Sure, you could camp out in the air-conditioning, but there are more creative ways to keep cool, while also enjoying a summer breeze and North Carolina’s natural beauty. We ranked these experiences from hot to cold — and we won’t judge if you skip ahead.
At Clemmons Educational State Forest in Clayton, rangers help North Carolinians understand why trees matter and how almost every phase of their lives will be affected by the woods around them.
Did you know, forestlands blanket 61 percent of our state? Beginning with Clemmons in 1976, the NC Forest Service created a series of educational forests to teach North Carolinians about the management and practical importance of trees.
On the outskirts of our state capital, a gardener turned a lifeless farm field into the lush Juniper Level Botanic Garden.
The Gate City is getting greener — one tree, one memory, and one leafy neighborhood at a time.
A Macon County milliner taps into her ancestral roots to create hats of all shapes and sizes, each a true work of art.
Through a child’s eyes, the Little River’s shady banks upon which one writer grew up fishing transformed into a playground where her imagination ran wild.
In 1960s Wilson, summer meant box fans in the windows, curtains drawn against the sun, and the quiet work of beating the heat.
In North Carolina, the history of rope hammocks is as intricate as the nets that cradle us on a hot summer day. More than 50 years on, they’re a tradition that’s woven deeply into our coast.
