11 Most Laid-Back Small Towns in North Carolina
North Carolina is a great destination in the Southeastern region to look to when searching for a peaceful getaway. Across this elegant state are several small towns with the ideal atmospheres for relaxation. In addition to their smaller populations, these towns are positioned on the shores of rivers, lakes, and the Atlantic, and surrounded by the state’s iconic natural features like the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Appalachians. As one of the original Thirteen Colonies, some of these laid-back towns in North Carolina host important landmarks like one of America’s oldest courthouses in Ediston and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo, which you’ll learn more about soon. With all that said, here are North Carolina’s most laid-back towns worth visiting on the next flight.
Swansboro
Swansboro lies on the Crystal Coast, where the White Oak River joins the Atlantic Ocean. Nicknamed Friendly City by the Sea, this town is indeed laid-back with a historic waterfront, where Dini's Martinis & Deserts offers a perfect mix of exotic wines and desserts to keep guests energized. While in this part of town, you can stroll the waterfront boardwalk to the Bicentennial Park to fish and picnic with scenic views of the river. At the nearby Hammocks Beach State Park, opportunities abound for adventures like primitive camping, fishing, paddling, swimming, and picnicking. The park also has two miles of trails for hiking, four miles of beachfront for strolling, and a visitor center with exhibits that unveil the area’s history and ecology.
Swansboro also invites visitors to explore its waterways on boating tours with Marsh Cruises to explore unsullied islands like Bear Island. For travelers in the town in October, the Swansboro Mullet Festival is a must-experience, as it is one of North Carolina’s oldest festivals, featuring beach music, craft and food vendors, and games for children.
Boone
At 3,200 feet above sea level, this relaxed town within the Blue Ridge Mountains is the quintessential destination to experience a slow-paced life, void of chaos. Visit this town and walk or bike along the Greenway Trail that traces the South Fork of the New River. The trail weaves through the woods, open meadows, lush forests, and a historic ruin, and has picnic benches where one can relax and snack while relishing the views of nature. For more experiences in nature, you can visit the Turtle Island Preserve to witness farm activities, like chicken processing and goat milking, or join a summer camp. Even more exciting, Boone hosts the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum, featuring old buildings and live interpreters that offer a relatable look at the daily lives of the area’s early settlers. Created in 1980, visitors to this museum will witness hand sewing, blacksmithing, hearthside cooking, and other demonstrations reflecting what life was like in the area between 1785 and 1805, when the entire area was engrossed in the American Revolutionary War.
Davidson
Davidson is a small town on Lake Norman, North Carolina’s largest lake. Here, one can easily lose track of time fishing, paddling, and jet skiing on the lake, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Davidson also has many other points of interest, like the Lake Davidson Nature Preserve where visitors can hike and kayak or canoe on the small Lake Davidson. Additionally, the 200-acre Fisher Farm will pull you out of the waters as it is an excellent hiking and biking spot with over four miles of trails, beautiful plants, insects, and wildlife. For more hiking
In the meantime, Davidson is a college town and a visit is an opportunity to tour Davidson College, a liberal arts college established in 1837. While in the college, visit the Arboretum on the main campus to see a diverse collection of trees, shrubs, and plants. If you love the arts, improve your collection with some jewelry, home decor, and crafts from the Wooden Stone Gallery.
Highlands
Highlands is a gorgeous little town aptly named for its elevation at 4,118 feet. This town is one of the highest by East Coast standards and is positioned in the mountains of the Southern Appalachian, surrounded by waterfalls, rivers, mountains, hiking trails, and dense forests. Beyond its natural lure, Highlands is just home to around 1,000 folks, accounting for its laid-back vibes and serenity. You can never go wrong on a retreat to such a town, especially with its long list of attractions starting from Harris Lake Park which is excellent for relaxing with scenic views, fishing, and paddling. For more water-based adventures, the Cullasaja River is near the town.
