North Carolina

Encircle North Carolina: Your journey across the Old North State begins in Durham – home of Duke University – and next Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. Then head toward two islands along the Atlantic Coast: Manteo on Roanoke Island and finally Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, where dreams took flight in 1903.

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1 Benjamin Duke Organ at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina

After passing through the narthex and entering the nave of the Duke University Chapel in Durham, North Carolina, look up at the oak gallery and marvel at the 1976 Flentrop Pipe organ. It is beautiful! Also called the Benjamin Duke Memorial Organ, the musical instrument is 40 feet tall, contains over 5,000 pipes, is made from African mahogany and is gilded with gold. A brief concert is played on most weekdays at 12:30.

401 Chapel Dr, Durham, NC 27708

2 Drink Pepsi Cola for Delicious Health Wall Advertisement in Durham, North Carolina

On the side of The Cookery building in North Carolina is this faded advertisement for Pepsi Cola. When the product started in a North Carolina drug store in 1892, it was called, “Brad’s Drink.” Its current name is derived from pepsin – a digestive enzyme – and kola nuts. This slogan “Delicious Health” started in 1909 when a car racing pioneer became the first celebrity endorser. The advertising phrase was used for another twenty years.

1101 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701

3 Pauli Murray Roots and Soul Mural in Durham, North Carolina

Pauli Murray “Roots and Soul” mural is located on Chapel Hill Street in Durham, North Carolina. The vivid painting pays tribute to the American civil rights activist. She was also a lawyer, a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, the first black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest and posthumously named a saint. The mural is part of the Pauli Murray Project at the Franklin Humanities Institute.

1101 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701

4 Museum of Natural Sciences in Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina is named after Sir Walter Raleigh. He was an English aristocrat, spy, explorer and advocate of tobacco smoking who was beheaded in 1618. Starting at the state capitol, Fayetteville Street runs through the heart of downtown. On the right is the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences. Their fascinating exhibits include dioramas of wildlife and pre-historic life such as dinosaurs.

11 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC 27601

5 Saura Indian Woman at Museum of History in Raleigh, North Carolina

This bronze statue on the steps of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh is called Sauratown Woman. The likeness was recreated from the archeological remains of an 18 to 21 year old Native American buried in the village of Upper Sauratown. The plague explains she is a Saura Indian who lived along the Dan River in the late 1600s. “The deerskin dress and hood suggests a high status in the tribe.” The sculpture is the work of Virginia artist Alvaro Coronado.

5 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601

6 North Carolina State Capitol Building in Raleigh, North Carolina

The face of North Carolina’s State Capitol in Raleigh features a Greek style portico with Doric columns. A mule-powered railway was built to transport local granite to the site. The three-story building with its copper dome was completed in 1840. North Carolina became the 12th state on November 21, 1789.

1 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601

7 North Carolina State Capitol Rotunda Dome in Raleigh, North Carolina

The North Carolina State Capitol’s rotunda connects the cross-shaped building’s four wings. In the center of the first floor is a replica of a George Washington statue from 1821. The original was destroyed by fire. Surrounding it are busts of historic citizens including signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.The cantilevered second floor focuses the eye on the simple yet elegant dome.

1 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601

8 Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo, North Carolina

In Shallowbag Bay in Manteo, North Carolina, is a 2004 reconstructed lighthouse called Roanoke Marshes Light. Similar to a dozen screwpile lighthouses from the late 1800s, this one has a square, cottage-style construction. This area is also known for the “Lost Colony.” They were a group of 100+ English colonists who landed here in 1587 but disappeared by 1590.

Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, Queen Elizabeth Ave, Manteo, NC 27954

9 Orville Wright Painting at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Two brothers who did not finish high school, ran a marginally successful newspaper and then a bicycle shop shared a dream: to master motor-driven flight. From 1899 until 1903, the Wright Brothers generated extensive data from a home-built wind tunnel. The duo also tinkered with bike parts and motors to create and test various gliders. This painting at the Wright Brothers National Memorial depicts their first manned flight of 120 feet at Kill Devil Hill on December 17, 1903.

Visitor's Center, Wright Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
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