Shifting sands, tides, and tempests have shaped the Outer Banks for centuries. Now, those forces pose a constant threat to the islands’ lifeline — and a complicated challenge for the keepers of one of the state’s most famous roads.
Riding My Thumb
Memories of hitchhiking across North Carolina — and the United States — in the 1970s never dimmed for this author.
A Space-Age Oddity
Decades ago, in small-town North Carolina, the future creator of one of the most iconic stereo designs of the 1970s had a dream of rocket ships and rock ’n’ roll. His ideas took him to Manhattan boardrooms and sent him jet-setting around the world. But Granville County always beckoned him home.
House of Stories
For a Wilmington writer, her childhood home was like a fairy tale — full of love and adventure, joy and heartbreak, and even a ghost. But the historic house that she turned into a bed and breakfast holds more than her own memories: Here, endless narratives fill pages and shelves.
The Green Book Guide to North Carolina
For Black families in the 1950s, the ribbons of asphalt that crisscross our state could be dangerous obstacle courses: Most hotels and other businesses denied African-Americans basic services. Many travelers of color looked to the Green Book to find safety on the open road and community in our towns and cities.
Coming Home
Pigeon fanciers feed, tend, and protect their birds from the time they’re chicks — only to release them into the world with the faith that their companions will come back to roost.
An Ode to the Southern Rocker
Finding the right chair for the front porch is an essential part of living the good life in North Carolina. But it takes time, patience, and maybe a failure or two.
Days of the Dog
No matter where life may take you, the heat of a Tar Heel summer leaves a sweat stain on your memory.
A Porch with a Past on Lake Toxaway
Every porch has a history, a tale told through its architecture and owners. In Transylvania County, one special porch has seen more than a century of change, its story forever tied to the creation, ruination, and rebirth of Lake Toxaway.
