Opening

Fall Festivities

Cool weather, autumn harvests, and colorful leaves: In North Carolina, there are plenty of reasons — and opportunities — to celebrate this time of year.

Welcome Home

A Guide to Downtown Franklin

This small town is a destination for gem enthusiasts, history buffs, and Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, which gives residents plenty of chances to share their beloved mountain home.

Our State Knows Best: Leaf Peeping

We talked to three biologists about how and when to plan a trip to see peak fall color in North Carolina, their favorite hikes and overlooks, and why our mountains are one of the best places in the country to see stunning autumn leaves.

Recipes

Features

Most Improved Sports Fan

Sometimes, when his house full of Tar Heel fanatics huddles up around the TV, the Ramblin’ Man gets to feeling a little sidelined. Hard as he tries, “tackle” and “net” conjure visions of mountain streams, even during football and basketball seasons.

Mountain Moods

Fearless in the Foothills

Hidden away in the hollers just west of the Piedmont, where the land begins to rise, our ancestors learned to enjoy themselves with homemade whiskey, music, car racing, and other activities that provided relief from the arduous work of farming and laboring in mills.

Where Spirits Rise

More than a century ago, some called Statesville the liquor capital of the world. Then came Prohibition. Today, Southern Distilling Company is on a mission to prove that North Carolina spirits are more than just moonshine.

Peace in the Yadkin Valley

The sprawling vineyards and wide-open skies that stretch for miles across seven North Carolina counties offer relaxing getaways — not to mention some of the state’s finest wines — for Sunday drivers aching to escape the rush of city life.

Through the Grapevine

Behind the easy elegance of an afternoon in the Yadkin Valley are hours of unseen work and hard-won expertise. At Surry Community College, future vintners soak up the wisdom of wine country.

The High Country: Nature’s Art

The spectacular views in North Carolina’s High Country aren’t just inspiration for writers, painters, and sculptors. Those landscapes — the rugged gray face of Grandfather Mountain, the vibrant fall leaves, the deep green meadows — are brushstrokes on Earth’s own canvas.

Asheville’s Voice

To an untrained ear, the sounds emanating from downtown street corners form a cacophony of drums and strings and synthesizers. To musicians and poets and music lovers, it’s a distinctive symphony like no other.

Stitches in Time

In the far-western reaches of the state, two men who learned to quilt from the communities around them are dispelling stereotypes while continuing a beloved — and necessary — mountain tradition.

History

Bred for Success

How the wife of a literary giant became renowned in her own right as one of the nation’s preeminent dairy goat breeders in Flat Rock.