• North Carolina Mountainsmaggie valley image by Dwight Davis from Fotolia.com
  
  Guided bus tours are an excellent way for tourists to get acquainted with a new destination. The commentary provided by a professional guide affords the opportunity to put away the map and the guidebook and truly experience the sights and sounds of your desired locale. And, travelers to cities in North Carolina have several bus tour options available.
  
  

Tobacco Road Tours

• Tobacco Tours offers guided bus tours that explore various attractions in central North Carolina, including the state capitol; Raleigh's historic districts, like Mordecai and Five Points; and the North Carolina State Arboretum.
  
  The Raleigh Tour runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and leaves from the Brigg Hardware Building in Raleigh at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The Historic Durham tour includes stops at the Old Durham County Courthouse, numerous historic neighborhoods like Hayti and Trinity Park and Bennett Place, where the Confederacy negotiated it's surrender in the Civil War. This tour operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays and leaves from the Durham Visitor Center at 1p.m. Both tours last approximately 2.5 hours.
  
  Tobacco Tours offers custom group tours, and its van and bus options can accommodate groups ranging from six to 57 people.
  
  Tobacco Road Tours
  P.O. Box 134
  Morrisville, NC 27560
  (919) 371-2632
  tobaccoroadtours.com
  
  

Greensboro Scenic Tours

• Greensboro Scenic Tours offers a number of options for exploring the sights of Greensboro, North Carolina by bus. The Civil Rights Heritage Tour includes a stop at the F.W. Woolworth's, where the sit-in movement began; the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, which provided education to 2,000 of the region's African American children starting in the early 20th century; and the Bennett College for Women. This historically black college was home to the Bennett Belles who were jailed at the some of the many lunch counter demonstrations in Greensboro. Other tour options include the City Historic Tour, the Relocation Tour for prospective residents and the Furniture Tour, which stops at some local furniture manufacturers.
  
  Greensboro Tours offers professional guides that speak Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. Its vehicles can accommodate 14 to 25 passengers. For charters, the company will pick up your group at the location of your choice.
  
  Greensboro Scenic Tours
  301 S. Greene St. Suite 12
  Greensboro, NC 27401
  (336) 202-8400
  greensboroscenictour.com
  
  

Holiday Tours

• Holiday Tours is a family owned company offering one- to three-day tours to North Carolina attractions. The tour from Greensboro or Level Cross to the North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington, allows travelers to enjoy the festival's arts & crafts vendors, music and parade. This tour also stops at the Greenfield Park and Gardens where visitors can admire the many cypress trees, camellias and azaleas. Holiday Tours also offers a three-day tour from Greensboro to the many historic lighthouses scattered along the North Carolina coast. Stops at Balds Head Island and the Wright Brothers Memorial are also part of the itinerary.
  
  Holiday Tours, Inc.
  10367 Randleman Road
  Randleman, NC 27317
  (336) 498-9000
  holidaytoursinc.com