Tourism spending increased in North Carolina in 2014, according to data from Visit North Carolina, and the top 10 counties with increases have at least one thing in common -- they all have at least one destination that is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. Cultural Resources is a leader in strengthening North Carolina's economic future by promoting opportunities through the arts, history, preservation and libraries across the state.

Communities are enriched by Cultural Resources through 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, a symphony, and public libraries and arts councils across the state. The N.C. Arts Council provides Grassroots Arts Program funding opportunities for citizens to experience the arts in all 100 counties, and the State Library of North Carolina provides technical assistance and/or financial assistance from state or federal sources to support public libraries programming statewide. The Historic Preservation Office works to preserve the historic buildings in small towns and large cities across the state that tell the N.C. story.

“All across North Carolina the threads of the arts, history, libraries and preservation spun through Cultural Resources contribute to the beauty and economic health of our state,” said N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz. “This improves the quality of life from the mountains to the coast.”

The top 10 counties with increased tourism spending (found at partners.VisitNC.com) and the related Cultural Resources assets include:

Mecklenburg: President James K. Polk State Historic Site

Wake: State Capitol, N.C. Museum of History, N.C. Museum of Art, N.C. Symphony, State Archives and State Library

Guilford: Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

Dare: Roanoke Island Festival Park, Outer Banks History Center and Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

Buncombe: Thomas Wolfe Memorial and Western Regional Archives

Forsyth: Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA)

Durham: Bennett Place State Historic Site, Duke Homestead State Historic Site and Historic Stagville

New Hanover: Fort Fisher State Historic Site and Battleship North Carolina

Brunswick: Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site and N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport

Cumberland: Museum of the Cape Fear

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources was the first state government, cabinet-level cultural affairs department created in the United States.

Full tables are can be accessed at partners.VisitNC.com. For more information about the travel impact numbers, contact Visit North Carolina.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDCR's mission is improve our state's quality of life by creating opportunities that promote economic development, stimulate learning, preserve the state's history and spark creativity to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state's communities. NCDCR's Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina's rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR's State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for people who are blind and have physical disabilities.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state's creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.