Downtown
Downtown: Highlands
A posh downtown and abundant natural beauty offer plenty of ways to relax and reset in this quiet mountain retreat.
Katie King
Eastern
The Shack in Corolla
Coffee shop by day, beer garden by night: For beachgoers in the northern Outer Banks, The Shack is an all-day affair.
Downtown
Downtown: Greenville
A revitalized Uptown district is helping this college town become a trendy city that stands on its own.
Downtown
Downtown: Kinston
In its parks and its art, its food and its beer, this former tobacco hub embodies the spirit of local.
Features
The Chicken Champs
Each year, nearly 600 chickens (and their proud owners) flock to the Rowan County Fairgrounds to compete for the heady title of Old English Game Bantam Champion of the World. When global poultry dominance is at stake, it’s hard not to ruffle a few feathers.
Eastern
Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head
A family of unconventional artists turns trash into treasure at their Outer Banks gallery.
Travel
Neighborhood: River Arts District
In Asheville, one of the country’s top arts destinations is itself a living gallery where creativity flourishes.
Eastern
Downtown: Oriental
Once a quiet fishing village, this small town on the Neuse River has become one of the East Coast’s top sailing destinations.
Central
Downtown: Apex
This historic Wake County community is growing quickly, but it’s still the quaint railroad town of the past.