With a little luck and a lot of patience, campers can score an ideal place to pitch a tent — unless someone else claims it first.
The Golden Age of Camping
Forget roughing it. Our nylon tents, weather apps, and freeze-dried trail chow can’t hold a candle to the comforts of camping a century ago. In Pisgah Forest, the adventures of happy campers like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and George Vanderbilt inspire classic campouts today.
Toad & Wee: Building Memories
A quest to understand how boards and blocks become tables and chairs leads a pair of young woodworkers to a furniture factory in Burlington.
House Proud
The modest homes anchored in coves on Fontana Lake redefine what it means to live on the water. So when this singular community faced the real possibility of eviction, folks joined forces to keep afloat.
The Mystery of Badin Lake
A wartime tragedy became lake lore in Stanly County. Setting the record straight, easing the heartbreak, and putting rumors to rest has taken more than 75 years — and counting.
North Carolina’s Amazing Lakes
The mountains and the sea may bookend our state, but the story in between is all about our lakes: cool, calm, and always nearby, just waiting for the fishing trips and cannonballs that make summer complete.
Toad & Wee: Scruffy Duffers
On a short course at Pinehurst Resort, a pair of putter boys learn the finer points of teeing up, playing through, and celebrating a good drive (quietly).
Photo Essay: A Light Within
In the more than 300 years since the Religious Society of Friends brought their way of life to North Carolina, Quakers have maintained a steady presence here. Today, their belief in peace, quiet reflection, and inner light shines faithfully.
Toad & Wee: Slide & Splash
North Carolinians learn at an early age to brace themselves for the chilly thrill of zooming down Sliding Rock and plunging into the cold mountain water at the bottom.
