Ready to come home for Christmas? Our State editor — and resident soundtrack maker — Mark Kemp curated this selection of 30 holiday songs by North Carolina artists, including James Taylor, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, Charlie Daniels, John Coltrane, and many more. It’s the perfect Christmas party playlist, background music for your holiday baking, and accompanying soundtrack to a drive through twinkling lights.
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.
