North Carolina college tour planning

[Anonymous]

never been to NC, plan to go for 3 day weekend in November to see the colleges and do a little sightseeing
Colleges:
Duke
UNC-CH
Wake forest
Elon
Davidson

Any other we should add, DC is interested in the top 50-60 colleges (SAT 1550+
Not sure about major yet)
we are not sure about driving, 7.5 hr one way is a lot for 3 days
If we choose to fly, which airport and where to stay?

Charlotte seems to be the most interesting for sightseeing, is that right?

[Anonymous]

Nothing to see in Charlotte. Fly to RDU and see Duke and Chapel Hill. Then drive to the others. Davidson is in the middle of nowhere so make sure you don't plan to spend the night anywhere near it.

[Anonymous]

Charlotte is the least interesting part of the state unless you go to Asheville.

You may not have time for much sight-seeing but driving around you will see the fall colors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing to see in Charlotte. Fly to RDU and see Duke and Chapel Hill. Then drive to the others. Davidson is in the middle of nowhere so make sure you don't plan to spend the night anywhere near it.

Middle of nowhere? Where are you from, NYC?

[Anonymous]

Charlotte is far from the Research Triangle Area.

Flights are pretty regular from National to RDU. It's a little over an hour flight.

We stayed at the Inn & Golf Club last summer while touring Duke. We were supposed to stay at the JB Duke but they had to close due to COVID issues. Both properties are nice, but the JB Duke is a more modern style. They're convenient for walking around. Durham is pretty "foodie" these days. Monuts has great donuts & bagels. Pizzeria Toro is good.

My kid didn't get into UNC. No one got in from his school and eight kids applied, all with super-high stats. I recommend that you check the scattergrams before your kid applies. Someone got in years ago but they were a legacy and Morehead-Cain scholar.

Don't know much about the other colleges. Have a good touring trip.

[Anonymous]

Too bad Asheville Is far and out of the way, since we are taking a younger sibling, want to make the trip more fun if possible..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing to see in Charlotte. Fly to RDU and see Duke and Chapel Hill. Then drive to the others. Davidson is in the middle of nowhere so make sure you don't plan to spend the night anywhere near it.

What??? Davidson itself is a cute town with plenty of restaurants and hotels. There are many places to stay overnight in Davidson

[Anonymous]

if you're touring wake forest and elon I'd visit the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro

[Anonymous]

Raleigh has some fun stuff to see and do. I would just drive. It's a nice trip once you get on 85.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing to see in Charlotte. Fly to RDU and see Duke and Chapel Hill. Then drive to the others. Davidson is in the middle of nowhere so make sure you don't plan to spend the night anywhere near it.

What??? Davidson itself is a cute town with plenty of restaurants and hotels. There are many places to stay overnight in Davidson

and lots of lakehouses

[Anonymous]

Drive to Durham/ Chapel Hill and do Duke and UNC in one day. Unless you want to see NC State there is no reason to go to Raleigh. I would stay in Chapel Hill, it’s nicer than Durham. Next day get on 15-501 to Elon and then you could drive over to Wake Forest in Winston and do those 2 in a day probably and spend the night there. Then day 3 drive to Davidson.

You might want to consider on the way back hitting Virginia Tech if you’re interested in that school. You could take 77 to 81. FYI lots of speed traps on 77, and because there aren’t many drivers on it to self report Waze doesn’t always warn you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:never been to NC, plan to go for 3 day weekend in November to see the colleges and do a little sightseeing
Colleges:
Duke
UNC-CH
Wake forest
Elon
Davidson

Any other we should add, DC is interested in the top 50-60 colleges (SAT 1550+
Not sure about major yet)
we are not sure about driving, 7.5 hr one way is a lot for 3 days
If we choose to fly, which airport and where to stay?

Charlotte seems to be the most interesting for sightseeing, is that right?

OP sightseeing? Not exactly sure what you mean by that.

We have lived in Raleigh and one of mine went to NC State Engineering.



Charlotte is not really in your line of sight perse. In other words, it's kind of out of the way given what you are going for. It's closest to Davidson.

Fly into RDU see Duke and UNC and Elon. Then Wake and Davidson. They are about an hour apart. Or Fly into Charlotte and Reverse.

Sightseeing there isn't much. Davidson is a very small town. Lovely but small nothing to do there but eat and a farmer's market. It's a great school but again a very small town. Wake Forest is in Winston Salem I personally love the school hate the town. Then Elon middle of nowhere. Duke and UNC again not much around. UNC has a basketball museum.

