Overlooking the ski slopes on one side and the Blue Ridge Mountains on the other, this outdoor ice arena is fully lit for skating under the stars seven nights a week. Warm up between skate sessions at a rink-side bonfire.
940 Ski Mountain Road
(828) 295-7828
appskimtn.com/ice-skating
From mid-November through mid-February, the Upper Pond of the Whitewater Center is a grand 17,000-square-foot ice rink that includes an ice trail and a free-skate area. Skaters can stop for a hot or cold beverage from the Airstream in the center of the frozen pond.
5000 Whitewater Center Parkway
(704) 391-3900
whitewater.org/activity/ice-skating
Take an icy spin around the South End area of downtown. Before or after stepping onto the ice, stop for a beer, a meal, and a game or two at nearby Southend Brewing or Boxcar Bar + Arcade.
123 Barnhardt Street
(336) 379-0060
piedmontwinterfest.com
This family-friendly outdoor center, a short drive west of Highlands, offers ice-skating, snow tubing, and rides on a 4,000-foot-tall mountain coaster. After the activities, enjoy a meal at Annie’s Café or a sweet treat — fudge, candy, or ice cream — from the on-site Bartram Market.
7420 Dillard Road
(828) 526-3737
scalymountain.com
If skiing isn’t your style, the 10,000-square-foot ice-skating rink at this resort can give you some fun outdoor entertainment. With the sports shop annex and the resort restaurant located nearby, hot chocolate and a hearty meal are steps away.
1009 Sugar Mountain Drive
(828) 898-4521
skisugar.com/skating
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
