Feature image: On a warm spring day at Frog Level Brewing, forgo the taproom in the former warehouse for a seat next to Richland Creek.
No matter which direction you walk down the red-brick sidewalks on Main Street, mountains rise up ahead of you. It’s a reminder that in Waynesville, an adventure is never too far away. For more than 200 years, this town has been a gateway to the beauty that surrounds it.
In the 1800s, tourists came for the purported health benefits of the clean mountain air. Today, they also come for the town’s vibrant personality: Around every corner, you’ll find art galleries and studios. Cozy wine bars and craft breweries. A gourmet grocery and a colorful kitchen shop. Ask a local where to eat, and be ready to take notes on the farm-to-table restaurants.
You could ready your hiking boots — head into Great Smoky Mountains National Park or hop onto the Blue Ridge Parkway — but you could also just stay put. Settle in. Because there’s plenty to admire and explore right in front of you.
Hitting the trail has never have been more popular, but getting started can be intimidating. Let super hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis tell you how to prepare for everything from a short day trip to a state-wide hike.
The 1960s architecture, croaking call boxes, and carhops toting plastic trays stacked with steaming fries and frosty shakes: What-A-Burger — the beloved North Carolina chain, not the popular Texas franchise — is a living remnant from a time when cars were king.
Memories of hitchhiking across North Carolina — and the United States — in the 1970s never dimmed for this author.
In North Carolina, Pig Pickin' Cake is an essential companion to any good barbecue (noun, not a verb).
