Your Southeastern adventure guide for Labor Day Weekend. 🌲
No plans for Labor Day Weekend, but still getting that itch to take an epic hiking trek or paddleboard in the ocean?
Here are 30 outdoor excursions in S.C. + N.C. (read: just an audiobook + roadtrip snack haul away) where you can embrace your adventurous side without straying far from home.
💨Try the fastest zip line in the country | The Gorge Zipline | Saluda, N.C. | ~2 hours away (from downtown Cola) | Ride down 11 zip lines that stretch through the tree canopy + travel down 1,100 vertical ft. | $97
🚶Hike a waterfall trail featured in The Hunger Games | DuPont State Recreational Forest | Cedar Mountain, N.C. | ~2.5 hours away | See Triple Falls, High Falls + Hooker Falls, all within a 3-mile hike (and there are ~90 more miles of trails to explore) | free
🏊Swim in a natural spring-fed rock quarry | Carrigan Farms | Mooresville, N.C. | 2 hours away | Cool down with a day of open swimming at the granite quarry or test your adventurous side and cliff-jump into the water | $15 (cash or check only)
🍓Forage for your own food in the AVL wilderness | No Taste Like Home | Asheville, N.C. | ~2.5 hours away | A 3-hour tour will take you into nature with guided foraging, cooking demos + a DIY snack/dinner with your findings | $75/adult, $30/child
🌊Whitewater rafting on the World’s Largest Man-Made Whitewater River | U.S. National Whitewater Center | Charlotte, N.C. | 1.5 hours away | Choose between the more intense adventure rafting (for ages 11+) or family rafting for a more chill experience (ages 8+) | $59/adult day pass (access to all land + water activities)
Also at CLT’s Whitewater Center:
- 🐒Climb through the trees like a monkey during a canopy tour | A 3-4 hour guided trip through the forest canopies with zip lines, sky bridges, net climbs + rappels | $89
- ⛰Outdoor rock wall climbing without ropes (but with a pool to catch you) | Made for every level of climbers, with walls ranging from 25 to 45-ft. tall. Who needs a harness or ropes when a 20-ft.-deep pool is waiting to catch you? | $59/adult day pass
Portlandia gif via Giphy
Jet ski on lake Keowee | Endless Adventures | Sunset, S.C. | 2.5 hours away | Rent a few jet skis and spend a day feeling the wind whip through your hair | $260/half day, $360/full day
Try out bellyaking | Bellyak, Inc. | Candler, N.C. | 2.5 hours away | Get up close + personal with the rapids on a bellyak (a kayak where you lay on your stomach). If you’re feeling spontaneous, try their whitewater bellyaking class. | $95/person (minimum of 3 people)
A perfect hike for the whole family | Tom’s Creek Falls | Marion, N.C. | 3 hours away | Waterfall views, streams to explore, and pools to wade in – all in less than a mile’s walk, so the kids won’t be exhausted + cranky afterwards | free
Learn how to outdoor rock climb | Thrifty Adventures | Spruce Pine, N.C. | 3 hours away | A 6-8-hour full introduction to rock climbing outdoors for anyone aged 5+, with tutorials in knot-tying, climbing techniques, lingo + safety | $95/weekends, $85/weekdays (bring $8 cash to rent shoes)
Sunset kayaking or paddleboarding on Lake Norman | Aloha Paddle Sports | Cornelius, N.C. | ~1.75 hours away | 90-min. guided tour (and they’ll take pics of you at sunset for the ‘gram) | $35
- They also offer paddle board yoga on Lake Norman, Wed.-Sat., for $15 (BYOboard) or $25 with board rental
Tandem kayak the French Broad River | Asheville Outdoor Center | Asheville, N.C. | 2.5 hours away | A 7-mile kayak trip (that you can also float or paddleboard), with views of the Biltmore, plenty of wildlife + a perfect picnic stop at Hominy Creek Park | $60/tandem kayak, $38/single kayak
