The July 2021 Issue

Explore, savor, experience, and celebrate what North Carolina has to offer this month.

A Cherokee business owner in the westernmost county seat in North Carolina shares her favorite places to shop, dine, and learn more about her tribe’s history.

Three friends made the cumbersome chore of setting up beach covers a breeze with their lightweight seaside invention.

In Blowing Rock, people gather around Bistro Roca’s wood-fired oven for cozy comfort and the chef’s inventive New American dishes.

Whether you call it a granita or a grown-up snow cone, this cantaloupe-and-mint version is extra refreshing.

Each delicious bite of this elegant dessert is filled with ripe peaches, raspberry puree, and vanilla ice cream.

Fresh summer strawberries, fluffy cake, and sweet whipped cream come together in this cool and creamy dessert.

Our version starts with homemade cookies — the flavor and toppings are up to you.

Pedaling through the streets of Morehead City is twice as fun aboard a vintage tandem bike. Most of the time.

Star light, star bright — won’t you join us for a show tonight? The cicadas are singing, and the air smells like campfire smoke, or drive-in popcorn, or a saltwater breeze. From the mountains to the coast, nighttime in North Carolina is a work of art.

Where to stop and look up from mountains to coast.

Find out what three astronomy experts have to say about using star charts and telescopes, their favorite places in North Carolina to stargaze, and the most amazing things they’ve ever seen in the night sky.

On “The Avenue,” the beating heart of Roanoke Rapids, a shop called Rivertown keeps reinventing itself, delivering just what its customers are looking for — including, simply, a comforting spot to spend an afternoon.

A former cotton mill just off the interstate in Halifax County has taken on a new life. Today, the enormous 122-year-old building is an antiquarian’s playground packed with rare treasures and stories around every corner.

The mad scientists of Johnston County have won hearts and awards with their smoked pork, chicken, and beef brisket. And the experiments continue: At The Redneck BBQ Lab in Benson, they’re always cooking up something new.

What was once a tobacco factory humming with machinery has been transformed into a showcase for the arts and sciences, a stage for performance, and a hands-on space for kids that unlocks and unleashes their creativity.

Red hot dogs? It’s a North Carolina thing. Our favorite franks are those fire-engine red Bright Leaf dogs made from a secret recipe at a sprawling factory in Smithfield.

A minor league ball team returns to its new home stadium this year after the pandemic disrupted its 2020 season. Now, Fayetteville Woodpeckers fans can continue making joyful summertime memories — of hot peanuts, booming fireworks, and the sweet crack of bat against ball.

Six years ago, a U.S. Marine established a safe space in Lumberton for the imagination to flourish. Now, after a challenging 2020, his visual and performing arts center expands to a historic building in the heart of downtown.

Travelers use I-95 to get to their destinations quickly. But scattered between Roanoke Rapids and Lumberton are plenty of reasons to take a break from the interstate.

Our curated Spotify playlist is a tribute to travel and to North Carolina — the perfect soundtrack for a summer drive from Roanoke Rapids to Lumberton.

Get yer red hots! Bright Leafs are so popular in Johnston County that the visitors bureau cooked up the Local Red Hot Dog Trail, with many of the choice spots just a jump off I-95.

A new commission of Indian affairs ensures representation for North Carolina’s indigenous population. In politics, journalism, the arts, and more, the state’s original residents make strides and speak out.

Legendary circus showman P.T. Barnum’s great-granddaughter founded Rockbrook Camp for Girls in Brevard — and turned a famously tiny chair into a can’t-miss attraction among campers.