Spend your days soaking in the colorful arts scene and your nights stargazing from the highest peak on the East Coast.
mount mitchell
From Ranch to Retreat in Burnsville
A big-city photographer had a vision to transform a storied Burnsville property into a space for contemplation and reflection — a healing place.
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.
In Search of Fall Color in the Blue Ridge Mountains
An Appalachian State University professor explores the mountains to find the telltale shades of autumn. Then he shares on social media the best places to find the most color in nature.
NC Icons: Mountain Primer
Find out what makes our ancient Appalachian Mountains so magnificent in this primer on our peaks.
Bragging Rights: 10 Lesser-Known Reasons We’re Proud to Call North Carolina Home
Explore some of the state’s finest cultural superlatives — from founding the nation’s first state-supported symphony to building its first miniature golf course.
Natural Wonder in North Carolina’s State Parks
From a 6,684-foot peak in the west to a shape-shifting sand dune in the east, our state parks hold the best of what North Carolina has to offer. Together, they tell the story of the place we call home.
A Timeline of North Carolina’s State Parks
Find out how the purchase of a single plot of land on Mount Mitchell in 1915 turned into a thriving state park system that provides North Carolinians with the opportunity to explore the outdoors in all its natural beauty.
Our State Knows Best: Hiking
Find out what three hiking experts have to say about hitting the trail, the gear they’d never leave behind, and North Carolina’s must-do mountain treks with stunning views.
