One of America’s most intriguing mysteries that has not been solved in more than 400 years is the fate of a settlement of 150 colonists from England who landed on the North Carolina coast in 1587. They vanished without a trace, except for the word “Croatoan” scratched on a post. Some members of the party had returned to Great Britain, including the father of the first child of English descent born on American soil, who discovered her and everyone else in the “Lost Colony” missing. Historians have been attempting to piece together the evidence ever since. When you visit here, feel the sand between your toes, experience the serenity of the ancient, ever shifting dunes. Watch red rubber ball sunsets, settling over white beaches on the coast where Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their first airplane in 1903, heralding the Era of Flight. Yet, there is so much more to the state than the coast. Author and favorite son, Thomas Wolfe began in Asheville, home to the Biltmore Estate, deep in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where “beyond the hills the land bayed out to other hills, to golden cities, to rich meadows, to deep forests, to the sea. Forever and forever.”  Mix a dynamic banking community with state of the art technology, blend in some Carolina hospitality, good cooking, hot wheels, public art, golf, shopping, colonial heritage, and serene gardens and sprinkle in some sunshine and you have Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city. The Research Triangle of Raleigh/Durham/ Chapel Hill is sophisticated and learned with cutting edge research. Raleigh has grown from a colonial city to a vibrant, contemporary place. Chapel Hill is a historic college town. Durham, home to Duke, has an industrial and manufacturing background. Enjoy the diversity as you explore Wolfe’s beloved home. Look Homeward Angel.