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Food & Drink: Numerous festivals are held annually in North Carolina in honour of favourite foods, including apples, watermelons, seafood, turkey, pickles and collard greens. (See Special Events below for further details of food festivals). Local specialities include sweet potato pie, fried okra and buttered lima beans. Other dishes that regularly feature on menus in North Carolina include roast chicken with pecans, country ham with red-eye gravy and chocolate pecan torte with whipped cream. Seafood lovers should head for Calabash, which locals boast is ‘the seafood capital of the world’. Barbecues are also very popular, particularly in Lexington, North Carolina’s barbecue capital, which has more barbecue restaurants per capita than any other area in the country. Barbecue sauce is an often keenly debated subject. Eastern Carolina BBQ features a vinegar-based sauce, while western North Carolinians use a tomato-based sauce. Barbecue is often served with coleslaw, hush puppies and baked beans.
Theatre & Concerts: North Carolina’s State theatre, the Flat Rock Playhouse, is the oldest professional summer theatre in the State and its Vagabond Players are rated as one of the best summer stock theatre companies in the country. The Brevard Music Center, near Flat Rock, offers a summer season in which guest artists perform more than 50 different concerts.
Nightlife: Student bars dominate the university towns of Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill; top rock bands appear at the Cat’s Cradle club in Carroboro. Charlotte offers a wide range of entertainment, including the popular Jazz Charlotte Festival in the second week of September.
Shopping: North Carolina’s aquariums offer workshops for coastal crafts and include shops selling unusual gifts. They are located in Manteo on Roanoke Island, Kure Beach and Pine Knoll Shores. Brevard is also popular for its many craft centres and shops. The world’s largest furniture market is located in High Point near Winston-Salem. Concord Mills, just north of Charlotte, has over 200 outlet and speciality shops, restaurants and a 24-screen cinema.
Sport: The dirt-track racing in Wayne County, sports car racing at the Chimney Rock Hill Climb, drag racing at Fayetteville International Dragway, and NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, are just some of the exciting motorsports events in the State. Pinehurst is recognised as the centre of golf in North Carolina but there are more than 600 courses spread across the State, including Oyster Bay, Marsh Harbor, Lockwood Folly, Sea Trail, Brick Landing and The Pearl. Other popular sporting activities include cycling, horseriding, tennis, watersports and archery.
Special Events: The following is just a sample of events taking place in 2003: Apr North Carolina Renaissance Faire, Raleigh; North Carolina Azalea Festival, Wilmington; Ham & Yam Festival, Smithfield; North Carolina Pickle Festival, Mt Olive, Faison; Civil War Re-enactment at Stonewall Manor, Rocky Mount. May Harambee Festival (African-American celebration), Rocky Mount; Strawberry Festival & Craft Show, Concord. Jun Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament (one-week long event, one of the largest tournaments of its kind), Morehead City; Tar Heel Regatta, Lake Wheeler; Tar River Fest, Rocky Mount. Jun-Jul Eastern Music Festival, Greensboro. Jun-Aug The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama (focusing on the the first English settlers), Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Jul Piedmont Berry Festival, Dobson; North Carolina Watermelon Festival, Murfreesboro; Candor Peach Festival, Candor. Aug Corolla Seafood Festival; Sneads Ferry Annual Shrimp Festival, Sneads Ferry. Sep Hardee’s Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Tournament, Atlantic Beach; Bald is Beautiful (contest includes shiniest and most beautiful heads), Morehead City; Annual North Carolina Apple Festival, Hendersonville; North Carolina Grape Stompin’ Festival, Rosehill; Rocky Mount Fair, Rocky Mount; North Carolina Turkey Festival, Raeford; Lincoln County Apple Festival, Lincolnton; Jazz Festival (second week of September), Charlotte. Oct The Barbecue Festival, Lexington; Annual Woolly Worm Festival, Banner Elk; North Carolina Seafood Festival, Morehead City; Peanut Festival, Edenton; Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, North Wilkesboro; Annual North Carolina Oyster Festival, Shallotte; International Festival, Raleigh; North Carolina State Fair, Raleigh. Nov Community Thanksgiving Feast, Beaufort; Annual Holiday Bazaar, Rocky Mount. Dec Festival of Lights, Greensboro; Christmas at Stonewall, Rocky Mount.
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