Small Towns to Visit in North Carolina
Blue Ridge waterfalls to Outer Banks lighthouses.
Plan a Small-Town TripSmall Towns to Visit in North Carolina
North Carolina stretches from the highest peaks in the East to the barrier islands of the Outer Banks, and its small towns follow suit: mountain towns built around waterfalls and scenic drives, and coastal villages shaped by ferries, lighthouses and pirates. These small towns to visit in North Carolina are easy to link into a mountains-to-sea trip.
Before you go to the mountains: Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina hard in September 2024. Check each town’s visitor center and the Blue Ridge Parkway (National Park Service) for current road and trail status.
Mountain Towns
Blowing Rock
Right on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock has a small main street of shops and inns, the rock outcrop it is named for, and Moses H. Cone Memorial Park with its manor house and carriage trails. Grandfather Mountain, with its Mile High Swinging Bridge, is a short drive away.
Highlands and Brevard
Highlands sits on a high plateau above the Cullasaja Gorge, where you can walk behind Dry Falls. Brevard calls itself the Land of Waterfalls: Pisgah National Forest (Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock) and DuPont State Recreational Forest are on its doorstep, and the town is known for its white squirrels.
Bryson City
A gateway to the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains, Bryson City is where the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad excursions depart. Deep Creek’s waterfalls and tubing are minutes from town, and the Nantahala River’s whitewater is nearby.
Coastal Towns
Beaufort
One of the state’s oldest towns, Beaufort has a boardwalk on Taylor’s Creek, an old burying ground and the North Carolina Maritime Museum, which displays artifacts from Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Wild horses roam the islands of the Rachel Carson Reserve across the water.
Manteo and Ocracoke
Manteo, on Roanoke Island, is home to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the Elizabethan Gardens and The Lost Colony, an outdoor drama staged since 1937. Ocracoke, reached only by ferry or small plane, is a village of narrow lanes around a harbor and the white Ocracoke Lighthouse, surrounded by the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Edenton
On Albemarle Sound, Edenton is a colonial town of historic houses and a waterfront park, remembered for the Edenton Tea Party of 1774, when local women signed a protest against British taxes.
Pairing North Carolina Towns
- High Country loop: Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain, then south along the Parkway (when open) toward Brevard and Highlands.
- Smokies and rails: Bryson City with a day in the national park and a train excursion.
- Outer Banks villages: Manteo, then down Hatteras Island to the ferry for Ocracoke.
- Crystal Coast: Beaufort with a boat trip to see the wild horses.
The state tourism office, Visit NC, lists events and current openings across all of these towns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best small towns to visit in North Carolina?
In the mountains: Blowing Rock, Highlands, Brevard and Bryson City. On the coast: Beaufort, Manteo, Ocracoke and Edenton. Each pairs a walkable center with a major draw, from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Outer Banks.
Are western North Carolina towns open after Hurricane Helene?
Hurricane Helene caused severe damage across western North Carolina in September 2024, and recovery has been uneven. Many towns and attractions have reopened, but some roads, trails and Parkway sections were affected for a long time. Check town visitor sites and the National Park Service’s Blue Ridge Parkway road status before you go.
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