For travelers of all stripes, North Carolina—or the Tar Heel State—offers countless things to do, places to see, and experiences to enjoy. From the urban delights and innovations in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, and Durham to creative cultural encounters in Asheville and the cobblestones and colonial character of New Bern and Wilmington, the state has great variety. Other highlights include NASCAR speedways and shrines honoring legends of the track; stunning vistas and thrilling trails from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Blue Ridge Parkway; and rivers, lakes, Atlantic beaches, and the Outer Banks.
Coastal
Goldsboro/Wayne County
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About 70 miles from Raleigh, Goldsboro in Wayne County has 1,000 guest accommodations and an array of venues. The Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center—known as The Maxwell Center—features 26,445 square feet of indoor event space and 9,500 square feet for outdoor events. The center’s 14,515-square-foot main assembly hall fits 1,500 guests theater style. The Goldsboro Event Center has three indoor-outdoor event spaces and fits 500 for receptions in its largest space.
For smaller events, the Firehouse has 4,900 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including a rooftop area, and accommodates gatherings of 250 guests. Meanwhile, Goldsboro’s historic Paramount Theatre seats 500 on its main floor and balcony. The theater also has a 1,500-square-foot lobby that accommodates receptions of 100 guests.
Greenville/Pitt County
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Situated on 32 acres, the Greenville Convention Center Campus offers 91,000-plus square feet of flexible event space. The convention center features 57,000 square feet of flexible space, including a 28,800-square-foot exhibit hall. Other campus components include three onsite restaurants and three hotels—Hilton Greenville, Holiday Inn, and Hampton Inn—with a combined 400 guest rooms and approximately 37,000 square feet of event space.
The campus is also within a one-mile radius of more than 85 restaurants and a five-minute drive from 1,700 additional guest rooms.
New Bern/Craven County
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Perched at the meeting of the Neuse and Trent rivers in historic downtown New Bern, the Riverfront Convention Center of Craven County has 32,000 square feet of flexible event space. The venue, renovated in 2020, accommodates 100 exhibits and holds 1,000 people. Features include a 12,000-square-foot ballroom, waterfront veranda, and 8,000 square feet of pre-function space. The convention center is close to shopping, dining, nightlife, and cultural activities. It is also adjacent to the new 99-room Doubletree by Hilton New Bern, which features 10,776 square feet of event space and a capacity of 375 theater style.
Downtown New Bern boasts an array of unique offerings, including locally owned chef-inspired restaurants, art galleries, and antique stores. The magnificent Tryon Palace, once home to the royal governor of the pre-Revolution North Carolina colony, features fascinating exhibits, as well as 16 acres of elegant gardens and landscaping. Ideas for other outings include excursions to Cape Lookout or walking tours of historic homes, Civil War sites, and New Bern’s African American Heritage Trail.
In nearby Havelock, home to the world’s largest Marine Corps air station, visit the Aviation Museum and 9/11 Memorial Plaza. Havelock is also situated within Croatan National Forest and close to the beaches
of the Atlantic Ocean.
Wilmington and Island Beaches
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Offering a quintessential Carolina coastal experience, Wilmington and Island Beaches’ rich historic charm blends seamlessly with modern design and attractions.
“From the intuitive layout of our Convention District to memorable coastal activities just minutes away, this area checks every box and offers planners fresh possibilities,” says John Sneed, vice president of sales and services for Wilmington and Beaches CVB. “Groups can have both urban and island experiences all in the span of a single event. This bonus often compels attendees and their families to arrive early or stay late, turning an ordinary event into a thrilling, transformative getaway.”
Located downtown, the 107,000-square-foot Wilmington Convention Center has 15 meeting rooms and accommodates 2,000 people. Its riverfront location, anchored by a 12,000-square-foot waterfront event lawn, inspires many groups to incorporate morning yoga and meditation breaks into their agendas. Other groups have used the adjacent Riverwalk for breakout sessions and brainstorms while taking a stroll.
The convention district is accessible to nearly 900 guest rooms and suites and an array of meeting facilities, including the 125-room Aloft Wilmington at Coastline Center. The hotel features a rooftop bar, meeting rooms, banquet rooms, and a 7,300-square-foot space for 455 guests. Nearby, the Embassy Suites Wilmington Riverfront Hotel contains 6,600 square feet of meeting space and a 4,000-square-foot rooftop bar. The hotel has 186 guest rooms and suites, seven meeting rooms, and accommodates 375 people theater style.
