Sports Events in North Carolina

I don't know whether this is a sailing or a beach activity or an extreme sport. I saw kite boarding this spring in a couple of places. Once as pictured at the Cape Lookout visitor's center and the other at Fort Fisher. The OBX is also a wonderful location.

Wind surfing uses a surfboard type boat with a mast and sail, and the surfer stands on the board and uses the sail to propel him or her self over the waves. But they stay in the water and can move their feet around on the board.

In kite boarding, the board is smaller and the feet at attached to it, and the propulsion comes from a kite rather than a sail. The boarders jump up out of the water and do tricks. Kite surfing is the fusion of kiteflying (power kites), wakeboarding, windsufing, and snowboarding

Equipment: Board and kite.

From the Outer Banks to the mountains, North Carolina has almost 500 golf courses. Some travelers go with their golf clubs and think it a real treat to go a few holes on a new course.

Unfortunately I don't play golf and have almost no interest in golf, so I don't have any really good pictures of North Carolina golf courses nor do I have any real suggestions about a golfing vacations. The URL given will let you pick a course by city, architect or by the events they have.

We see a lot of shrimp boats as we go up and down the ICW. They range from these big boys, to a man in a rowboat casting his net.

But I was surprised to find that watching shrimp boats harvest their catch is a option as a sports activity. I have NOT done this, and it sounds really 'iffy' to me.

The same company also does fishing trips and whale watching tours.

Equipment: The website says: "Your family and guests will watch as the live catch - including shrimp, crabs, sand dollars, star fish, sea urchins, and other marine life that has ventured into the nets - scuttle about the deck... This cruise is approximately two hours and is a must for the young and old. .. Trips depart at 2 p.m. and return at 4 p.m. Prices are $18.00 for adults and $15.00 for children 11 years and younger."

Due in part to the Gulf Stream bringing warm water up from the Caribbean Sea, the waters off North Carolina offer some of the best sea fishing in the world. All along the coast, dozens of charter companies and individuals offer fishing charters where fishermen can rent a boat to take them on a fishing trip. Charters can be tailored to meet a client's needs, and can last a few hours or a few days. Fishermen can also choose between inshore and offshore areas, depending on what kinds of fish they want to catch.

Fish that can be caught in the inshore areas include speckled trout, gray trout, flounder, bluefish, red drum, striped bass, grouper, and snapper. Fish found in the offshore areas include yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, blue marlin, sailfish, dolphin (mahi mahi), king mackeral, Spanish mackeral, and wahoo.

There are lots of stables in the Smokey Mountains and the trails are for the most part very nice. On the particular ride in the photo above from the Smokemont Riding stables, part of the trail went up a very narrow mountain path that was very wet, and the horses kept slipping. I was not very comfortable with this and would not ride up that particular trail again, unless it was dry.

We liked the Nantahalla Village Riding Stables in Bryson City , but it's been a while since we were there. The guides were nice and didn't freak out as soon as you start trotting a little, and the group was spread out enough on the trail to make it fun.
My biggest complaint about trail rides is that there seem to be none for people that do know how to ride, and even if you do, you are treated like someone that's never been on a horse at all. I wished they would offer like "advanced" or at least "intermediate" rides!!

Golfing is not my cup of tea at all, ...nonetheless VT is not about me..it's about you guys. Therefore I will offer this tip:

NC has a wide variety of approximatey 600 golf courses that range in geography and picture-worthy landscapes. Pinehurst is considered the birthplace of golf by many. There is also Pinehurst #2 that continues to challenge veteran golfers and was the location of the 2005 US Open Championship.Pinehurst is located in the piedmont area of NC.

Equipment: Ummm... golf clubs?!

This is a AAA Minor Leauge Baseball team (a subsidary of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays). This is by the the best and only fun thing to truly do in Durham besides going to the mall. Tickets are extremely easy to come by, and are very cheap.

Equipment: Baseball glove.

One of the best teams in the NCAA. If you are into college basketball and love Duke, this is where it is. Unfortunately, due to Cameron Indoor Stadium's small size, it fills up quickly and the tickets sell out fast.