Opening

We Live Here

Salad Days

Growing young gardeners is a lot like tending seeds: Both need plenty of dirt and sunshine, a little patience, and a lot of love.

Eats

Festive Spring

Mighty MerleFest

What began as a one-off fund-raiser for a college garden has grown into North Carolina’s biggest, most beloved music festival. Each year, plenty of famous folk, plain folk, and a bit of folklore converge to bring Doc Watson’s dream to life.

The Hosts With The Most

Imagine 2,000 strangers wandering through your living room and scrutinizing your flower beds. Every year, just as the North Carolina Azalea Festival bursts into bloom, Wilmington’s bravest homeowners welcome the intrusion with a smile.

Steeplechase in Style

At the annual Queen’s Cup Steeplechase outside Charlotte, spectators gather for the thunder of hooves — and for the pageantry and promenade of the well-heeled, too.

A Fish Worth Fighting For

In the creeks and rivers of the Coastal Plain, shad are harbingers of spring. For the folks in one tiny town, their annual Shad Festival also heralds a renewed spirit of resilience.

Features

Bloom Where You’re Planted

Behind every locally grown blossom is the hard work and careful planning of a flower farmer with a deep connection to their land. This month, we walk among rows of dazzling flowers, breathing in the sweet scent of spring in North Carolina.

Closing

A Pirate’s Life for NC

In the 1950s and ’60s, the Dare Coast Pirates Jamboree brought dancing, fish fries, and elaborate costumes to the Outer Banks each spring — until things got a little too rowdy.

Bonus! Drink Local Insert

Water to Wine

Champions of the Yadkin River help protect its waters. Their favorite way to celebrate this valuable natural resource? A trip down the river — and a post-paddle party.

A Hop, Sip, and a Jump

The Yadkin Valley wine region — the state’s first American Viticultural Area — is dotted with vineyards, many just minutes apart. Get winery hopping with these three itineraries.