The June 2021 Issue

Learn, sip, shop, and celebrate what North Carolina has to offer this month.

Known for its friendly atmosphere, signature boardwalk, and natural diversity, this town and its beautiful shoreline have been capturing visitors’ imaginations for more than 130 years.

Before you lay out a towel and kick off your flip-flops, a stop at this Carteret County bookstore is a must.

Inspired by the Roaring Twenties, a young chef returned to his hometown and opened a tapas restaurant with a vintage vibe and modern twists on classic cuisine.

Place your cast-iron skillet-seared scallops on a bed of angel hair pasta to go to seafood heaven.

Brighten up your lunch with this creamy, lemony crab salad.

Fresh clams and tender veggies meet in this flavorful, lightly creamy chowder.

The world is your oyster — and so is this salad.

Something to ponder as the tide rolls in: Nothing on the North Carolina coast stays the same for long. Yet that inconstancy is, in its own way, a source of comfort.

When the sun sets on long days at the beach, families still reach for Charles Harry Whedbee’s beloved Outer Banks legends and spooky stories, years after the raconteur of Nags Head put them to paper.

Take a trip down the North Carolina coast to see our seven towering landmarks: Once guiding lights for sailing ships, they now serve as beacons of coastal beauty and history.

Not your average beach house: From the clean lines of a flat-top cottage in Southern Shores to the extravagant opulence of an Art Nouveau icon in Corolla, landmark architecture defines our coastal villages — and chapters of our history.

The North Carolina coast is dotted with towns and cities, resorts and beach houses, where families return for annual getaways. These places are backdrops for memories, sometimes forged over generations. Yet vacationing — especially at the beach — is about more than just where you go.

From its humble roots as a roadside farm stand, The Friendly Market has evolved to become the community’s kitchen, serving up classic comfort foods to fuel fishing trips, beach days, and backyard picnics in Morehead City and beyond.

For one special week every summer, relatives from across the state and around the country make their way to Topsail Island for food, fun, and a family reunion of epic proportions.

Although Holden Beach has grown over the past 50 years, not much is different in this Brunswick County community. Really. Even less has changed at The Rod & Reel Shop, which has become an unofficial welcome center for vacationers — complete with worms.

In the village of Wanchese, two families have helped shape the local seafood industry for the past century. Today, their descendants are learning to overcome the modern-day challenges of commercial fishing and carrying on a Roanoke Island tradition that runs as deep as the ocean.

In a town known for its seafood, a family ice cream business serves up nostalgic standards and creative concoctions that change with the seasons.

For more than 60 years, vacationers have been bringing their pampered pets to Atlantis Lodge in Pine Knoll Shores for beach getaways worthy of man’s best friend.

No rush: The clocks on the walls of Oak Island Restaurant are just for decoration. All you really need to know is whether it’s Chicken & Dumplings Thursday or Fried Fish Friday.

On the way to work or headed home from the beach, post up in a booth at the Old Bridge Diner for breakfast and lunch classics — pancakes to patty melts to popcorn shrimp — all day long.

More than 45 years ago, a fishing family started a seafood market to sell their catch. The market expanded into a mainstay restaurant in Salter Path whose varied menu includes a seasonal special that celebrates coastal resilience.

As developers discover North Carolina’s beautiful shorelines and beachfront communities, lawmakers make a plan to protect their splendor for generations to come.

The National Hollerin’ Contest once brought national attention to the tiny North Carolina community of Spivey’s Corner.