The Ultimate Scenic Foodie Road Trip Is A North Carolina Route With Unbeatable Barbecue

If you ever hear anyone say the United States doesn't have a signature cuisine, then you know they've never taken a flavorful drive down North Carolina's iconic "Cradle of 'Cue." A name trademarked by The North Carolina Barbecue Society, Inc., Cradle of 'Cue refers to a 15-stop, multi-city trail that perfectly answers the question, "What cuisine is the United States known for?" Italy can claim its traditional pasta dishes, and Greece can have spanakopita. Here in the States, foodies travel to destinations far and wide for the sweet, tangy, spicy, vinegary, or tomato-y flavors of smoky, delectable barbecue.

While you can throw a dart at a map of the South and hit an area known for its 'cue, flavor profiles change from state to state. The dry rubs and thick sauces of Kansas differ quite a bit from the revered mustard-style sauces of South Carolina. North Carolina alone has its own intrastate barbecue diversity, where the East favors a tangy vinegar sauce while the West dishes out an acidic tomato base. Along the Cradle of 'Cue, also known as the Historic Barbecue Trail, you'll get a taste of both and everything in between.

If you want to embark on a tender, well-seasoned excursion down the flavor superhighway, you'll want to set your sights on Ayden, a small town with a big appetite for barbecue.

Doggy bags full of saucy meat aren't the only perk of the Cradle of 'Cue. This North Carolina expedition stops at 14 cities along the way, starting with Ayden for two stops: Skylight Inn and Bum's Restaurant. That two notable spots exist in a town of only 5,000 people is a testament to the true barbecue love North Carolinans have. Once you leave Ayden, it's a straight shot up U.S. Route 264 to B's Barbecue in Greenville.

At the next stop, Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro, you'll get to try some of the whole hog. From there, you'll pass through Dudley for a patriotic bite at Grady's Barbecue, Willow Spring, home to Stephenson's Bar-B-Que, and Burlington and the fine menu at Hursey's Bar-B-Q. After Burlington is Greensboro and Stamey's Barbecue, a suitable halfway point to take a break and relax for the night. Being one of the larger cities on the list, Greensboro is the logical stopping point unless you break the trip up into three or four stops to savor the local flavors.

The farther west you go, the more you'll notice the change in the flavor profile. From Greensboro, you'll pass through Madison and stop at Fuzzy's Bar-B-Q, then through Winston-Salem for Real Q, Lexington for the Lexington Bar-B-Q Center, Lincolnton for Bar-B-Q King, Little Switzerland for the aptly named Switzerland Café, Shelby for Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, and finally Flat Rock for Hubba Hubba Smokehouse.

If you're a real barbecue connoisseur, you'll want to add to the collection of sauces you picked up along North Carolina's Historic Barbecue Trail. North Carolina isn't the only state known for barbecue, nor is it the only one where you can take multi-day, food-focused trip. Take Texas, for example. BBQ Revolt put together a map of Central Texas' best cities for barbecue, highlighting locations like Taylor, Luling, and Lockhart. One spot we recommend is Lamberts, which is located along Austin's vibrant 2nd Street District neighborhood.

If you want to blend your love of barbecue with an intrigue for history, the Blues Highway showcases the South's best food while touching on important moments in the United States' past. The Blues Highway starts in Memphis, a city known for perfecting pulled pork and a signature 40-spice dry rub, and ends in New Orleans with its emphasis on barbecued shrimp. In between, you'll drive through Clarksdale and Vicksburg in Mississippi. Take a bit of a detour from the Blues Highway and learn more about the history of barbecue, which has its roots in Mississippi.

The World Population Review compiled a map of the best states for barbecue based on a YouGov.com 2022 survey. According to the results, North Carolina is tied with Georgia for the sixth spot, beat out by Texas at No. 1, then Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Kansas.