2025 North Carolina Adventure Bucket List
I’m gonna be honest… this blog post was written in total selfishness. I was bored and wanted to get out of my comfort zone and DO something. I wanted an adventure. I’m spending too much time at my desk and not enough time enjoying this great state of North Carolina.
But not in 2025.
There are 37 bucket list adventures on this list. I tried to make them unique and fun. I’m going to do 25 of them in 2025. That’s one every other week.
Will you join me?? I might even create an event or two this year to invite a few followers along with me to knock out some of these items. Please let me know what adventures you’re taking and which ones were the most fun!
Also… you’re going to want to bookmark this post to your dashboard so you can refer back to it every time you’re bored!
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Adventure & Outdoors
- Go ziplining in a forest or over a scenic area. If you want to stay in Raleigh, you can try Go Ape. For a short day trip, head over to Greensboro. The Greensboro Science Center has a great zip lining adventure. Extra bonus, it’s right next to the tigers. For something a little more scenic, but close to home, check out Zipquest in Fayetteville. Their zipline goes over waterfalls and they also have a swinging rope bridge, which will let you cross off two bucket list items at once – suspension bridge is the last one on this section. 🙂
- Sleep under the stars Bonus if you can find a dark sky area. Here’s a list of the closest dark sky areas to Raleigh.
- Go tubing or rafting on a nearby river. In the Raleigh area, you can go tubing on the Cape Fear River the Deep River, or for something a little more adventurous, head to Boone.
- Take a sunrise hike to see the world wake up.
- Drive part of a scenic byway, like the Blue Ridge Parkway or a local equivalent.
- Cross a suspension bridge or a famous walking bridge. You can find a list of bridges here.
Travel & Exploration
- Visit the tallest point east of the Mississippi River Mount Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River and it has a viewing deck.
- Take a train ride, even if it’s just for the fun of the journey. Try the New Hope Valley Railway, Great Smokey Mountain Railroad, or take Amtrak from the Triangle to Greensboro.
- Stand in two states at once (find a nearby state line or marker).
- Walk through a cave or go on a guided cavern tour. Linville Caverns
- Visit a lighthouse and climb to the top if you can. Old Baldy on Bald Head Island has 110 steps.
- Drive from the coast to the mountains in one day and watch the sunrise and sunset.
- Go to a drive in movie. Try Triangle Drive in Theatre, or for something a little more country, check out the Eden Drive in.
Seasonal Fun
- Go sledding down a big hill in the winter – you might have to travel somewhere to see snow. Hint…Greensboro often gets snow even when we don’t get any here in the Triangle.
- Pick wildflowers and press them into a keepsake book. Here’s a link to the best wildflower trails in North Carolina. All but one is out west. No cheating… picking dandelions from your front yard. But if you DO happen to have a wildflower patch in your yard, that counts!
- Attend a hot air balloon festival or watch a balloon launch. The Carolina Balloonfest is in Statesville, NC on October 17-19. Will I see you there?
- Run into the ocean fully clothed or wade into a lake at night.
Unique Experiences
- Throw an axe at an axe-throwing range. Try Inner Beast Hatchet in Fuquay or Cary, Urban Axes in Durham, or Epic Axe in downtown Raleigh.
- Ride in a helicopter or small airplane for a short flight. Total flight solutions in Louisburg.
- Ride in a horse-drawn carriage or sleigh. Outside of the holiday season you can find horse drawn carriages in Wilmington and Blowing Rock at Moses Cone Park, which if you haven’t visited it yet, is gorgeous!
- Go on a ghost tour or a historic tour in your town or nearby city. Carolina history and haunts is open year round in Greensboro
- Swim in a natural spring or waterfall. Try Hot Springs Resort and Spa. Sliding rock is popular but it appears to be closed. I’m not if that is due to the hurricane or to the season. Here’s a list of waterfalls. Please check conditions before going to make sure they are accessible and open.
- Try a shooting range if you’ve never handled a firearm. Kidd’s place sporting clays Holly Springs. Or Youngsville Gun Store and Range.
- Buy a piece of art from a local artist to hang on your wall. Here’s a list of art galleries in the Triangle.
- Buy an antique that you love from a North Carolina antique store.
Fun Achievements
- Learn to do a cartwheel or another physical skill you’ve always wanted to master.
- Ride a mechanical bull (or at least try!). PBR Cowboy bar Fenton in Cary is the only one I could find. If you decide to go and need something to wear try Rough Stock Western Wear in Raleigh or Country Connection in Garner. You’re bound to run into a real North Carolinian in either of those places.
- Find a geocache and leave something behind. Geocaching.com
Quirky or Offbeat Ideas
- Visit a quirky museum, like one dedicated to toys, trains, or local history. Here’s a list of weird ones…. American Museum of the House Cat anyone??
- Take part in a local parade or festival, even as a spectator. Here is a list of festivals in the Triangle that you can sort by date.
- Learn to skip a rock perfectly across water. Try Jordan Lake, Bass Lake, or Falls Lake.
- Milk a cow or goat at a local farm.
Personal Adventures
- Conquer your fear of something, like heights, public speaking, or swimming.
- Spend a night in a themed hotel or Airbnb, like a treehouse or tiny home.
- Attend a demolition derby or similar unique event. Goodguys Griots garage on April 18th at the state fairgrounds April 26th or Tour of Destruction at the hickory motor speedway
- Drive a go-kart at a local track. Rush Hour Karting, Galaxy Fun Park or Adventure Landing are all local.
- Stand in a cornfield maze and find your way out. Here’s a list. Remember they’re seasonal and probably won’t be open until September or so.
