Learn While You Travel! Educational Vacations Near Charlotte, NC

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Traveling is full of opportunities to learn new things, explore history, and make great memories all in one go! Our Kidding Around team members love to travel with their families and have traveled across the country, exploring and discovering fabulous learning opportunities. From road trips to the Grand Canyon to day trips to Pisgah National Forest, or a weekend getaway to Washington DC, we offer reviews and insight on the wonderful educational travel opportunities you can embark on!

Quick Guides for Travelers Embracing the Learning Opportunity

• If you’re thinking about a road trip, start with the advice in Go on an Educational Road Trip With Kids from a mom who has traveled by car with 4 kids on several weeks-long adventures.
• If you’re headed to an area that is home to one of our spectacular National Parks, don’t forget about the free National Park Pass for 4th Graders. 4th graders and their families get FREE entry into National Parks! We’ve used this pass to visit the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and more!
  • Grand Canyon, Arizona Review and Helpful Tips
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park Review and Helpful Tips
• Traveling Homeschoolers – If you’re a homeschool family who likes to travel, check out the opportunities at Traveling Homeschoolers. Here’s a review of a trip we took with them to the Rocky Mountains.

North Carolina Educational Travel Adventures

You don’t have to travel far to find some spectacular vacation destinations near Charlotte that are educational, fun, and full of opportunities to discover. We have visited a lot of places throughout North Carolina, and below you’ll find detailed reviews to help you plan your next educational adventure.

NC Educational Day Trips Close to Charlotte

Carolina Raptor Center, Charlotte, NC
Reedy Creek Nature Preserve, Charlotte, NC
Schiele Museum, Gastonia, NC
NC Zoo, Asheboro, NC

Educational Trips to Western North Carolina

See Elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Cherokee, NC
Winchester Creek Farm, Waynesville, NC
Carl Sandburg Home, Flat Rock, NC
Blue Ghost Firefly Tour, Pisgah Forest, NC
Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah Forest, NC
Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC
WNC Nature Center, Asheville, NC
North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC
Holmes Educational State Forest, Hendersonville, NC
Team ECCO Aquarium and Shark Lab, Hendersonville, NC
KidSenses, Rutherfordton, NC
Emerald Village Mine, Little Switzerland, NC

Coastal North Carolina Educational Adventures

• Outer Banks, NC
• North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island
• Cape Hatteras Light Station
• Wright Brothers National Memorial
• Fort Raleigh, site of the lost colony of Roanoke
• Roanoke Island Festival Park, interactive indoor and outdoor exhibits celebrating the first English colony in America

Looking for a place to stay in North Carolina’s Outerbanks? Check out this beach house in Kill Devil Hills. It’s near the beach and has its own pool!

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Educational Vacations in South Carolina

The neighboring state of South Carolina is loaded with things to do, much of which make a wonderful learning experience. Check out our reviews of places to explore in the Upstate, Midlands, and coast of South Carolina. You’ll find outdoor experiences, educational tours, ecological excursions, museums, and science centers that are worth a day trip to explore.

Day Trips to See Dinosaurs! Plan a day trip to one of these fabulous places to see dinos in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. You’ll find a pretty epic display of lifesize dinosaurs at the Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville, South Carolina!

Educational Vacations to Upstate, SC

Eden Farms in Marietta, SC
Fish Hatchery in Walhalla, SC
Stumphouse Tunnel, Walhalla, SC
Kings Mountain Battlefield, Kings Mountain, SC
Split Creek Farm, Anderson, SC
Happy Cow Creamery, Pelzer, SC
Duke World of Energy, Seneca, SC
Anne Springs Close Greenway, Fort Mill, SC
Strawberry Hill, Chesnee, SC
Pickens, SC Educational Day Trip Ideas, including:

• Soapstone Slave Cemetery, Pickens
• Table Rock Tea Company, Pickens
• Hagood Mill & Petroglyph Center, Pickens
• SC Botanical Garden, Clemson, SC

Learning Adventures Near Columbia, SC

Revolutionary War sites, Camden, SC
Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia
EdVenture, Columbia
South Carolina State Museum, Columbia
Congaree National Park
Historic Brattonsville, McConnells, SC

Educational Places to Visit in Charleston, SC

Here’s an entire trip to Charleston, SC loaded with learning opportunities for the family: Educational Trip to Charleston, SC

Plus, here are some individual educational sites and venues in Charleston:

• Black History Sites, Charleston
• South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston
• Charlestown Landing, Charleston
• Sandlapper Boat Tours Eco-Tour, Charleston
• North Charleston Fire Museum, North Charleston
• Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant
• Fort Moultrie, Sullivan’s Island

Educational Things to Do Near Hilton Head-Port Royal- Beaufort

If you’re heading to the low country of South Carolina, then our Huge List of Things to Do in Port Royal-Hilton Head-Beaufort Area of the Lowcountry will help you plan a great educational trip, including:

• Port Royal Sound Maritime Aquarium, SC
• Old Sheldon Church Ruins, SC
• Island Explorer Dolphin Tour, Hilton Head
• Kayak Hilton Head, Hilton Head
• Mermaid of Hilton Head Boat Tour, Hilton Head

Educational Adventures in Myrtle Beach, SC

Brookgreen Gardens, Myrtle Beach
Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet

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Road Trip! Educational Vacations from Charlotte, NC

If you are planning a full-on vacation, then we have a few places you should check out during your educational adventure! Below you will find reviews and guides to places in Georgia, Tennessee, Washington DC, and Florida that are packed full of learning opportunities that are also fun and memorable.

Georgia Educational Day Trips

Black History sites, Atlanta, GA
Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA
The Delta Flight Museum, Atlanta, GA
The Atlanta Zoo, Atlanta, GA
Dunwoody Park and Nature Center, Dunwoody, GA
State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, GA
Visit Blairsville, GA, learning opportunities include:

• Trackrock Petroglyphs
• Meeks Park and the Appalachian Sculpture Project

Jekyll Island, Coastal Georgia learning opportunities like:

• Georgia Sea Turtle Center
• Ecological Tours

Educational Places to Visit in Tennessee

Titanic Museum, Pigeon Forge, TN
PINK Jeep Tour, Pigeon Forge, TN
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN
Ripley’s Aquarium, Gatlinburg, TN
Zoo Knoxville, Knoxville, TN
The Lost Sea, Sweetwater, TN
Chattanooga Zoo, Chattanooga, TN

Washington, DC Educational Vacations

Mount Vernon
Washington, DC Guide

Virginia Educational Vacations

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Florida Educational Travel

St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL
Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL
Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL
Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, FL

Alabama Educational Travel

Alligator Alley, Summerdale, AL

Turn your trip to the Kennedy Space Center into a fabulous beach vacation with a stay at this oceanfront condo that is just a short drive to the space center.

What type of educational vacations have you enjoyed? Let us know!