The 272-room Hotel Ballast Wilmington, Tapestry Collection by Hilton features 20,000 square feet of adaptable meeting space and accommodates 750 people theater style. Additional area hotels include the 124-room Courtyard by Marriott Wilmington Downtown/Historic District, 92-room Hampton Inn Wilmington Downtown, and 53-room Best Western Plus Coastline Inn.
Wilmington is also close to 8,000-plus guest accommodations in the beach towns of Carolina, Kure, and Wrightsville. Wrightsville Beach’s Blockade Runner Beach Resort has 150 guest rooms, 7,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, award-winning catering, expansive oceanfront event lawns, and accommodates gatherings of 1,000 people.
Another beachfront property, formerly known as the Holiday Inn Wrightsville Beach, is now the Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort. Fresh from a complete renovation of guest rooms, lobbies, and event space, the property features 184 rooms and suites and 8,400 square feet of flexible meeting space. A 4,000-square-foot ballroom and two outdoor terraces overlooking the Atlantic Ocean are available for private events.
For wellness and outdoor adventures, the Wilmington area offers miles of expansive island beaches, golfing, fitness trails, surfing, boating, swimming, fishing, kayaking, and dozens of parks.
Mountain
Asheville/Buncombe County
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The timeless mountain escape of Asheville stands apart as a deeply rooted and ever-evolving community.
“Asheville nurtures big ideas, yet remains true to her deeply independent roots,” states Connie Holliday, director of sales for Explore Asheville. “It’s a unique city with incredible mountain views and a thriving cultural scene that you won’t find elsewhere. The city’s size—big enough to host large meetings, yet small enough to navigate—is another reason why it’s a popular destination for event planners.”
The area’s largest event venue, Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville, has 39,131 square feet of event and meeting space for gatherings of 2,000, including 17 indoor spaces,
two outdoor areas, and 11 meeting rooms. Harrah’s includes the ExploreAsheville.com Arena concourse level and outdoor patio. The venue also contains a 4,147-square-foot banquet hall that accommodates 420 people and a 25,148-square-foot exhibition hall that fits 2,000.
Top area hotels with meeting space include The Omni Grove Park Inn, featuring 513 guest rooms and 58,200 square feet of event space for groups of 2,200, and Crowne Plaza Resort Asheville, which offers 34,000 square feet of conference space and accommodates 1,600 people. Onsite at the Crowne Plaza are the Asheville Treetops Adventure Park, a nine-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, walking trails, a spa, a racquet club, saline pools, and a bike trail.
Late last year, Asheville saw the opening of Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins, a unique lodging option for small groups and corporate event takeovers. Wrong Way features 16 A-frame cabins and a River Lodge that includes The Eddy, a 1,200-square-foot event space that accommodates receptions for 80 people. A separate eight-person conference room is also available for meetings.
Three luxury boutique hotels will open in Asheville this year: The 70-room Radical, the 20-room Zelda Dearest, and the 71-room Flat Iron Hotel. Meanwhile, a new 185-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Asheville, with 7,000 square feet of event space, will open in early 2024.
Wicked Weed Brewing recently introduced four private event venues. The 2,400-square-foot Barrel Room in the Funkatorium taproom fits 125 seated guests and 250 for receptions. Wicked Weed’s award-winning fine dining restaurant, Cultura, offers a private dinner setting for 65. For outdoor events, the Beer Garden hosts 125, and the South Bar can host 50.
Other venue options include the Outpost,
a new music hotspot, which spans three acres of riverfront property and accommodates 2,000 people. Another new downtown venue, Ella, has 3,000 square feet of event space and allows outside catering.
For creative teambuilding opportunities and excursions, Asheville Wellness Tours offers guided forest bathing sessions at The North Carolina Arboretum, just 20 minutes from downtown. Other activities include yoga, hikes, and firefly and sunset walks. For those wanting to explore the city’s thriving beer scene, Asheville Adventure Company offers a guided e-bike brewery crawl.
This year, Asheville Regional Airport kicked off a major project that will double the size of the passenger terminal and increase aircraft operations areas. Located 20 minutes from downtown Asheville, the facility is one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States.
Hickory/Catawba County
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Located about 60 miles northwest of Charlotte, Hickory sits primarily in Catawba County and offers an array of event venues and hotels.
