Features

For his first Father’s Day, a new dad finds his father’s old identity.

Whisk together two hotels, three restaurants, and two risk-averse personalities. Add a passion for food and the environment, and you have a recipe for romance.

The Carolinian crosses the state every day, taking people where they need to be, but getting from Point A to Point B isn’t what taking the train is all about.

A father and his two young sons explore the sights, sounds, and sometimes tastes of North Carolina. This time, they head out to the backyard and pitch a tent where precious family memories are made.

Two scoops. Two straws. Two sippers. When shared, the simple milkshake, stirred and whirred and blended into frothy bliss, has been the basis for many a romance. Eyes meet eyes over a bright red cherry. Grins grow wide with whipped cream mustaches. Heartbeats quicken with the last noisy slurps. Whether in a classic fountain like Central Drug in Bessemer City, or at Mike’s on Main in Hendersonville and Pike’s in Charlotte, where soda jerks mix ice-creamy concoctions, love — and nostalgia — is still in the sweet-smelling air.

Temporary as tides and tan lines, the summer romance is a seasonal rite of passage.