This holiday season, skip the big-box gift cards and opt for a unique local experience. Whether you’re artsy, a foodie, an adrenaline junkie, or something else, these NC experiences will thrill everyone on your shopping list.
The holidays are coming, and if you’re anything like me, you get so busy with work and life that you forget to shop thoughtfully and wind up opting for Amazon gift cards instead. Let’s do better this year, shall we?
Instead of a generic gift card, check out these experiences in North Carolina. I’ve included categories to help you select the perfect experience to give. From outdoor enthusiasts and foodies to introverts, art lovers, and beyond, these 24 local experiences are ideal for everyone on your list.
For outdoorsy folks
1. Whitewater rafting at NOC
Located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina, the Nantahala Outdoor Center is a 500-acre absolute gem of a destination that offers outdoor adventures, dining, and lodging along the rushing Nantahala River. While you can choose to go zip lining, mountain biking, or take a guided hike, whitewater rafting is where it’s at. With options ranging from serene beginner floats to thrilling, world-class whitewater rafting, everyone can enjoy this one-of-a-kind experience.
2. Hang gliding
Ever wanted a literal bird’s-eye view of the world? Then you’ll want to try hang gliding. With dunes and coasts galore throughout the state, you can soar above the clouds in many places, but Kitty Hawk Kites reigns supreme. The biggest hang gliding school in the world, it offers certified instructors who teach classes for everyone from novices to experts—all in one of the world’s best places to practice the sport.
3. Mountaineering snow school
For something that’s both fun and challenging, try Mountaineering Snow School with North Carolina Outdoor Adventures. An ideal start for folks who want to begin winter hiking, the class teaches the basics of high-altitude climbing, glacier travel, cold-related injuries, and much more. Designed for anyone ages 16 and up who is in good physical condition, this class promises to stimulate your mind and body.
For the adrenaline junkies
4. NASCAR Driving Experience
If you and the protagonist from the 2006 movie, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” share the same goal, aka you wanna go fast, check out the NASCAR Driving Experiences at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Featuring real NASCAR race cars, guests can either drive the car for 5 to 48 minutes on the track or ride along for three to six all-out lap rides. Either way, you’ll get a taste of NASCAR drivers’ exhilarating life behind the wheel.
5. Paraclete XP
Indoor skydiving park Paraclete XP offers people of all ages the unforgettable experience of simulated freefall. It does this via air resistance from the Paraclete XP SkyVenture, its wind tunnel. Fun fact? When it comes to power and size, it’s one of the world’s largest vertical wind tunnels. Oh, and if you’d rather actually jump out of a plane, check out tandem jumping with Skydive Paraclete XP, its other location (both are in Raeford).
6. ZipQuest Waterfall & Treetop Adventure Park
There’s ziplining, and then there’s ziplining through a canopy of centuries-old trees at ZipQuest Waterfall & Treetop Park. Located at Carver’s Falls, its Zipline Waterfall Expedition features a lengthy, multi-zipline course, as well as a pair of suspension bridges that offer breathtaking views of the sandhill region’s only major waterfall.
For introverts only
7. Solo pottery class
The introverts in your life will appreciate a solo pottery-making class at the NC Pottery Center. A low-key, contemplative endeavor featuring clay, it is a great way to engage your mind and hands in a digital-free context, meaning introverts should leave feeling refreshed, recharged, and proud of their newfound skills.
8. Spa experience
Introverts don’t just love alone time; they require it for their well-being. That’s why a spa experience is a great option. You can enjoy an array of luxurious facials, massages, and body treatments, as well as manicures, pedicures, and hair services, including cuts and blowouts, at The Spa at Chetola Resort in charming Blowing Rock.
9. Secluded getaway
A quiet getaway will thrill any introvert, and one of the most scenic is Bald Head Island. Only accessible by ferry or private vessel, the island features 10,000 pristine acres that are untouched in large part because there are no cars. While there, plan to get around by bicycle, foot, or golf cart. Bald Head Island is also the site of the state’s oldest standing lighthouse, Old Baldy.
For animal lovers
10. Falconry
The animal lover in your life will love a falconry experience. An ancient sport associated with nobility, an experience with Curtis Wright Outfitters in the Asheville area will teach you the history and fundamentals of the art while you are awestruck by incredible birds of prey. And if you choose—and who wouldn’t?—the encounter will end with you having a magnificent raptor land on your gloved fist.
11. Lollygagging with lemurs
Duke Lemur Center is home to almost 250 lemurs, as well as bush babies across 12 species, making it the planet’s most diverse population of lemurs, outside their native Madagascar. Here, there are a number of tours, and the Walking with Lemurs tour sounds incredible. It puts you in the barrier-free natural habitat enclosures with lemurs only six feet away. Pro tip: if your lemur-loving friend can’t make it out, they can also adopt a critter through its Adopt a Lemur Program.
