We found the season’s sweet spot — a series of them, actually, along a remote byway in far-western Graham County. The Cherohala Skyway dips and rises, curves and coasts past waterfalls, hiking trails, and mountain views that (almost) never end.
emily chaplin
Good Times at the Old Hampton Store
In an old trading post and gristmill near Grandfather Mountain, an artist has created a community of locals and tourists who come together over pulled pork and fried pickles, High Country cocktails, and traditional Appalachian art and music.
The Heart of Morganton
Merchants and their regulars in this Burke County town have banded together like family, uplifting and reinventing a community rich in nature, compassion, and creativity.
The Linville Look
The elegantly rustic bark shingles that give this mountain town its character are as fashionable today as they were more than a century ago when a famous architect introduced them.
Through the Looking Glass
A 79-year-old barn in Transylvania County transformed one man and his family, just when they needed it most.
Downtown: Rutherfordton
Historic inns, innovative restaurants, fun for all ages: Exciting things are happening in this small town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just as they have been for centuries.
Steeplechase in Style
At the annual Queen’s Cup Steeplechase outside Charlotte, spectators gather for the thunder of hooves — and for the pageantry and promenade of the well-heeled, too.
The Cows of Iredell County
Iredell has been our leading cow county since state agriculture records were first kept, counting more than 300 dairies by the mid-'50s. The number of farms here has diminished now to about 45, but not our appreciation for these dairy queens -- and the families who love them.
The Mythic School of the Mountain: Black Mountain College
Brilliant artists, poets, and intellectuals established Black Mountain College’s reputation as a bastion of innovative thinkers. The college’s brief, obscure existence — and its avant-garde “Happening” — sealed its legend.
