjoy the nature. While enjoying RVing, you can also unwind yourself and take a little look at the rich history and culture of North Carolina. You can visit Old Salem Town, an old museum located within the reestablished community of Winston-Salem in North Carolina. You can take note on different highlights of this old town that include Salem Tavern, St. Philips Moravian Church, Home Moravian Church and Salem Square. You can also try to take a snap within the panoramic view of the famous Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Within this trail, you can hike the breath taking 4600 foot Max Patch Mountain. On this hike, you walk to Max Patch and then get through the Appalachian Trail, North to Lemon Gap to feel the grassy summit with glorious and scenic views. A great picnic site, this place is just a short walk from the parking lot. Because of its romantic scenery, no doubt that Appalachian Max Patch is a great and unique place to propose. To travel the entire city’s perpetual coast of attraction, make your way to the Carolina Beach State Park. Located at the southern part of North Carolina, it is a great choice among camping destinations. Its main location near the water that provides not only for several beach and water activities, this place has a lot more to offer than the usual oceanfront park. Few miles of hiking trails will lead you to a bird and wildlife habitat with distinct types of animals. Extending into the Atlantic Ocean, another highlight of North Carolina is the Outer Banks. These group of islands offer lots of recreational activities that you can enjoy upon traveling in your RV. You can find the Jockey’s Ridge State Park that features the highest sand dunes on the costal areas or the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a wildlife park and maritime forest destination. An RVing trip would not be complete without a stop at the Biltmore Estate, the most popular attraction in Asheville. Owned by Vanderbilt family, this county estate offers a tour of the Biltmore House, Biltmore Gardens, the River Bend Farm, winery, restaurants, and a hilarious 8000-acre backyard where you can stay and enjoy. RVing in North Carolina is definitely a great idea for any family, friends or even a romantic getaway. The alluring scenery and magnificent attraction will please every RV trippers and travelers. Whether you plan to enjoy your North Carolina vacation by playing in the beach and parks or by doing a bit of river rafting or hiking, staying in an RV is also a great way to go. http://www.rvingandcamping.com