It doesn't take a lot of money to make your own fun in North Carolina, from historical tours to hang gliding.

Get Wet
North Carolina's beaches are legendary, from the state's shipwreck graveyards to the windswept dunes where the Wright brothers took flight. Now tourists flock to the white sands for fishing and frolicking in the surf. Among the spots not to miss: the Outer Banks, Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore, where wild horses graze.

Take A History Tour
North Carolina's Civil War battlegrounds and plantations offer visitors a glimpse at the state's often turbulent history. Among the battle sites is one in Bentonville, site of one of the last full-scale battles of the Civil War. A refurbished visitor's center has a fiber-optic interactive battlefield map. The Harper farm house, used as a field hospital where an astounding 500 soldiers were treated, is well preserved. The Mendenhall Plantation, which features the original 1811 house and a restored one-room schoolhouse, was a stop on the Underground Railroad. It also has a false-bottom wagon used to transport slaves north.

Park It
Get outside! North Carolina is home to some of the nation's great parks. A few of note: Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Nantahala National Forest and 34 state parks, including not-to-be-missed Gorges State Park.

Leaf Peep
Visitors can sample the fall splendor in any of the three regions of North Carolina -- the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont Plateau and the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountains. Use this detailed guide to plan a driving route at a time when the trees are ablaze with color: Scenic North Carolina.

Hang Glide Hang gliding lessons may not be "cheap," but how do you put a price on floating free on an ocean breeze? Here's your once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the world as birds do. Among the outfitters is Kitty Hawk Kites, which offers lessons to people of all ages and physical abilities in the sand dunes near where the Wright brothers first took flight.

Mountain Bike
Put your mountain bike to use on a real mountain. A number of websites detail some of the state's best trails. Mountain Bike Western NC allows you to pick a trail best suited to your ability. Trails.com ranks the top trails in the state. Or check out the book "Mountain Biking In North Carolina" by Timm Muth -- get it in paperback and throw it in your gear.

Sip Wine
North Carolina has more than 80 wineries, most of which offer tours. Find a few in a given region and spend a day sampling the best the state's vineyards have to offer. Try the five wineries that make up the Swan Creek Vineyard Association in the mountain region of the state, the Duplin/ I-40 Wine Trail in the coastal region or the Uwharrie Mountains Wine Trail in the Piedmont. The state's tourism website can help you put together an itinerary.