12. Make animal friends
Since its inception in 2017, family-run petting zoo Darby Acres Farm & Darby Safari has delighted guests with its guided tours and exotic animal experiences. Two distinct facilities, located at different addresses, both offer several experiences, with the walking tours as special standouts. There, you can mingle with farm animals like camels, mini-horses, and water buffalo—or you could hang out with the likes of capybaras, kangaroos, zebras, and more.
For a foodie
13. Food tours
If your favorite way to get a sense of a place is through food, you’ll love Taste Carolina Gourmet food tours. Located in nine North Carolina cities from Asheville to Wilmington, each tour combines foodie info, history, and local culture, as well as numerous tastings at multiple restaurants. And depending on the time of day your tour takes place, you may also enjoy wine and/or beer tasting. Fret not, sober pals, you can also sip mocktails, too.
14. Cooking class
Does the foodie in your life dream of having a culinary professional guide them through hands-on cooking and/or baking lessons? Whether it’s in a private or group setting, you can do just that at Taste Buds Kitchen in Winston-Salem. Adults, children, and teens are welcome, with age-appropriate culinary experiences to choose from. Whether you want to bake covetable cupcakes or the perfect pasta dish, you can learn how—and have a blast while you’re doing it.
15. Spice blending class
When it comes to spices, Spicewalla is the cream of the crop. Founded by multiple James Beard-nominated chef Meherwan Irani, this spice brand contains nearly every spice you can imagine—and you can use it to create your own unique blend with its spice blending class. You’ll learn how to build flavors and pair spices before taking your own custom blends home to enjoy.
For a wine or beer connoisseur
16. Educational wine-tasting
Looking for a wine experience that will stimulate your palate and your mind? Vitis House, a wine, beer, sake, and spirits school in Raleigh, offers a wide variety of classes for both professionals and casual imbibers. Its ample monthly offerings include fascinating educational components, like history, styles, pairings, traditions, and the impact on smell and taste.
17. Libations and llamas
Wine and llamas? Say less. Divine Llama Vineyards, located on 90 scenic acres in the Yadkin Valley (North Carolina’s first American Viticultural Area (AVA)), offers a unique experience: sampling its 11 wines alongside its friendly and vocal llamas. Its two-mile guided llama trek offers guests an ideal way to explore the area, interact with llamas, and sip wines. Oh, and if you find yourself feeling peckish, the space regularly hosts food trucks, too.
18. Factory tour
We already know there are multiple fun and informative factory tours in the state, and a visit to Duplin Winery is another. The largest winemaking facility on the East Coast, the 142,000 sq-ft Duplin Winery specializes in North Carolina’s native muscadine grapes (also the official state fruit), so guests get a taste of North Carolina with every sip. End the tour with a stop at The Bistro, the winery’s on-site restaurant that serves up Southern comfort food.
For the artistic type
19. Glass blowing
If you’ve ever dreamed of bending and shaping brilliant molten glass according to your vision, head to the North Carolina Glass Center in Asheville. A nonprofit glass studio and gallery, it offers one-day and multi-week classes that are not only educational but incredibly fun as well. And if you’re in the mood for some retail therapy, you can find a dazzling variety of handmade wares on offer.
20. Visual arts instruction
Calling all visual arts aficionados: Whether you want to learn plein air landscape painting, drawing figure life, or classical oil painting, the North Carolina Academy of Art in Charlotte can make that happen. With a variety of workshops during the year for teens and adults, folks will not only learn classical techniques and skills, but gain confidence as well.
21. Flower power
Sure, flowers are stunning, but do you know how to group them for maximum beauty? The folks at This Little Cart of Mine can teach you. A mobile flower bar, the business offers hands-on floral workshops at public and private parties around Western North Carolina (and Upstate South Carolina). Fresh flowers and all supplies are included, along with setup and cleanup.
For a wild card
22. Game show experience
If you’ve ever wanted to be on a game show, Raleigh Game Show can make it happen. Inspired by classic TV game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, it offers 75-minute-long interactive experiences with 10-12 challenges, including trivia and puzzles. Note: Unless you book a private experience, you’ll be playing alongside other guests.
23. Surprise adventure
Sometimes, you just can’t deal with making a choice. I’m pretty sure Guess Where Trips exists for those times. The business offers planned trips across the country (here’s North Carolina), and all you have to do is hit the road with your adventure and “open as you go.” Each stop on your trip comes in its own sealed envelope, so you open one stop or trip at a time. How fun is that?
24. High-tech games and activities
Activate Raleigh injects fun physical activity with high-tech indoor gaming that makes you feel like you’re inside a live-action video game. Designed for teams of three to five players, the facility features nine-plus interactive game rooms and more than 100 games, all designed to challenge you mentally and physically.
