In 1653 the first permanent settlements in North Carolina were established by English colonists from Virginia. The region was established as an English proprietary colony in 1663 - 1665 and it's early history was checkered with rebellion and fighting. During the American Revolution, there was relatively little fighting within the state but they got their fair share of it during the Civil War.
Some of the major attractions to visit include the Great Smoky Mountains, Wright Brothers memorial, Blue Ridge National Parkway and Biltmore Estate in Asheville built by the filthy-rich Vanderbilt family, which is the largest private house in the US.
During our Christmas and New Years drive down the east coast, we drove through a lot of the eastern parts of the state. We visited Kitty Hawk on the outer banks of the North Carolina, which was the location for the Wright Brothers first flights in 1903 but didn't really stop in many other places. Plenty time for that later.