North Carolina - the birthplace of country, blues and Cherokee Indians, now quite a conservative and prosperous state in the northern part of the so-called South Atlantic states .It borders on the state of Virginia in the north and Tennessee in the west, from the east it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean .The capital of North Carolina is the "oak" town of Raleigh, known for its dense and picturesque oak groves, the very word "Raleigh" comes from the English court adventurer Walter Raleigh, favorite of Queen Elizabeth (if you are interested in their complex relationships, watch the film "The Golden Age", where the role of the aforementioned Sir Raleigh was performed by Clive Owen) .

The word "Carolina" appeared in the 17th century - King Charles II called the state (later divided into two parts - the Southern and Northern) in honor of his unhappy father, the king of England, Scotland and Ireland, Charles I, deposed and executed during the English Revolution, that himself, who tried unsuccessfully to save the Musketeers in Dumas's novel "20 Years Later."

According to legend, the nickname should remind of bare feet of workers who boiled tar, whose bare heels were plastered with black tar all year round. However, this name is mostly used only in guidebooks for foreigners, and the inhabitants of North Carolina hardly identify themselves with tar, so there is little practical use for this entertaining fact.

The capital is Raleigh.

Major cities are Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Wilmington.

How to get here

On the territory of North Carolina there are four international airports - in Charlotte, Ginsborough, Wilmington and in the middle between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. There are no direct flights from Russia, the shortest route is via New York to Charlotte or Wilmington Airport, in the air about 12 hours.

If you decide to go to North Carolina not from Russia, but, say, from another state, keep in mind the ferries and trains, although the best way, of course, is to arrive by car. If you arrive on an airplane, then the plan to "rent a car and move around the state already on it" will be the right decision - the roads in North Carolina are always in excellent condition, caution will not hurt only on the mountain routes in the winter.

The climate of North Carolina

The landscape of North Carolina is variable - in the western part is "Land in the clouds," the mountainous terrain, the Appalachian ridges, in the center of the state - forests and the Piedmont plateau. The eastern part of North Carolina is a coastal, almost resort area. The climate is also diverse: the coast and the center are in the subtropical zone, with warm summers and mild, snowless winters. In the mountainous part there is a continental climate with pronounced seasons - hot summers and classic winters with snow and snowstorms.

North Carolina Cuisine

If you try to characterize the specifics of local cuisine in one word, this word will be "pork". Ham, bacon, pork, smoked with smoke or salted, lard ... Traditional for all America barbecue, of course, is also prepared from pork meat. In North Carolina, the pig remains only a hoof - nothing is wasted. For example, a popular delicacy (in order to taste it, it takes some courage) - pork fillet, in fact, pork intestines, thoroughly washed, boiled and fried. Local people like it.

Another way to make pork is the so-called liver meat: the pork liver is mixed with pieces of pork, fat and corn flour, seasoned with salt, pepper and sage, then fried in rectangular pieces, added to omelettes and pizza, festivals and Facebook pages are dedicated to this dish . Of course, in addition to pork, the diet of North Carolina residents includes chicken and vegetables, and the closer to the coast, the more chances to taste seafood: fish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp.

As for drinks, the local classics are tea with ice and sugar. That is, if you ask for just tea, you will be served with sweet iced tea. If you want hot or unsweetened tea - be sure to clarify this. Ironically, in North Carolina wine is actively developing, especially in honor red semisweet wines, by the way, very worthy. And another local product - a cool drink Cheerwine with cherry flavor, a real local legend, it's produced here since 1917, definitely try it!

Entertainment, excursions and attractions

North Carolina is pleased with the interesting in terms of tourism - there is something to see and do what to do. Due to such a diverse landscape and climate, you can practice both winter sports (skiing, snowboarding, skating, snowkiting, hockey) in the mountainous part of the state, and summer (swimming, surfing, kayaking, diving) in the coastal part. Well, the central part is the traditional hiking, camping, cycling and walking through the woods, excursions to waterfalls and, of course, golf is almost a national sport of North Carolina.

Here there are a lot of film companies, large-scale film festivals are held, where thousands of tourists come to visit. For example, it was in North Carolina that the famous TV series Rodina was shot, as well as blockbusters Iron Man 3 and Hunger Games. There is even a fan tour around the places of military glory of the Hunger Games, which includes dressing up in thematic costumes and a master class on archery. Fans should like it.

Other attractions of the must-see category are the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (literally the Great Smoky Mountains), part of which is in North Carolina, part of Tennessee, a grandiose nature reserve, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial, an exhibition complex dedicated to the first in world pilot flight of the aircraft, which was carried out by the pioneers-aircraft designers of the Wright brothers in the early 20th century .In addition, tourists often visit Cape Hatteras on the coast, which is one of the first lighthouses in the US, and of course, Old Salem is an open-air museum, a detailed reconstruction of an ancient settlement where one can walk, marveling at such a full immersion in history, all day all the time .