Learn how to fly fish | Hunter Banks | Asheville, N.C. | 2.5 hours away | Wade or float WNC’s streams and fly fish for anglers on a half- or full-day guided trip | $200-450 to wade, $350-450 to float
Go to the beach (while being in the mountains) | Lake Lure Tours | Lake Lure, N.C. | 2.25 hours away | Take a day of fun under the sun (and under the mountain peaks) on the beach or cool off at the water park | $9/adults, $8/seniors, $7/kids
Hike the trails at Anne Springs Close Greenway | Fort Mill, S.C. | 1 hour + 10 min. away | 40+ miles of hiking, mountain biking + horseback riding trails in a nature preserve, open 7 days/week, from 7 a.m. to sunset | $5
Spider Lily kayaking on the Catawba River | Catawba River Expeditions | 50 min. away | Spider Lily season is just about to end, so spend a weekend kayaking among the flowers in Landsford Canal State Park (or on a 1.5-mile hike, if water isn’t your thing) | $40/single kayak, $50/tandem kayak ($5 to hike)
Explore 1,460 acres of wildlife and nature | Latta Plantation Nature Preserve | Huntersville, N.C. | 1.75 hours away | A preserve for heritage + endangered species – so bring your camera to snap shots of bald eagles, wild turkeys + red foxes (and birds at the Carolina Raptor Center), or spend the day hiking (or horseback riding, if you happen BYOHorse) | free
Visit the butterflies at Butterfly Bungalow | Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden | Belmont, N.C. | ~1.75 hours away | Visit the 380-acre garden’s butterfly exhibit and learn about their journey from caterpillars + which butterflies are native to our area | $3 + garden admission
Take an RTV tour through the mountains | Navitat | Asheville, N.C. | 2.75 hours away | See the Blue Ridge Mountains’ best vantage points from a high-speed RTV on a 1.5-hour guided tour | $39.95
See amazing views at Chimney Rock | Chimney Rock, N.C. | ~2.5 hours away | The scenic spot every hiking (and photography) enthusiast needs to visit. | $13/adults, $6/children
- We’d recommend seeing the 404-ft. high waterfall (which was in The Last of the Mohicans) on the Hickory Nut Falls Trail – an easy 1.5-mile round-trip hike, perfect for beginners.
Take a scenic drive up to Pretty Place | YMCA Camp Greenville | Cleveland, S.C. | 2.75 hours away | Roll the windows down, bring your camera, and soak in the mountain views (just make sure to check the calendar to see if there’s an event scheduled that day) | free
Ride horses through the water like a cowboy | Riverside Riding Stables | Lake Lure, N.C. | 2 hours + 17 min. away | Try a two-hour river ride on horseback (ages 14+) with a scenic ride up to Bald Mountain | Call for rates + reservations: 828-625-9994
Two mountain trails for experienced hikers | Crowders Mountain State Park | Kings Mountain, N.C. | 1.75 hours away | Crowders Mountain (2.8 miles one-way) and King’s Pinnacle (2 miles one-way) are both strenuous hikes, but #worthit for both views from the summits | free
Stand up paddleboard through AVL’s River Arts District | Wai Mauna Asheville SUP Tours | Asheville, N.C. | ~2.5 hours away | A 4-mile paddle through the hub of breweries, art galleries, and top-notch restaurants (#protip: try it at sunset for extra ambiance) | $80
- Looking for something new to do with your friends? Try their 6-person paddleboard ($170 self-guided, $300 guided tour).
Ice climb (when winter comes again) | Fox Mountain Guides & Climbing School | Brevard, N.C. | ~2.75 hours away | This adventure requires the perfect timing, so check the Ice Climbing Facebook page to see when the snow hits + give Fox Mountain a call for a half- or full-day trip (888-284-8433) | $400/person, $295/each for two people
If you want to do a Labor Day staycation here in Cola, check out our guides for:
20 best patios + porches in Cola
5 pawesome places to drink with your dog
