Located halfway between New York and Florida along I-95 in the scenic Cape Fear River Valley, Fayetteville is affordable and varied for residents and tourists alike. In fact, there is so much to see that many tours are themed. Historic tours begin with the Market house and are rich in Black History (don't miss the Isaac Hammond Marker home or the 1897 Poe House) and Civil War areas (General Sherman's Union troops went right through Fayetteville); Inspirational tours include churches dating back to 1756; Nature tours include roses & herbs, walks along the Cape Fear River at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens, and llamas and other exotic animals at Jambbas Ranch; and don't forget the special Kids tours! Shopping covers the gamut from the latest malls to antiques - there are also Shopping excursion tours.

Fayetteville, North Carolina has four designated historic districts: Downtown Historic District, Haymount Historic District, Liberty Point National Register District and Market House Square National Register District. Fayetteville is located in Cumberland County, NC, (known as the "Sandhills") whose population is close to 300,000 and area encompasses approximately 661 square miles.

Fayetteville, NC is one of only 10 cities in the country to win the prestigious All-America City Award in June of 2001. (read the full story..)

Two early settlements, Campbellton and Cross Creek, united and were named Fayetteville in 1783. Fayetteville was the first settlement to be named for the Marquise de LaFayette, and also, the only one he actually visited. In 1825, LaFayette arrived in Fayetteville by horse-drawn carriage to a rousing welcome by the residents.

Originally settled by Scots in the mid-1700's, Scottish heroine Flora MacDonald rallied citizens for the loyalist cause.

Location as an inland port and the early "Plank Roads" system led to a thriving economy. Fayetteville was rebuilt after the Great Fire of May 29, 1831 and again after the Civil War.

The Great Fire started around noon and swept the town with flames so rapidly and with such uncontrollable force that the Town House, Cape Fear Bank, Catholic Chapel, Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches, the Academy, the LaFayette and Mansion Hotels, and about six hundred private buildings were destroyed. Personal belongings, merchandise for sale, records of baptisms, wedding, deaths and household and business acounts, money, art, and books were destroyed. The total loss was estimated (in 1831) at $1,500,000.00.

"The City of Fayetteville was offensively rebellious"
Union Maj. Geo. Nichols (1865)

The invasion, in 1865, of General Sherman signaled the collapse of the CSA. Union troops wreaked destruction in Fayetteville and burned the N.C. Arsenal which had been a munitions center for the Confederacy.

Fort Bragg, one of the country's largest military installations and home of the Green Berets, lends richness in military tradition and cultural diversity to native southern hospitality and small-town flavor. Pope air Force Base also has private tours available with a reservation. Fayetteville is the cosmopolitan (pop. 300,000) economic growth center of southeastern North Carolina.