Summer trip to NC

[mgaines]

We are planning a 2 1/2 week trip through parts of NC. Planning to start in Wilmington, head to Raleigh, then Winston-Salem and end up somewhere in the mountains (Bervard, Transylvania, Monroe County, or Franklin--south of Ashville). This will be our first trip this way. We have two kids, 8 and 9 and are looking for kid friendly campgrounds and good places to eat (even those off the beaten path). We would love any suggestions for anyone who has been to these places.

[perryc]

We have always loved staying at the Davidson River campground. Some sites are on the river which is perfect for tubing or fishing. Plenty of hiking trails and a ton of stuff to do from visiting the fish hatchery to horse back riding. With the ages of your children I don't think you could possibly go wrong staying here. The only thing to consider is that there are no power, water or sewer hookups. They do have drinking water outlets at every third or fourth site and good bath facilities.

If you are into hiking and great mountain scenery go to the top of the mountain and spend some time at the Mt. Pisgah campground. It is right on the Blueridge Parkway. There are no hookups here either but once again they do have good bath facilities and water available.

Davidson River campground is about 4 mile west of Brevard. Mt. Pisgah is about 10 miles farther up the mountain. Mt. Pisgah Campgound is right at 5000 ft. in elevation so depending on when you go make sure you carry a jacket! Its great in July! Hope yall have a great trip.

[asquared]

There is not much in the way of camping near Raleigh. We did discover Jordan lake has some nice state park CG that have some waterfront sites and beaches on the lake to swim in. Be aware that state parks in NC close and lock their gates from dusk til dawn. You must be back in the park by dusk or you will not be able to get to your rig without a really long walk in the dark. Crosswords and poplar point are the better ones. They have ranger programs for the kids too.

I have been wanting to try tanglewood park in clemmons nc, not far from Winston Salem. Another great area is Boone NC whee they have a railroad you can take the kids on.

When you make your way to Asheville check out Hooker Falls. You can hike to the falls and go swimming there. We swam below the falls but there were people jumping off the falls. The water was very cold but it was fun.

A good beach CG is Camp Hatteras in rodanthe.

For places to eat... kinda out of your way but Dickie Dos BBQ in Haw River is phenomenal. If you stay at Jordan lake, you will be near cary and apex. When we lived in Cary, we loved Ginza (Japanese steakhouse). Danny's BBQ in Cary is also good, although Dickie dos is far better and Hillsborough bbq is somewhere between those two.