Five towns — plus unparalleled outdoor pursuits, artistic endeavors, and delicious provisions and craft brews — to explore on your next trip to western North Carolina.
The Blowing Rock: A Love Story
At more than a billion years old, this ancient outcrop captured human imagination, inspired a legend, and became one of the state’s earliest travel attraction. Our fascination with The Blowing Rock endures — and keeps drawing us west.
A Local’s Guide to Charlotte
During a trip to the Queen City, shop, eat, and sip at Camp North End; explore museums and cheer on your favorite team in Uptown; and relax among the sculptures and blooms in Romare Bearden Park.
The Seasons in Highlands: Winter
Walk beneath a waterfall, ice-skate on Main Street, and go snow-tubing in Scaly Mountain during a winter trip to Highlands.
10 Beautiful Places to Go Stargazing in NC
Where to stop and look up from mountains to coast.
19 Showstopping Fourth of July Fireworks Shows in North Carolina
Let freedom ring! Pack a blanket or a lawn chair, head out to one of these spots across the state, and celebrate Independence Day underneath a night sky filled with colorful fireworks.
Plan a Family Adventure in the Heart of Nantahala National Forest
Surrounded by gorges, waterfalls, and hiking trails, the Franklin area is the perfect place for a spring escape.
A Blue Ridge Mountains Vacation Spot Where You Can Visit the Bison
Those in search of Western-style adventures don’t have to look far: On a family ranch in Haywood County, guests can watch bison roam the mountainside from cozy log cabins and converted train cabooses.
Paradise at 4,500 Feet
High on Toxaway Mountain, one of the state’s best-kept secrets unfolds like a fairytale. Southern Highlands Reserve is a native plant arboretum, a research center, a living laboratory. Most of all, it’s a place of unparalleled beauty.