Ashville and the surrounding area in your time schedule are not really done but would have been the best for sightseeing.

Raleigh would be second. But that is east of where you will be.

Ignore the trolls about UNC all of mine got in. It's a great school, mine just wanted more engineering strong schools. And do not get me wrong it is hard to get in but one does not know til they try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:never been to NC, plan to go for 3 day weekend in November to see the colleges and do a little sightseeing
Colleges:
Duke
UNC-CH
Wake forest
Elon
Davidson

Any other we should add, DC is interested in the top 50-60 colleges (SAT 1550+
Not sure about major yet)
we are not sure about driving, 7.5 hr one way is a lot for 3 days
If we choose to fly, which airport and where to stay?

Charlotte seems to be the most interesting for sightseeing, is that right?

OP sightseeing? Not exactly sure what you mean by that.

We have lived in Raleigh and one of mine went to NC State Engineering.



Charlotte is not really in your line of sight perse. In other words, it's kind of out of the way given what you are going for. It's closest to Davidson.

Fly into RDU see Duke and UNC and Elon. Then Wake and Davidson. They are about an hour apart. Or Fly into Charlotte and Reverse.

Sightseeing there isn't much. Davidson is a very small town. Lovely but small nothing to do there but eat and a farmer's market. It's a great school but again a very small town. Wake Forest is in Winston Salem I personally love the school hate the town. Then Elon middle of nowhere. Duke and UNC again not much around. UNC has a basketball museum.

Ashville and the surrounding area in your time schedule are not really done but would have been the best for sightseeing.

Raleigh would be second. But that is east of where you will be.

Ignore the trolls about UNC all of mine got in. It's a great school, mine just wanted more engineering strong schools. And do not get me wrong it is hard to get in but one does not know til they try.

You said you lived in NC so were in state when your kids got in? No one from our NoVa public get in, do I’d echo not getting your kids heart set. One look at Naviance shit that down for mine. Love love love Chapel Hill, make sure you spend a night there, great restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:never been to NC, plan to go for 3 day weekend in November to see the colleges and do a little sightseeing
Colleges:
Duke
UNC-CH
Wake forest
Elon
Davidson

Any other we should add, DC is interested in the top 50-60 colleges (SAT 1550+
Not sure about major yet)
we are not sure about driving, 7.5 hr one way is a lot for 3 days
If we choose to fly, which airport and where to stay?

Charlotte seems to be the most interesting for sightseeing, is that right?

OP sightseeing? Not exactly sure what you mean by that.

We have lived in Raleigh and one of mine went to NC State Engineering.



Charlotte is not really in your line of sight perse. In other words, it's kind of out of the way given what you are going for. It's closest to Davidson.

Fly into RDU see Duke and UNC and Elon. Then Wake and Davidson. They are about an hour apart. Or Fly into Charlotte and Reverse.

Sightseeing there isn't much. Davidson is a very small town. Lovely but small nothing to do there but eat and a farmer's market. It's a great school but again a very small town. Wake Forest is in Winston Salem I personally love the school hate the town. Then Elon middle of nowhere. Duke and UNC again not much around. UNC has a basketball museum.

Ashville and the surrounding area in your time schedule are not really done but would have been the best for sightseeing.

Raleigh would be second. But that is east of where you will be.

Ignore the trolls about UNC all of mine got in. It's a great school, mine just wanted more engineering strong schools. And do not get me wrong it is hard to get in but one does not know til they try.

You said you lived in NC so were in state when your kids got in? No one from our NoVa public get in, do I’d echo not getting your kids heart set. One look at Naviance shut that down for mine. Love love love Chapel Hill, make sure you spend a night there, great restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing to see in Charlotte. Fly to RDU and see Duke and Chapel Hill. Then drive to the others. Davidson is in the middle of nowhere so make sure you don't plan to spend the night anywhere near it.

Davidson is less than a 1/2 hour outside Charlotte

OP: if you can, fly into Charlotte or RDU and out of the other.

Duke /UNC then Wake/ Elon then Davidson. Or reverse. The way the highways work RDU to Charlotte is quite a hike.


I grew up in the nowhere middle of NC and people sending their kids to college at Elon near Burlington blows my mind. What backward armpit of a place. If your kid is competitive fo the other 4 and you are looking at private tuition, they can find a better place to live and a better school to attend. I’d look at NC State instead.