Opening

Creating Our State

This magazine has evolved quite a bit since the first issue was published 90 years ago this month, but we’ve always celebrated North Carolina.

Welcome Home

A Locals’ Guide to Burgaw

While this coastal town sits some 20 miles from the Atlantic, seas of blue sprouting from its soil mark a long history of family farms and fruit-filled summers. The blueberry capital of Pender County finds growth and prosperity in and around its farmland.

Beyond Biscuits in New Bern

For the owner of The Country Biscuit, welcoming diners is the fulfillment of a decades-long dream. And diners’ dreams come true when they try the glazed biscuit doughnut holes.

90th Anniversary

The Life & Times of Our State Magazine

To commemorate our 90th anniversary, we’ve compiled a time line that highlights the stories, contributors, and themes that have shaped this magazine — and your view of the Old North State — using nine decades of our own words.

The Explorer

A Nash County couple traveled across North Carolina with Our State in hand. Now, she continues their adventures with his memory in her heart.

Real Estate Regret

What’s not to love about living in a historic house once owned by a North Carolina governor? The squirrels and possums and snakes, of course.

Features

Catcher of the Fly

In the boggy lowlands of southeastern North Carolina, one of our state’s most famous residents lies in wait. If you cross paths with a Venus flytrap, look, but don’t touch — especially if you’re a bug.

Coastal Legends

Shrimp & Grit in Sneads Ferry

Along North Carolina’s ever-changing coast, shrimp trawlers remain a constant — on the ocean, the rivers, the sounds — thanks to resourceful captains who face challenging headwinds with determination. Want to know how they do it? Come aboard.

The Tides That Bind on Hatteras Island

After Hurricane Isabel battered Hatteras Village 20 years ago, neighbors wasted no time in banding together to rebuild. Today, an annual festival celebrates the indomitable spirit of those who live and work on the water.

Soup from the Sound

Made with just a few simple, on-hand ingredients, Hatteras clam chowder has sustained generations of islanders. And when it’s time to put a pot on, Pamlico Sound provides.

Crabby Chic at Washington Crab

A seafood processing company — and its modest restaurant nearby — has been a family-owned mainstay in Beaufort County for more than half a century. Folks don’t come here for fancy cocktails or waterfront views — they come for the catch of the day and the friendly small-town feel.

Galley Gourmet

Two decades after it was born in Morehead City, Mariner’s Menu — the ultimate guide to preparing North Carolina seafood — continues to evolve.