Accessible Adventures: North Carolina Fun for Travelers of All Abilities

1 North Carolina Zoo

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From the moment you park in an accessible parking space, your day at the world’s largest natural habitat zoo will be a blast. Caregivers and personal attendants are given free admission to the zoo, wheelchairs are available for rent, and wheelchair-accessible areas include the Endangered Species Carousel, the Acacia Station Giraffe Deck and Kaleidoscope Butterfly Garden. The buses and trams that provide in-park and parking lot transportation are also wheelchair accessible.

2 International Civil Rights Center & Museum

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Three tour options suit different mobility and comfort levels. Interactive Virtual Tours are entirely online, consisting of prerecorded footage and a live discussion (via Zoom) with a senior museum docent.

3 Sylvan Heights Bird Park

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At this nonprofit dedicated to conserving waterfowl and wetlands, guests with wheelchairs and strollers can easily access all of the park’s aviaries and almost all of the nature trails. There’s also an ADA-accessible treehouse overlooking the wildlife-rich wetland.

4 Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

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This community epicenter celebrating African American contributions to American culture is a lively space of music, dance, art, film, literature and more. Visitors with visual limitations can experience it all through iBeacons, which use smartphones and Bluetooth technology to audibly describe a person’s surroundings. Wheelchairs are also available for visitors to use. And a couple of blocks away, the NASCAR Hall of Fame has a wheelchair-accessible racing simulator so more people can feel the thrill of driving a virtual race car.

• The Best of Wheelchair-Accessible Charlotte

5 'Unto These Hills'

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In addition to wheelchair-accessible seating, the Mountainside Theatre offers a golf cart shuttle service from the parking lot to performances of "Unto These Hills." The renowned outdoor drama, which made its debut in 1950, tells the story of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. To learn even more about the Cherokee people, head to the Museum of the Cherokee People; exhibits, restrooms, the museum store and the education wing are all ADA accessible.

7 NC Museum of Art

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The museum works consistently with area partners to gather info on accessibility needs, staff training, and additional accommodations for events and exhibitions. Accessible features include a Soundcloud playlist for more than 20 audio-described artworks for visitors who are blind or have low vision; elevators to all floors and free wheelchair rentals for those with limited mobility; American Sign Language interpretation and CART captioning during programs and tours for travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing; and a neurodiversity guide and noise-canceling headphones to visitors who are neurodiverse.

8 Carowinds

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The award-winning amusement park offers alternate access entrances at its thrill rides to those with disabilities and up to three companions, plus a rider access form that lists the rides the guest can safely enjoy. And at Carolina Harbor, a water wheelchair is available for guests at Tidal Wave Bay or Surf Club Harbor, with pool lifts handy at Camp Wilderness pool.

9 Hickory Museum of Art

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This museum’s diverse collection encompasses more than 1,500 art objects, including Hudson River School paintings, Southern contemporary folk art, pottery, studio art glass and photography. Young visitors can pick up a sensory backpack that contains noise-canceling headphones, a weighted lap pad, fidget toys and other calming items.

10 North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

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Watch sharks, rays and sea turtles glide behind the glass, and don’t miss the adorable Asian small-clawed otters who rule the Otters on the Edge exhibit. Sensory backpacks featuring noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys are available for checkout at this certified Sensory Inclusive venue.

11 Greenville’s Parks

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What kind of activities are you looking for today? In Greenville, options abound. At the Town Common, play on the city’s largest playground designed to welcome people of all abilities, or plan a morning of paddling from the ADA-accessible canoe and kayak launch. Even more launches can be found a few miles away at Wildwood Park, and Riverside Recreation Rentals offers services at both places. For more outdoor activities such as fishing from a 900-foot ADA-accessible pier and camping at an ADA-accessible campsite, River Park North is the spot for you. And to embrace America’s pastime, head to the Sarah Vaughn Field of Dreams, a totally accessible baseball field that’s a home run in the community.

12 Lejeune Memorial Gardens

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Paved, wheelchair-accessible paths make it easy for everyone to honor those who serve our country and remember the ones who have sacrificed their lives for freedom. Highlights include a Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a 9/11 Memorial beam from the World Trade Center.

13 Havens Gardens Park

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The playground at Havens Gardens Park was designed with all-access fun in mind. Kids of all ages and abilities can enjoy the park’s wheelchair-friendly structures and play areas, including a wheelchair-accessible swing.