In late 2022, local officials approved a $14 million project to expand and renovate the Hickory Metro Convention Center. The project will increase the venue’s available meeting and event space to 132,000 square feet. The updates also will create approximately 110,000 square feet of interconnected exhibit space, along with ancillary meeting rooms and pre-function areas. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
A group of national brand hotels located near the convention center provides 700 guest rooms and 19,000-plus square feet of meeting and event space. The largest of the group, Crowne Plaza Hickory, contains 12,000 square feet of event space and accommodates gatherings of 400 people.
Piedmont
Cabarrus County
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Nestled in the Carolina Piedmont, Cabarrus County includes the cities of Concord, Harrisburg, Midland, and Mount Pleasant. The region boasts more than 3,000 guest rooms in 30-plus hotels and a selection of venues for events of all sizes.
Cabarrus Arena & Events Center in Concord includes a 5,000-seat arena, a 12,000-square-foot arena lobby, and seven executive suites. The venue’s Event Center offers a 70,000-square-foot open floor plan that divides in two and holds a capacity of 2,188. The facility’s 30,000-square-foot Gold Hall fits 964 people, while the three Cabarrus Rooms are available for smaller events or combined as a 5,000-square-foot space.
The Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord has 120,739 square feet of meeting and event space. Groups can tour the speedway and learn about its history.
The 422-room Great Wolf Lodge in Concord features 17,154 square feet of adaptable meeting space and conference rooms. The resort also has an indoor waterpark, arcade, bowling, and restaurants.
The first documented discovery of gold in the United States is said to have occurred in 1799 at what is now the Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site in Midland.Visitors can pan for gold here from April through October. Guided tours also let groups see restored portions of underground tunnels and exhibits of gold and historic mining equipment. Walking trails also are available onsite.
Chapel Hill/Orange County
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Chapel Hill officials say the community’s small-town charm with big-city flair is the main reason it is a popular choice for meetings.
“Chapel Hill is a mix of historic sites, unique gardens, wonderful museums, and art galleries,” says Marlene Barbera, director of sales for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau. “Franklin Street features over 300 shops, boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. This destination also offers a wide range of options for any meeting budget, from Four Diamond, boutique, and hip hotels to affordable venues.”
Chapel Hill and nearby Carrboro offer 1,385 guest accommodations. The circa-1924 Carolina Inn has 184 rooms, 14,365 square feet of flexible indoor event space, and 15,035 square feet of outdoor space. The hotel’s 3,690-square-foot Hill Ballroom accommodates 375 for receptions, while the 9,880-square-foot Front Porch fits a group of 500. Undergoing upgrades to meeting and lobby spaces, the 79-room Siena Hotel, Autograph Collection offers 3,475 square feet of meeting space for gatherings of 100 people.
The 172-room Sheraton Chapel Hill features 16,581 square feet of indoor event space and a 6,900-square-foot outdoor deck. The hotel’s 7,020-square-foot Blue Hill Ballroom accommodates 650 for receptions and 400 for banquets. The IACC-certified Friday Conference Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill features 25,000 square feet of event space and 27 meeting rooms. The venue’s centerpiece is the 11,833-square-foot sunlit central atrium.
Adding to an already impressive culinary scene, acclaimed sommelier Paula de Pano recently opened Rocks + Acid Wine Shop in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village area. The shop offers ample room for drinking and mingling, including a communal table with seating for 16. The menu includes a rich selection of artisan cheeses for snack pairings, and event planners can get creative with de Pano’s extensive list of classes for wine enthusiasts and beginners.
New dining options in Chapel Hill include Bombolo, offering a range of exotic delights from Turkish-style lamb manti to New Orleans-inspired barbecued shrimp, and the French restaurant Bluebird. Pluck Farm, home to Steel String Brewery, features a beer garden, farmers market, food truck pop-ups, live music, lawn games, and a 13-hole disc golf course.
Charlotte
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The Charlotte Convention Center recently completed a $126.9 million expansion, increasing its total space to 600,000 square feet. New amenities include a 10,000-square-foot area that can convert into 19 different configurations.
Linked to the convention center by a walkway, the 86,500-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame has an extensive collection of racing memorabilia and plenty of space for receptions, dinners, and other gatherings. Planners might consider hosting a reception for 650 in the Great Hall, surrounded by racing memorabilia and 18 iconic stock cars. The Legends Room fits 60 for buffets and 120 for receptions, while The NASCAR & Heritage Speedway space features interactive exhibits, including racing simulators, and accommodates 250 guests for receptions.
