In Pinehurst, an unusual barn once served as an exhibition hall for livestock and a stump for local politicians, who’d snap their suspenders and make big promises. Today, this restored barn in the heart of horse country hosts weddings, dinners, and even rock concerts.
Since 1983, hikers and wanderers traveling the pass between Roan and Hump mountains have taken refuge in a simple red barn known as the Overmountain Shelter. Little do they know, they’re following in the footsteps of revolutionaries.
For three days each month, the owners of Chartreuse Barn in Thomasville give the cavernous old space new purpose as a vintage goods shop — and deeper meaning as a peaceful retreat.
Tobacco barns once dotted the Appalachian landscape in the thousands, before a government buyout in 2004 brought an end to that way of life. Now, passionate locals are recording their stories and giving these iconic structures a second chance.
In 1965, North Carolina Gov. Luther H. Hodges showed off locally-made products in an unusual way.
On the bank of the French Broad, a local outfitter gives back to the waters that sustain it.
At the North Carolina Ukulele Academy, students bond over new skills, cheerful melodies, and the harmony of community.
The cutest critters that most North Carolinians never see tend to stay above the fray. But you’d better believe that flying squirrels are there, gliding gracefully from tree to tree.
One of our state’s most magnificent treasures was in danger of being overdeveloped. Instead, with a photographer’s passion for natural beauty, Grandfather Mountain’s new owner opens it to all.
