We’ve all watched a science fiction movie, we’ve seen the way the other planets were depicted: foreign, untouchable, but still somewhat familiar. North Carolina has immense beauty and sometimes that beauty can be otherworldly. From miles of endless, sandy beaches, giant frozen waterfalls, and even a few strange creatures…North Carolina can look straight from another planet, especially in these twelve places.
- Jockey’s Ridge
Flickr / M. Fox You can’t help but feel otherworldly standing next to the largest active sand dune on the East coast.
- Linville Caverns
Flickr / Andrew Holmes Have you found a secret entrance to the inside of Mars? No, you’ve just gone underground and entered Linville Caverns.
- Stone Mountain
Flickr / Alix May In the middle of a quiet field you’ll witness a giant granite dome rising from the ground. It’s quite breathtaking yet somewhat strange upon first sight.
- Blue ghost fireflies, DuPont State Forest
Blogspot / Lilstarz09 These tiny fireflies emit a blue-green glow as opposed to the typical yellow light. They’ve been said to resemble glowing fairies while others say they’re ghosts of Confederate soldiers. Naturally, anything this blue and rare will create many legends. They only appear for a month each summer. You’ll want to catch a glimpse of this natural wonder for yourself.
- Brown Mountain Lights
The Living Moon Another glowing anomaly is the Brown Mountain Lights. They might indeed be ‘out of this world.’
- Paint Rock
Atlas Obsura Upon first approaching this multi-colored rock, you might be taken aback. But, the coloration is over 5,000 years old and one of the best examples of Native American hieroglyphics,
- Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden
Flickr / Mike Towber Surrounded by flesh-eating plants? Yeah, that is not something that’s totally normal. This plant garden is actually quite unique and home to several Venus Fly Traps which are native to North Carolina.
- Clingman’s Dome
Flickr / Nick4900 In both Tennessee and North Carolina, nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains, the architecture of Clingman’s Dome looks straight from a sci fi movie.
- Brevard white squirrels
Flickr / Fred Dunn You might think you’ve entered an alternate universe at your first spotting of a white squirrel in Brevard.
- Lake Mattamuskeet
Flickr / Jim Liestman Lake Mattamuskeet’s coastal beauty is out of this world.
- Outer Banks
Flickr / Mike+Tiffy While some parts of the Outer Banks are quite developed, the true gems lie in the underdeveloped, rural sections. From miles of untouched coastline, sightings of wild and free horses roaming along the beaches, and surreal sunsets…the Outer Banks are like stepping onto another planet.
- Blue Ridge Mountains in the winter
Flickr / GRYGYN From large formations of ice gripping onto rocks, waterfalls frozen in time, and miles of snow-capped branches, you can feel like you’ve quite literally left Earth.
Where do you feel out of this world in North Carolina? Tell us in the comments!
Flickr / M. Fox
You can’t help but feel otherworldly standing next to the largest active sand dune on the East coast.
Flickr / Andrew Holmes
Have you found a secret entrance to the inside of Mars? No, you’ve just gone underground and entered Linville Caverns.
Flickr / Alix May
In the middle of a quiet field you’ll witness a giant granite dome rising from the ground. It’s quite breathtaking yet somewhat strange upon first sight.
Blogspot / Lilstarz09
These tiny fireflies emit a blue-green glow as opposed to the typical yellow light. They’ve been said to resemble glowing fairies while others say they’re ghosts of Confederate soldiers. Naturally, anything this blue and rare will create many legends. They only appear for a month each summer. You’ll want to catch a glimpse of this natural wonder for yourself.
The Living Moon
Another glowing anomaly is the Brown Mountain Lights. They might indeed be ‘out of this world.’
Atlas Obsura
Upon first approaching this multi-colored rock, you might be taken aback. But, the coloration is over 5,000 years old and one of the best examples of Native American hieroglyphics,
Flickr / Mike Towber
Surrounded by flesh-eating plants? Yeah, that is not something that’s totally normal. This plant garden is actually quite unique and home to several Venus Fly Traps which are native to North Carolina.
Flickr / Nick4900
In both Tennessee and North Carolina, nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains, the architecture of Clingman’s Dome looks straight from a sci fi movie.
Flickr / Fred Dunn
You might think you’ve entered an alternate universe at your first spotting of a white squirrel in Brevard.
Flickr / Jim Liestman
Lake Mattamuskeet’s coastal beauty is out of this world.
Flickr / Mike+Tiffy
While some parts of the Outer Banks are quite developed, the true gems lie in the underdeveloped, rural sections. From miles of untouched coastline, sightings of wild and free horses roaming along the beaches, and surreal sunsets…the Outer Banks are like stepping onto another planet.
Flickr / GRYGYN
From large formations of ice gripping onto rocks, waterfalls frozen in time, and miles of snow-capped branches, you can feel like you’ve quite literally left Earth.
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