Peggy Kirk Bell of Southern Pines, a pioneer of the Ladies Professional Golfers Association tours, purchased the Pine Needles Resort in 1953. The Southern Pines course is now one of the top golf resorts in the nation.
The first rebellious act against British rule in the state may have been carried out by nine patriots, known to history as the \"Black Boys of Cabarrus.\" They destroyed Governor William Tryon's munitions train on May 2, 1771, near Concord.
For rafters and canoeists, the western mountains offer beautiful scenery and challenging whitewater or placid stretches of rivers, including the Nantahala, New, and French Broad.
Carolina bay lakes are a unique natural wonder in that they are no deeper than six feet, elliptical, and dependent on rainwater. Among the best known are Lake Phelps, Lake Mattamuskeet, and White Lake.
Born on Christmas Eve, 1922, near Smithfield in Johnston County, Ava Gardner achieved movie stardom in films like ON THE BEACH. The Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield contains numerous momentoes of her career.
Located at Pine Knoll Shores, Roanoke Island, and Fort Fisher, the state's three public aquariums are observing their 20th anniversary in 1996. In 1995, over 1,000,000 people visited them.
The red wolf has been reintroduced in the state through the Red Wolf Recovery Program. The world's largest free-roaming red wolf population, about sixty, now lives on 500,000 acres in the eastern part of the state.
Badin, in Stanly County, retains the architectural flavor of the French mining company that operated there, beginning in 1913. Its population of 1,500 and small town atmosphere are attractive to retirees and beginning families.
There a number of riverboats in the state, including Wilmington's Henrietta II and Beaufort's Crystal Queen, that carry passengers on public cruises and dinner parties. Each vessel provides a unique water experience.