The lights wrapped around the oak trees in downtown Forest City are part of an annual tradition that dates back to at least the 1920s. Today, while taking a ride in a horse-drawn carriage on weekends in December, “you almost feel like you’re in a snow globe,” says Amy Bridges, the downtown community development manager. “You can look up, and all you’ll see are the Christmas lights against the blanket of the dark sky.”
Click here for six more towns that twinkle during North Carolina’s holiday season.
Five decades since boyhood summers at White Lake, a writer returns to see what time has changed — and what the water remembers.
At both the turn of the century and today, Beaufort’s waterfront has attracted a hum of commerce and community. At its heart, a historic avenue tells that history, from the stately double-porched homes to the sound of ships announcing their arrival at port.
Grab your goggles and dive into historic pools and nostalgic swimming holes, where cool relief and summer traditions have stood the test of time.
The smoky signature on our summer dinners isn’t the only lingering effect of an evening spent around the grates.
