Art galleries — beautiful and intriguing backdrops to the works they display and sell — are tucked among hills and valleys throughout western North Carolina.
5 Venues for Mountain Music
Classical, rock, bluegrass, or folk — whatever genre you seek can be found at one of these venues around western North Carolina.
Literary Landscape
A writer eager to explore the world feels the pull of his family homeplace in the pages of mountain authors’ words.
6 Modern Mountain Reads
Sure, you’ve read the masterpieces that put western North Carolina on the literary map — Cold Mountain; Look Homeward, Angel — but make room on your bookshelf for some newer recommendations from mountain booksellers.
Confection Perfection at Edelweiss Pastry Boutique
A Highlands baker combines sugar, flour, and imagination to create edible masterpieces.
Peak Beauty at Arborcrest Gardens
Not far from downtown Boone, a lifelong gardener tends his 26 acres with the precision of a doctor and the vision of an artist.
Carefree Cruising
For some drivers, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the portal to our state’s soaring peaks and offers the sights and routes that remind them of home.
4 Thrilling Ways to Leaf Peep in the Mountains
Each fall, folks flock to western North Carolina to see the changing leaves along mountain roads and at parkway vistas. But for those looking for a bit of novelty, there are more creative ways to take in the colors.
North Carolina’s Blue Ribbon
The Blue Ridge Parkway stands out among America’s national parks: Unfurling across six Appalachian mountain chains, it connects dozens of rural communities and binds together generations of families through shared memories.
