Como North CarolinaATTRACTIONS & THINGS TO DO
Listed below are the best attractions and things to do near Como, North Carolina.
1. Mt Sinai Baptist Church
HISTORIC RELIGIOUS LANDMARK
Mt Sinai Baptist Church stands as one of Como's notable historical landmarks with significant cultural importance to the local community. The church features traditional architecture that reflects the religious heritage of the region. Visitors can appreciate both its historical significance and the role it plays in Como's community today.
2. Mill Neck Missionary Baptist Church
HERITAGE RELIGIOUS SITE
Mill Neck Missionary Baptist Church is a cherished landmark in Como with deep roots in the community's history. The church building showcases characteristic elements of traditional Baptist architecture found throughout rural North Carolina. It serves as both a place of worship and a testament to Como's religious heritage.
3. Buckhorn Church
RURAL HISTORIC CHURCH
Buckhorn Church is recognized as a significant historical landmark in the Como area. The church represents an important piece of the region's religious and cultural development. Its simple yet dignified structure stands as a reminder of Como's enduring community traditions.
4. The Biltmore Estate
AMERICA'S LARGEST HOME
The Biltmore Estate is North Carolina's most famous landmark, featuring America's largest home with 250 rooms spread across 175,000 square feet. This magnificent château-style mansion was built by George Vanderbilt in the late 19th century and is set on 8,000 acres of meticulously landscaped gardens and grounds. Visitors can tour the opulent interior, explore the expansive gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and enjoy the on-site winery, restaurants, and shops.
5. Clingmans Dome
HIGHEST POINT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 6,643 feet, offering spectacular panoramic views from its observation tower. The site features a half-mile paved trail that leads to the tower, though the steep incline makes for a challenging but rewarding hike. On clear days, visitors can enjoy breathtaking vistas extending over 100 miles across seven states.
6. Mount Mitchell
EASTERN AMERICA'S HIGHEST PEAK
Mount Mitchell stands as the highest peak east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet, located within its namesake state park. The summit features an observation deck providing stunning 360-degree views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and valleys. Visitors can enjoy a network of hiking trails, a museum that details the mountain's natural and cultural history, and a restaurant open seasonally.
7. Looking Glass Falls
ACCESSIBLE ROADSIDE WATERFALL
Looking Glass Falls is one of North Carolina's most photographed waterfalls, easily accessible from a roadside parking area in Pisgah National Forest. This 60-foot waterfall cascades over a rock face into a picturesque pool below, creating a mesmerizing scene year-round. Visitors can view the falls from an observation deck or descend a staircase to experience the refreshing mist up close and even wade in the water during summer months.
8. Sliding Rock
NATURAL WATER SLIDE
Sliding Rock is a natural 60-foot water slide formed by a sloping boulder over which cool mountain water flows, creating a thrilling natural attraction in Pisgah National Forest. Each summer, thousands of visitors slide down the smooth rock surface into the 7-foot deep pool at the bottom. The site is managed as a recreation area with lifeguards, restrooms, and changing facilities during peak season.
9. Reed Gold Mine
AMERICA'S FIRST GOLD RUSH
Reed Gold Mine is the site of America's first documented gold discovery in 1799, which sparked the nation's first gold rush decades before California's more famous event. Today, the historic site offers visitors underground mine tours, exhibits on mining technology, and the chance to try panning for gold. The well-preserved property includes restored buildings, mining machinery, and interpretive trails that tell the story of North Carolina's important role in American gold mining history.
10. Wright Brothers National Memorial
BIRTHPLACE OF FLIGHT
Wright Brothers National Memorial commemorates the spot where Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903. The site features a 60-foot granite monument atop Kill Devil Hill, reconstructed camp buildings, and markers indicating the takeoff and landing points of the historic flights. Visitors can explore the visitor center's exhibits on the brothers' lives and innovations, walk the flight line, and gain insights into this pivotal moment in transportation history.
11. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
AMERICA'S TALLEST BRICK LIGHTHOUSE
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is America's tallest brick lighthouse at 210 feet, featuring its distinctive black and white spiral pattern that makes it one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world. Built in 1870, this maritime landmark has protected ships from the treacherous Diamond Shoals area known as the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic'. In 1999, the entire structure was remarkably moved 2,900 feet inland to protect it from shoreline erosion, a feat of engineering that preserved this historic beacon for future generations.
12. Battleship North Carolina
WORLD WAR II NAVAL MEMORIAL
Battleship North Carolina is a preserved World War II battleship that now serves as a floating museum and memorial honoring the 11,000 North Carolinians who died during the war. This impressive vessel, known as the 'Showboat' of the fleet, earned 15 battle stars during its service in the Pacific Theater. Visitors can explore nine levels of the ship, from the engine room to the bridge, experiencing firsthand what life was like for the 2,300 sailors who called this warship home.
13. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
AMERICA'S MOST VISITED PARK
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America's most visited national park, straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee with over half its acreage in North Carolina. The park is renowned for its diverse plant and animal life, ancient mountains, and remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture. Visitors can explore over 800 miles of hiking trails, spot elk in Cataloochee Valley, and discover beautiful waterfalls like those in the Deep Creek area.
14. Old Salem
LIVING HISTORY MUSEUM
Old Salem is a meticulously restored 18th-century Moravian settlement featuring more than 100 preserved and reconstructed buildings in Winston-Salem. Costumed interpreters demonstrate traditional crafts, gardening, and daily life as it was in the 1700s and early 1800s. Visitors can explore historic homes, gardens, shops, and the renowned Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts to experience authentic Moravian culture and its influence on American history.
15. Sullenberger Aviation Museum
PREMIER AVIATION COLLECTION
Sullenberger Aviation Museum (formerly Carolinas Aviation Museum) houses an impressive collection of historic aircraft and aviation artifacts in Charlotte. The museum's centerpiece is the actual Airbus A320 aircraft piloted by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger during the famous "Miracle on the Hudson" emergency landing in 2009. Visitors can learn about aviation history through interactive exhibits, climb into cockpits of select aircraft, and participate in STEM educational programs focused on flight science.