Sarah and Shawn

About Us

If you want to travel to North Carolina or are a local looking to explore more of the area, you’re in the right place! Whether you have a thirst for adventure or a love for exploring. That’s where Explore More NC™ comes in! Our mission is to empower you with the knowledge and resources needed to embark on your next great adventure here in North Carolina.

We understand you are looking for new and exciting experiences, and we’re here to help you find them. Whether it’s hiking, camping, or simply enjoying the great outdoors, we’ve got everything you need to make the most of your time in North Carolina.

Hi, we’re the Murphys; welcome to our page, Explore More NC

Sarah is a professional photographer, her background is portrait photography, but this has transitioned to landscape and travel. She has a fantastic eye for capturing the beauty of this great state and loves to explore great food & drink and enjoy some amazing adventures. We want to show you all that NC has to offer!

Work with us

For general inquiries or partnerships, please email us at contact@exploremorenc.com
We partner with brands, vacation rentals, businesses, and tourism boards.
We specialize in stunning photography, video, and travel stories.
Media Kit

Our History

Originally from Wisconsin, we first met through a mutual friend, and this is where our love of travel collided.  One of our favorite things was picking a spot on the map and driving; this was before GPS on our phones.  It was such an adventure, and you never knew where you might actually end up. We were pretty good about reading our map, though! Through the years, our love of adventure has always stuck with us.

The image below is when we picked St. Louis on the map while living in southern Wisconsin. We took off and drove, stopped in Springfield, IL, and enjoyed their beautiful capital and one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes, The Dana-Thomas House. We didn’t have much money then and would stretch out what we could afford.  

Old images of Sarah and Shawn of Explore More NC
2003, we picked a spot on the map and just drove! The Dana-Thomas House and The Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Here is an embarrassing photo from 2002 of one of our first adventures. Sarah’s landscape photography has come a long way!

Picture of our our first adventures back in 2002
Our first adventures back in 2002
Old images of Sarah and Shawn
The waterfall above is Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin.
That’s where we fell in love with the great outdoors and what it offers!

We haven’t always been able to explore as we hoped, we started a family fairly young, and we have two amazing children.  With that, traveling was not at the front of our minds! We have traveled with our children to amazing places, but we would have loved to do more! 

They are now teens, and we feel we have more time to get out there again and explore!  Our oldest is 18 years old, and our youngest is 14.  We decided to stop waiting til the kids were grown to get out of the house and purchase our first Class C motorhome.  

No more waiting; life is too short!  We figured even if we make small weekend trips; it’s better than not exploring at all.  We live in such a beautiful state and want to share it with others.

Sarah also loves photography; we wanted to create this site to share our adventures and beautiful sites along the way.  Sharing our recommendations of what we find along the way.  Thanks for joining us now; let’s get out and explore more of NC!

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