Bojangles Entertainment Complex, known as the “BOplex,” includes the Ovens Auditorium and Bojangles Coliseum. Besides linking the two facilities, a 35,000-square-foot connecting building features a 4,400-square-foot hospitality space for meetings of 420 or dinners for 260 guests.
Local hotels with accessible locations and event space include the Westin Charlotte, Hilton Charlotte Uptown, and JW Marriott Charlotte, which are all adjacent to the convention center and offer a combined 1,481 guest rooms and 92,742 square feet of event space. Four blocks from the convention center, Le Méridien Charlotte/Sheraton Charlotte Hotel offers more than 65,000 square feet of event space. Other notable accommodations and event spaces include the 244-room Ballantyne Hotel, featuring 36,456 square feet of event space, and the Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte/Ayrsley, with 275 guest rooms and 28,300 square feet of event space.
Fayetteville/Cumberland County
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Fayetteville has 5,900 guest rooms and more than 100,000 square feet of event space.
The Crown Complex boasts 105,000 square feet of meeting space, while its 60,000-square-foot exhibition space holds 7,000 people.
The 165-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Fayetteville Fort Bragg features 9,939 square feet of meeting and event space and fits 1,012 in its largest space for receptions and 913 guests seated theater style. Other options include the 96-room Baymont by Wyndham Fayetteville Fort Bragg Area, which has six meeting rooms and accommodates 800 conference guests. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fayetteville has 148 guest rooms, 11,612 square feet of event space, and holds 500 for receptions.
Fayetteville boasts a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Start with the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum in historic downtown. The museum covers the history of the airborne forces from test platoon to present day. Afterward, visit the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex or the Fayetteville History Museum.
Gastonia/Gaston County
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Situated along Interstate 85 and only minutes from Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Gaston County—including Gastonia, Dallas, and Belmont—has 1,782 guest rooms and a wide array of event venue options. The Gastonia Conference Center features 15,000 square feet of event space, including a 5,120-square-foot grand ballroom that fits
500 people seated theater style. Other amenities include 10 meeting rooms and onsite catering.
CaroMont Health Park in Gastonia is a multi-use sports and entertainment facility available for private gatherings. The venue has stadium seating for 5,000, along with 4,000 square feet of premium club space, six luxury cabanas, and indoor-outdoor banquet areas.
Groups can meet and mingle in Gastonia’s historic Loray Mill. A former textile mill, the beautifully repurposed venue offers 3,500 square feet of event space and accommodates 350 guests.
Gastonia’s impressive Schiele Museum of Natural History offers space for events of 250 guests. Venues include a 198-seat auditorium, a rooftop space for small events, a planetarium for 150 guests, and a lobby and courtyard for gatherings of 250. In nearby Kings Mountain, the 70-acre Veronét Vineyards & Winery includes six acres of vineyards and a winery offering a variety of spaces for events, including an indoor tasting room that accommodates 250 for receptions, a front lawn for 150, a wraparound patio suitable for 150, and a courtyard that fits 190 seated guests.
Gaston County hotels with meeting space include Hilton Garden Inn Gastonia featuring 14,201 square feet of event space. Several smaller hotels, including Gastonia’s Esquire Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection, and national brands such as Courtyard by Marriott and Home2 Suites by Hilton, offer smaller meeting spaces for gatherings of 150 people.
Greensboro/Guilford County
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Thirty miles east of Winston-Salem, Greensboro Coliseum Complex features several venues, including a coliseum that holds 23,500 and a 167,000-square-foot Special Events Center.
The Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons boasts 250,727 square feet of meeting space and 90 meeting rooms. Its largest room is 40,000 square feet and accommodates 6,000 guests. Grandover Resort and Conference Center features 45,000 square feet of meeting and event space and 22 meeting rooms. The center’s 13,000-square-foot exhibition hall holds 1,400 people.
Marriott Greensboro Downtown offers 285 guest rooms; 28,517 square feet of meeting space; and 15 event rooms, the largest of which holds 800 people.
Mooresville/Statesville
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A short drive from Charlotte, Mooresville’s 60,000-square-foot Charles Mack Citizen Center features an auditorium, ballroom, outdoor courtyard, and garden and accommodates gatherings of 600 guests. The venue is within walking distance of downtown restaurants, pubs, and shopping.
The Venues at the corporate headquarters of the late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt feature more than 24,000 square feet of event space for 600 guests. Areas include an 8,625-square-foot outdoor pavilion for dinners of 300, a 2,546-square-foot trophy room suited for cocktail receptions for 150, and a 5,470-square-foot showroom.