Due to its location near the Nantahala National Forest, a visit to the Highlands is always an opportunity to see beautiful waterfalls. The 120-foot Bridal Veil Falls is one such waterfall worth visiting on US Highway 64. Just a mile further, the Dry Falls is a worthy next stop as it is 75 feet tall and has a much larger water volume. For a little more adventure, you can hike the short trail to see Glen Falls in the scenic Blue Valley area or hit the two-mile trail to the top of Whiteside Mountain for breathtaking views.
Black Mountain
Black Mountain is a quaint town along the Black Mountain range in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Located just 20 minutes from Asheville, this beautiful town is excellent for a peaceful getaway in nature. Here, visitors can simply head to Lake Tomahawk Park to walk the half-mile loop trail around the lake while soaking in the views of the surrounding mountains. After enjoying the scenery, it’s time to explore and shop at the town’s art galleries starting from Seven Sisters Craft Gallery which contains a rich collection of regional art and crafts, including jewelry, home accessories, pottery, woodwork, glasswork, and metal works, among others. Next, head to the Mountain Nest Gallery to browse through paintings and more crafts like baskets.
For those who want some little exercise, several trails are near Black Mountain to explore and the 1.4-mile Lookout Mountain Trail is at the top of the list. This trail is in the nearby town of Montreal and offers breathtaking views of the Seven Sisters mountain.
Bryson City
Bryson City is a delightful little town with so much to offer outdoor buffs. For starters, this town is a more relaxing gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From this town, one can easily hike the park’s 2.4-mile Waterfall Loop Trail that leads to three charming waterfalls; Tom Branch, Indian Creek, and Juney Whank Falls in the Deep Creek area. Besides the views, activities like tubing, fishing, and picnicking can be enjoyed in the area. Also, visitors to Bryson City can easily explore the Road to Nowhere, also known as the Lakeview Drive which stretches for six miles through the smokies and ends at the mouth of an abandoned tunnel. On the drive, enjoy views of Fontana Lake and the surrounding mountains, and hike through the tunnel to access more trails like the challenging 30-mile Lake Shore trail that leads to Fontana Dam.
Back in town, it is always a pleasure to paddle on the Tusckagee River. As for history enthusiasts, the Swain County Heritage Museum is a delightful place to learn about the area’s early settlers through photos, videos, and other artifacts.
Manteo
Manteo sits pretty on a waterfront on Roanoke Island, perfect for a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of daily city life. Just strolling through this town’s boardwalk and watching the sailboats and vessels docking and sailing away is relaxing but there’s more to enjoy. On the boardwalk, visitors can stop at the Roakone Marshes Lighthouse to see exhibits related to the area’s maritime history. Manteo also invites visitors to the 27-acre Roanoke Island Festival Park to witness a 16th-century sailing ship and watch as costumed interpreters portray life in the area when the first English settlers arrived in the 1580s.
Additionally, the actual site of the first English settlers to America is preserved at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo. In 1585 and 1587, colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh had settled in the area. The first settlement in 1585 failed due to a lack of supplies and suspicions of the Natives and the colonists all left for England. In 1587, another party of more than a hundred settlers was sent to the site, and this party became known as the Lost Colony because when visited in 1590, not a single soul was found on the site, and to date, no one knows what became of the men, women, and children who made up the settlement. Today, this site features exhibits and an outdoor drama that shed more light on this area’s settlement history. Nearby, the Elizabethan Gardens is a great place to unwind with sights of roses, bulb flowers, and camellias, among other fine plants.
Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock is a charming getaway in the Blue Bridge Mountain Region, full of unique things like a dramatic rock formation protruding 1,500 feet above the Johns River Gorge. This natural wonder gave the town its name and is a great spot to behold mountain peaks, dense forests, and the gorge below. The rock is also famous for its gravity-defying feature in which light objects thrown down are returned upward due to the strong vertical winds influenced by the rock's unusual shape and size. Furthermore, Blowing Rock hosts Mystery Hill, an indoor and outdoor attraction where one can witness unbelievable optical illusions like water flowing uphill and objects suspending mid-air. The Mystery Hill is also home to the Native American Artifacts Museum, which houses one of the world’s largest private collections of Native American artifacts. Meanwhile, visitors to Mystery Hill are welcome to float on the New River after exploring all the indoor attractions. For those who love to hike, the 1.5-mile Glen Burney Trail in Blowing Rock is a great choice to explore as it follows a creek and offers scenic waterfall views.
