Sarah Jones had a vision for the sprawling property that she and her husband, Pembroke, purchased on Bradley Creek in 1884: paths lined with live oaks dripping with Spanish moss; a freshwater lake with a romantic pergola; fountains and sculptures; and tens of thousands of camellias, azaleas, and magnolias.
Today, that vision is alive at Airlie — named for Pembroke’s Scottish homeland — which New Hanover County purchased in 1999. More than a dozen gardens on 67 acres are open to visitors, who walk the flower-lined paths of which Sarah dreamed.
Watch the video here to see these beautiful gardens alive with springtime splendor, and keep an eye out for more about the gardens and their history in the April issue’s photo essay.
Split-rail fences don’t shout “keep out.” They lean, they shift, they invite. And in western North Carolina, they remind us that some lines are meant to hold, not harden.
Each May, spring climbs nearly 3,000 feet to the seat of Alleghany County. Here, as the rhododendrons blush, a beloved mountain town welcomes visitors with its food, art, and flourish of color and creativity.
Brief but delicious, soft-shell crab season is cherished by diners as well as the folks who work around the clock to put these native pinchers on our plates.
When it comes to poultry, the best is raised close to home.