For guest accommodations and additional event space, several national hotel brands, including Hilton Garden Inn and SpringHill Suites, provide more than 10,000 square feet of event space for gatherings of 150 people.
Event and meeting spaces in Statesville, about 18 miles north of Mooresville, include Grace Wedding & Event Center, which can host 300 and offers food and beverage services. Hotels with meeting and event space include Comfort Inn & Suites Statesville featuring three banquet rooms totaling 2,240 square feet and seating 249 people for receptions.
Pinehurst/Southern Pines/Aberdeen
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With more than 40 golf courses within a 15-mile radius of the three towns, the Pinehurst, Aberdeen, and Southern Pines area offers exceptional meeting facilities.
Established in 1895, Pinehurst Resort offers nine golf courses and four historic hotels, including The Carolina Hotel, which boasts 61,000 square feet of indoor event space and 22,000 square feet for outdoor functions. The hotel’s 9,600-square-foot Grand Ballroom accommodates gatherings of 1,000 guests.
Forest Creek Golf Club in Pinehurst has 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space for as many as 200 people.
Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines features 36,439 square feet of meeting space and fits 450 people, while Aberdeen’s Country Club of Whispering Pines features 16,204 square feet of meeting space.
For a venue beyond the golf greens, try The Fair Barn in Pinehurst. Located in what is touted as the state’s oldest continuously operating equine sports facility, the venue has 10,000 square feet of event space for meetings and gatherings of 600 guests.
Raleigh/Wake County
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Anchoring a vibrant downtown, the state capital’s Raleigh Convention Center offers 500,000 square feet featuring a 4,100-square-foot, street-level mezzanine; a 32,000-square-foot ballroom that accommodates 3,690 seated theater style; and a 150,000-square-foot Exhibit Hall with a capacity of 10,000 people. The convention center campus includes the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, boasting 80,000 square feet of event space and four unique venues for events of 150 to 2,300 people. The convention center can also accommodate outdoor gatherings at the 12,000-square-foot Lichtin Plaza.
Home to various local sports teams, including the N.C. State University men’s basketball team, the 19,700-seat PNC Arena in West Raleigh has three concourses, 66 luxury suites, 2,000 club seats, and a 9,100-square-foot restaurant on the club level. The arena’s 17,000-square-foot interior bowl accommodates banquets for 800, receptions for 1,800, or seated events for more than 17,000 attendees. The arena has smaller spaces for gatherings, ranging from the Press Workroom, which fits 50 people, to the Arena Club, which holds 500 guests.
Nearby, the 353-room Sheraton Raleigh Hotel boasts 20,155 square feet of meeting and event space, including 18 event rooms. Next door, the 401-room Raleigh Marriott City Center offers 15,119 square feet of meeting space; six event rooms, including a 9,248-square-foot ballroom that holds 1,000 for events; and 16 breakout rooms.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County
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Centrally located in downtown Winston-Salem, the Benton Convention Center contains 150,000 square feet of space, including 18 event rooms, the largest area of which accommodates 4,822 guests seated theater style. Via enclosed skywalks, the convention center connects to two hotels: the 146-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Winston Salem, which features 15,089 square feet of meeting space, including an 8,453-square-foot garden terrace that holds 600 guests, and the 319-room Winston-Salem Marriott featuring 100,707 square feet of event space for as many as 2,700 guests.
The convention center complex is a short walk from more than 1,200 hotel rooms and more than 100 restaurants, shops, breweries, and bars.
Winston-Salem’s Millennium Center in the Downtown Arts District is another option. Once a post office and federal building, the elegant three-story, 72,000-square-foot venue features space for gatherings of 1,500 and includes onsite catering and audiovisual services. The Stevens Center, a beautifully restored 1929 grand theater, has fixed seating for 1,380 and a 10th-floor reception hall with 2,500 square feet of flexible meeting space.
Meeting planners also can choose from various venues throughout the sprawling Innovation Quarter. The development, built on the foundation of historic tobacco warehouses, is a center for technology and innovation. Venues include the Bailey
Power Plant, which boasts several creative meeting spaces, and the Crane Room at Turbine Hall, which fits 300 people. The venue also features two shipping container-like pods with flexible seating for 25 people. Wake Forest Biotech Place provides a main-level conference center with 15 rooms, including a 120-person auditorium, five meeting rooms, six boardrooms, and a long-distance learning classroom. Other components include a four-story, 7,500-square-foot atrium with a 14-foot video screen; it can accommodate 500 people
