Best Towns To Visit in North Carolina in January 2025
Hello everyone, hope you are having an amazing week so far. In today's post I want to share with you some of the best places to visit in North Carolina in January 2025, some destinations you can't miss visiting...stay tuned because I'll be sharing with you'll a travel guide for each month, like this one!
In January, the best towns to visit in North Carolina are primarily located in the Blue Ridge Mountains for skiing and winter scenery or along the Crystal Coast for a more serene beach experience.
Mountain Towns:
Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock is a village in western North Carolina on scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s named after The Blowing Rock, a formation with sweeping views of peaks, forests and the Johns River Gorge. Blowing Rock Art & History Museum has regional artwork. The vast Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is a preserved country estate with a 1901 mansion. A trail from Annie Cannon Gardens leads to Glen Burney and Glen Marie waterfalls.
Blowing Rock is a quintessential mountain village with beautiful churches, a downtown with great shops and restaurants, and a quaint Main Street. Varied accommodations, restaurants, galleries and shopping round out its appeal. But its history reaches back to the days before immigrant settlement.
Boone
Boone is a town in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. In Daniel Boone Park, the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum re-creates 1700s homestead life. Also in the park, the long-running seasonal drama “Horn in the West” evokes the struggles of pioneers like Boone.
The Blue Ridge Parkway winds past town, offering mountain views. Nearby, Grandfather Mountain features a high suspension footbridge and a nature museum. In addition to nationally known attractions like Grandfather Mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Tweetsie Railroad, Boone also has a vibrant art, history, and cultural scene.
Banner Elk
Banner Elk is a town in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. It lies between 2 ski resorts: Sugar Mountain Resort to the south, and Beech Mountain Resort to the north. In town, the Banner House Museum displays period furnishings, tools and clothing in an 1860s home. Wildcat Lake has a beach and a pier. To the southeast, Grandfather Mountain is home to a nature museum, trails and the Mile High Swinging Bridge.
With so many things to see and do (and eat), Banner Elk provides an ideal getaway for couples, families, adventure seekers and baby boomers.
Coastal Towns:
Beaufort
Beaufort is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina. On February 1, 2012, Beaufort was ranked as "America's Coolest Small Town" by readers of Budget Travel Magazine. Beaufort was first known as Fishtown because the fishing industry was and has been an important part of the county's history.
Named by Travel & Leisure as “America's Favorite Town” among other accolades, Beaufort brings even more to the table than meets the eye. Dock your boat at a downtown marina and walk from one charming boutique to the next.
Emerald Isle
Emerald Isle is a town on Bogue Banks Island, part of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. The Bogue Inlet Pier is a popular fishing spot, with views of the Atlantic Ocean. The Western and Eastern Ocean Regional Accesses are public entry points to the beach, a water sports hub. Emerald Isle Woods Park has a disc golf course and a dock, plus shoreline and forest trails, including part of the North Carolina Birding Trail.
Home to a number of incredible accommodations, restaurants, and those gem-colored ocean beaches which gave the region its name, the town of Emerald Isle is a favorite vacation spot along the Crystal Coast, and lives up to its name as a true jewel of the southern Outer Banks.
Southport
Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Its population was 3,971 as of the 2020 census. Steeped in history and picturesque beauty, there is little wonder why Coastal Living Magazine named Southport "America's Happiest Seaside Town."
A visit to this historic maritime town takes you back into a distant past of pirates and privateers, antebellum Southern belles and blockade runners. You can enjoy some of the most stunning views along our coast. We're full of attractions for the little ones. There's Southport Pleasureland, Marine Lake, Splash World, Botanic Gardens and King's Gardens, to name a few.
Hope this post was helpful. Get in touch with me to help you plan your travel adventure!
Stacey M.
(Travel & Tourism Specialist)
