In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
Making neon signs is part art, part science. Since 1986, Nate Shaeffer has been bending glass to bring its special light to life.
In Bladen County, before integration, a former military man and his family were stewards of the first North Carolina state park open to Black families. There, amid acres of longleaf pines and a sprawling lake, families and friends gathered to eat, play, and pray.
Two North Carolina State Parks rangers met while working a wildfire in Rutherford County. They got to chatting and realized that they didn’t want to stop. Now, the duo hosts a podcast that answers all kinds of questions about the great outdoors.
A Charlotte motorcycle instructor graduates from tearing around mountain curves on a sportbike to enjoying the scenery and the camaraderie of cruising with friends along North Carolina’s country roads.
The Map Shop wasn’t just a shop with maps — it was a Charlotte landmark. A landmark on a map. A map stuffed on a shelf. A shelf that sat inside The Map Shop.
In Statesville, couples in classic cars take their Sunday drives seriously, hopping into vintage Chevrolets and cruising along North Carolina’s highways and back roads.
Everything grinds to a halt when Mother Nature dumps snow and ice on North Carolina. Still, there’s something special about seeing glistening ice or a bright mound of snow piled high where it doesn’t seem to belong.
Elizabeth Gardner grew up fascinated by the hexagonal flakes that fell outside her Raleigh home. Today, as a Triangle-area meteorologist, she helps her community brace for The Big One.
