Located 131 miles east of Raleigh, Wrightsville Beach is the city's closest and most accessible beach. While Wrightsville Beach is family-friendly, it's more geared toward young adults interested in simple surf, sun and sand activities, such as boating, boogie boarding, swimming, sunbathing, surfing and beachcombing.
The distance between Carolina Beach and Duke University is 149 miles.
The current most popular beach in County Durham is Seaham Beach. If you would like to have your say on which are the best beaches in County Durham just follow the link to the beach and vote by clicking the star ratings at the top right of the page.
While Durham is a wonderful place to live, sometimes you need a quiet break from the city. Luckily, there's an excellent beach town that's less than three hours away. Emerald Isle is home to some of the best beaches near Durham, NC.
How long is the drive from Charlotte to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? The direct drive from Charlotte to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is 191 miles (307 km), and should have a drive time of 4 hrs 4 mins in normal traffic.
It is 267 miles from Cary to Great Smoky Mountains.
Location of CaryYou can be at the beach or to the mountains in less than two hours. Part of the reason Cary is one of the most desirable towns in the Raleigh-Durham area is its location.
Boone, NC. If you're looking for the closest mountains to Raleigh, I'd probably head to Boone! It is a bit of a drive for just one day but it is oh so worth it! Take in the majestic Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain, and be a kid again at Tweetsie Railroad.
Hanging Rock State Park. Hanging Rock State Park is found to the northwest of Greensboro, in the mountainous region that's close to the state border.
Located in a forested nature area, the North Carolina Triangle – Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill – is a great place to do all kinds of outdoor activities.
At over 500 million years old, The Uwharrie Mountains are the oldest mountains in the United States. Seeing the softly rolling hills of today, so densely covered in pine forest, one would never guess that the Uwharries were once a chain of huge volcanic jagged peaks reaching 20,000 feet high.
