Have a few days in NC in December/January in North Carolina? Check this video out! We were able to get my son, Michael and his girlfriend Trinity from Illinois to North Carolina during winter break, and we wanted to share some essential North Carolina things to do, along with some activities I didn’t even know were here in North Carolina!

PLACES WE VISITED 🗺️🏖️

Chinese Lantern Festival at Booth Ampitheatre (Cary, NC)

This was not a planned excursion, but I’m so glad we were all able to experience this! This festival runs generally from mid-November until mid-January and has FABULOUS displays of Chinese history, lights, and shows. Unfortunately, one of the storms JUST after we went shut the festival down for the rest of the year, but if you’re near Raleigh in the winter, this is worth visiting!

Fort Macon State Park

One of the places you should visit if you’re at Atlantic Beach. They have some great history of the area and the fort, along with a lot of displays to peruse both inside and outside.

And bonus – the beach just beyond the fort is great for finding seashells!

NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

A great place to visit, especially when the weather isn’t cooperating. I love their large submarine underwater display.

WHERE WE ATE 🍽️🍕🍗

Tlaquepaque Mexican Restaurant

This place was quite fun and if you like guacamole, definitely get it made at the table! Did I say they use a robot to help serve the meals at the table?

Mellow Mushroom (Cary, NC)

Anytime we’re in the area, we love to head to this chain. Great pizza and good beer selection!

Moore’s Olde Tyme Barbeque Chicken & Seafood

We couldn’t let Trinity’s first visit to North Carolina NOT include North Carolina BBQ, so this seemed like a great visit to just get a feel of it. And yes, we also shared some banana pudding. 😀

Other Links

• 🛻⛺🛠 Truck Camper GEAR
• 🛻⛺🛠⬆️Truck Camper UPGRADES

Our Camping Locations

If you’re interested in seeing all of the places we’ve stayed, I’m keeping a (mostly) updated list on Google Maps by Month. Enjoy!