Our Prettiest Places: 7 stunning spots that make your jaw drop. Homecoming at Camp Lejeune and the Civil War in North Carolina.
PHOTO ESSAY
Jacksonville’s Heroes
Written By Michael Graff
Photography by Travis Dove
Camp Lejeune. Home of the Expeditionary Forces in Readiness.
FEATURES
Full of Beauty: Our Prettiest Places
We know North Carolina is beautiful. It rolls in places, flattens in others, and has creases and curves that can make anywhere else seem bland. There is no land like ours because we have a land full of distinct features. The seven places that follow are here and can only be here, places with water and places with peaks, the deep and defined characteristics that make up the state that steals our hearts at first sight.
Portsmouth Island: The Loneliest Island by Molly Harrison
Photography by Ray Matthews
Uninhabited Portsmouth Island is difficult to reach, lacks the most basic comforts, and has brutal conditions – yet is beloved by those who find comfort in its simplicity.
Pinehurst No. 2: Pure Pinehurst by Michael Graff
Photography by Travis Done
The home of American golf, Pinehurst No. 2 nearly lost itself trying to be great. But after a yearlong restoration, it looks just like it always should have, right at home in the North Carolina Sandhills.
Bonner Bridge: Driving on Water by Glenn McVicker
Photography by Matt Lusk
The Bonner Bridge carries N.C. Highway 12 across Oregon Inlet, making it possible for people to get to Hatteras Island. But if you stop at the top, it yields a view unlike any other in the state, a view that helps shape the writer’s perspective on life.
Pond Mountain: Soaring Legacies by Leigh Ann Henion
Photography by Travis Dove
Trustworthy stewards ensure that Pond Mountain’s beauty and conservation will thrill future generations.
Lake Waccamaw: The Natural Lake by Scott Huler
Photography by Geoff Wood
From its origins to its people to its views, everything about Lake Waccamaw is too good to be true.
Raffaldini Vineyards: A Place to Pause by Leah Hughes
Photography by Stacey Haines
At Raffaldini Vineyards in Ronda, hours of effort go into processes that you can’t see. But once you experience this place, once you breathe it all in, it creates a feeling that stays close to your heart.
The Appalachian Trail: Peak of Perfection by John Manuel
Photography by Matt Rose
You have to work to savor the majesty of the Appalachian Trail, but there’s much more to appreciate – and preserve.
CIVIL WAR SERIES
The Civil War: Battle of the Bands by Philip Gerard
Illustration by Joseph Edwards
Musicians attached to the 26th North Carolina Regiment rouse patriotic spirit, bolster flagging morale in the face of gruesome casualties, and are vital to the regiment’s command and control system. Volume Two, Part One of the Civil War series.
- Web Exclusive Video: Learn more about the role of music during the Civil War and the soldiers who played it in an exclusive Our State video.
DEPARTMENTS
Welcome
January Snow by Elizabeth Hudson
Our State Quiz
World War II by Alan Hodge
In the early 1940s, many North Carolina citizens left their home state to fight for their home country on foreign soil.
Humor
Hallmark of the South by Daniel Wallace
Illustration by Daniel Wallace
Carolina Culture
Local Stage by Ali Rocket
Photography by Jessie Gladin-Kramer
What started as one man’s theater in his basement is now a creative outlet for the Fayetteville community.
North Carolina’s Sound by Tommy Tomlinson
Photography by Joey and Jessica Seawell
Chatham County musician Tommy Edwards knows the tune of his home state by heart.
- Web Exclusive: Enter to win a copy of Tommy Edwards’s CD.
Art on the Concourse by Carson Blackwelder
Photography by Susan Murray.
In Charlotte, nondescript airport walls become a first-class exhibit.
Book Reviews
- Shifting Loyalties: The Union Occupation of Eastern North Carolina by Judkin Browning
- She Makes it Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen
Tar Heel Town
Rockingham by Jeremy Markovich
Photography by Chris Edwards
Richmond County’s seat has a long history of perseverance, generosity, and teamwork. Now it has NASCAR back, and new hope.
Tar Heel History
Water Ways by Marion Blackburn
If you wanted to fish or duck hunt in Currituck County and its namesake sound, you needed to know the man who knew the water. For visitors a long way from home, that man was Frank Carter, a beloved, trusted sporting guide for almost 50 years.
GOOD FOOD
Simple Recipe by Amanda Munger
Photography by Dhanraj Emanuel
Holt Lake Bar-B-Que & Seafood doesn’t offer anything fancy. But its down-home ambience earns it five stars from the people of Four Oaks.
Momma’s Kitchen by Jeffrey Turner
Photography and food styling by Matt Hulsman
Recipe testing and food styling by Wendy Perry
No matter how many North Carolina restaurants Bob Holt visits, chefs he watches, or recipes he collects, his momma’s cooking always tastes best.
Recipes
High on the Hog by Kathleen Purvis
Photography by Chris Edwards
When a farmer takes culinary control at a historic, uptown hotel in Charlotte, the food comes a lot closer to the land.
Food on the Fly by Carson Blackwelder
Photograph by Lissa Gotwals
From burgers on wax paper to oysters on the half shell, the Raleigh-Durham International Airport goes gourmet.
Carolina Gardening
Plant Protégé by Jeri Rowe
Photography by Joey and Jessica Seawell
At Piedmont Carolina Nursery in Colfax, one man preserves the legacy of his mentors and the heritage of his land.
Dates & Events
Ski Carolina by Taylor Rankin
Three mountains in the high country offer snowy slopes fit for beginners and experts.
Five Things Every North Carolinian Should Do This Month by Taylor Rankin
Photography by Joey and Jessica Seawell
Visit Bethania Mill and Village Shoppes near Winston-Salem, take a New Year’s hike, visit the birthplace of Pepsi in New Bern, take in the Brand New Opry in Concord, and enjoy some barbecue at a barbecue battle in Carolina Beach.
Tar Heel Image
Walls of Water by Brandon Doby of Salisbury
Some scenes change with the seasons, yet others, like this waterfall in Banner Elk, remain constant wonders.
