“We have about 300 people a year in our classes, and we’re seeing more people every year,” says Chris Daniels, chief instructor at Oriental’s School of Sailing. Facilities for kayaking and other types of boating also are available. If sailing is of interest, Oriental, just off the Intracoastal Waterway in Pamlico County, bills itself as the “Sailing Capital of North Carolina.” The village boasts two sailing schools and anchorage for more than 2,700 sailboats. Public access areas are scattered all along the coast, and in towns such as Elizabeth City, Plymouth, Belhaven, Washington, New Bern, Beaufort, Swansboro and Wilmington. The Roanoke-Chowan, Pamlico-Tar, Neuse and Cape Fear rivers, along with Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, offer every type of boating activity imaginable-from kayaking and canoeing, to skiing and waterboarding, to sailing and powerboat racing. Marinas and boat suppliers are abundant in all of these areas, and dozens of charter-boat operators are available for offshore or inshore fishing or for cruises.īut the East isn’t all ocean. Oregon Inlet, the Morehead City-Beaufort-Atlantic Beach area and the Wilmington-Southport areas are meccas for offshore boaters and fishermen. Mention Eastern North Carolina and thoughts immediately drift to the ocean. Most also offer other activities, including camping, hiking and bike trails. All offer convenient boat access, full-service marinas, picnicking, great fishing and plenty of open water on which to cruise.
“At our boat launch, we see everything from jonboats to big ski boats, even kayaks and canoes.”īoating opportunities also abound farther east, at Jordan, Harris and Falls lakes near the Research Triangle, and at Kerr and Gaston lakes on the North Carolina-Virginia border. “It runs the gamut,” says Kelly Cook, a ranger at Lake Norman State Park. In the Piedmont, 32,000-acre Lake Norman, near Charlotte, is the state’s largest man-made lake, with more than 520 miles of shoreline, and provides opportunities for swimming, fishing, skiing, cruising and other water-related activities.
Boat rentals are available at most of these western lakes, and many areas also include family-style campgrounds.Īnglers compete in a bass fishing tournament on Lake Norman in Mooresville, N.C. Farthest west, Hiawassee, Santeelah, Fontana, Nantahala and Chatuge lakes all offer spectacular mountain scenery, convenient boat access, a variety of water sports and excellent fishing. If whitewater rafting doesn’t sound like the ideal vacation, the lakes in Western and Piedmont North Carolina provide an abundance of boating opportunities. Nantahala, like most outfitters, also offers a paddling school, rentals and lake outings. Then we have rivers like the Cheoah in the far western part of the state, where you have to pay attention to every paddle stroke.” For example, we do trips on the Pigeon River just over the border in Tennessee with kids as young as 6. “We do three rivers mostly in North Carolina, and they’re mostly family-friendly,” Rodichok says.
These excursions don’t require expertise in whitewater paddling. And it’s an authentic way to be on the water it’s not like a theme park.” “A rafting trip is a great way to cool off in the hot summer months. “We’re open year-round, but we’re usually booked heavily in the summer months,” says Barbra Rodichok at Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, which offers raft, kayak and canoe outings on nine rivers.
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