Washington
Located along the Pamlico River, Washington is one of North Carolina’s larger towns housing nearly 10,000 people. Yet, a sense of community, serenity, and laid-back vibes prevails in the atmosphere, while a couple of natural, artsy, and historic draws help locals and tourists stay active. Visit this town and spend some time enjoying movies and shows at the Turnage Theatre or exploring the numerous historical landmarks like the Bank of Washington, built in 1854 in the Greek Revival style. Also, check out the Beaufort County Courthouse, built in 1786 and representing one of the state’s oldest courthouses.
Away from the history, Washington is home to the North Carolina Estuarium, where over 200 exhibits offer a good understanding of the state’s vital estuaries and coastal rivers. The Pamlico River also flows along the Estuarium and a boardwalk stretches over it for visitors to walk and enjoy the scenery. For more adventures, the Goose Creek State Park is just around 20 minutes away and offers opportunities for camping, boating, fishing, and hiking through wetlands.
Brevard
Brevard is a mountain town in the Blue Ridge Mountains and near Pisgah National Forest, with an endless list of things to see and do. Here, travelers can spend entire vacations outdoors just exploring attractions in the national forest like the 60-foot Looking Glass Falls or the Sliding Rock where thousands of people line up in summer just to slide down the 60-foot sloping boulder into a refreshing pool. Still, in the forests, the Looking Glass Rock Trail challenges hikers to attempt the moderately difficult 3-mile hike to the top of the rock for breathtaking views.
The DuPont State Recreational Forest nearby also has more attractions to keep adventurers busy, particularly trails, one of which is the three-mile waterfall hike that leads to Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls, along the Little River. Back in town, visitors can stop at the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas to learn more about the country’s military history and the veterans from North and South Carolina who have served the country.
Year-round, Brevard also hosts several exciting festivals worth visiting, like the White Squirrel Weekend usually held on Memorial Day Weekend. This unique event celebrates the area’s adorable white squirrels, which are usually seen around Brevard College where they love to feed. The festival features more than a dozen concerts, food, arts, crafts, and more.
Edenton
Edenton is one of North Carolina’s most priceless towns worth visiting. Settled around 1660 as the first permanent settlement in colonial North Carolina, this town was incorporated in 1722, after which it served as the colony’s first capital until 1743. Today, the town invites visitors to see some of its historical structures like the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse which is the oldest courthouse in North Carolina and one of the finest examples of public Georgian architecture in the US. The St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is another significant landmark in town to check out as it is considered North Carolina’s second-oldest church building, built as far back as 1736, decades before the town was officially incorporated.
In addition to its historic allure, Edenton is a laid-back place where travelers can spend afternoons lazying about at Elizabeth Vann Moore Park while watching sailboats come and go. Adjacent to this park, the Roanoke River Lighthouse invites visitors to climb to its top and savor the gorgeous views of Edenton Bay or see historic artifacts and original furnishings reflecting life on the water. To spend more time outdoors, Cape Colony Park is recommended to visit as it offers opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and picnicking with views of the Albemarle Sound.
These towns in North Carolina are among the most laid-back destinations one can find in the US. In these towns, the air is fresh as most are surrounded by dense forest areas and mountains, but that’s not all. With low populations, light traffic, and hospitable locals, these towns have all it takes to offer relaxation. Additionally, these laid-back towns in North Carolina are full of historic attractions while being in proximity to lakes, national forests, parks, mountains, and rivers, all of which are designed to help people lose track of time in nature. From Blowing Rock, where a gravity-defying phenomenon is at play at a rock, to the numerous waterfalls around the town of Highland, these towns in North Carolina are excellent destinations to visit to experience true rest.