14 Union Point Park

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A wheelchair-accessible riverwalk frames 6-acre Union Point Park at the confluence of the Trent and Neuse rivers. It’s a peaceful break from downtown and a lively one during free concerts at the gazebo. Nature enthusiasts love bird-watching while fish jump out of the water. Down the street, the North Carolina History Center provides wheelchairs to transport visitors through exhibits about coastal geography, early settlers and more. Plus all videos have captions.

15 Airlie Gardens

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Wheelchair rentals are available at Airlie Gardens, as are free trams that take visitors around the property. (Call ahead for the tram schedule, but please note the tram is not wheelchair accessible.) Afterward, stroll the Wilmington Riverwalk – the wide, wooden boardwalk makes wheelchair navigation easy, and it connects visitors to some of the city’s best shopping and dining.

16 Cradle of Forestry in America

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A trio of paved trails take in the scenic setting of America’s first forestry school. Preserved buildings mark the milelong Biltmore Campus Trail, and an old logging train and engine appear on the 1.3-mile Forest Festival Trail. The Discovery Center’s hands-on Adventure Zone is designed to engage people on the autism spectrum with the outdoors.

17 LeBauer Park

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All access points to this downtown park are wheelchair and stroller accessible, and most of the park’s features can be accessed by anyone using a mobility device: two cafes, the 17,000-square foot lawn, a playground, interactive fountains, ornamental gardens, a dog park, restrooms and more – and be sure to wander under Janet Echelman’s aerial sculpture Where We Met, one of the focal points of the park. You can also visit the Peacehaven Sensory Space, a sculptural wall designed for people with sensory processing disorders.

20 Sanderling Resort

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Sanderling Resort wants everyone to be able to enjoy its ocean and sound views, spa, pools and restaurants. So every wing – North Inn, South Inn and Beach House – of this Outer Banks resort offers accessible guest rooms with exterior ramps, interior elevators and roll-in showers. Resort-wide you can find accessible routes, desks and doors, plus Braille signage and an outdoor pool with a chairlift.

21 The Park on Main

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In addition to having accessible entry points, parking spots, elevators, Braille room numbers, tubs with grab bars, strobe alarms and more – the Park on Main also looks forward to dogs joining in on everyone’s vacation fun. With no pet fees, no pet weight limits, treats at the front desk 24/7, an onsite dog park and doggy beds in rooms, it’s hard to say who will enjoy the stay more. The 650-square-foot ADA King Suite opens onto an intimate courtyard and can connect to the King Suite next door.

23 Whitewater Falls

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A quarter-mile, paved walkway leads to the upper observation platform of Whitewater Falls – the highest waterfall in the East – inviting wheelchair users to admire this magnificent cascade.

25 Grandfather Mountain

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Travelers in wheelchairs have been taking in the breathtaking vista views from the Mile High Swinging Bridge since an elevator was built in the Top Shop in 2010. And in 2023, Grandfather Mountain made more huge additions to its accessibility offerings: two ADA-accessible vehicles that open up opportunities for those in wheelchairs to take part in special events such as Grandfather by Night and Grandfather Glows, plus the nature park’s Meet the Bears and Paint with an Otter experiences.

26 Beech Mountain Resort

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Beech Mountain’s adaptive ski program was the first of its kind in the country, and the resort has invited individuals with a disability to hit the slopes at its annual Adaptive Ski Week in January for more than 40 years. Instructors during this week have received Adaptive Certification from the Professional Ski Instructors of America, and they're experienced in monoski; biski; two-, three-, and four-tracking; slider; and visually impaired instruction.

28 North Carolina State Parks

Special activities at NC’s state parks – including the observation deck at Mount Mitchell State Park, the Sky Lounge at Chimney Rock State Park and the Venus Flytrap Trail at Carolina Beach State Park – make it easy to enjoy views, scenery and unique carnivorous plants no matter one’s abilities. You can also find accessible camping, fishing on accessible piers and accessible swimming areas at state parks all across NC, while the Wildlife Resources Commission establishes access and opportunities to wildlife-associated recreation.

29 Dry Falls

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No chasing this waterfall – it flows near the road. The 75-foot-tall cascade in Nantahala National Forest is named for how it drops over a cliff, leaving space to walk behind and stay dry. Wheelchair users can enjoy the view from a lookout ramp along US-64.