Our State magazine comes to life with music, history, humor, storytelling, and food at the 26th annual Best of Our State, a lively weekend of learning and luxury designed to excite and inspire you for the new year. This year, we’re back at the beautiful Pinehurst Resort!

January 9-11, 2026

 

Weekend Package Includes:

• Two nights’ accommodations at Pinehurst Resort
• Two Southern-style breakfasts
• Friday night concert with the Kruger Brothers
• Saturday night dinner
• Saturday night performance by Benjy Springs’s Our State Little Big Band
• Admission to all seminars
• Taxes, resort fees, and parking

 

Itinerary: 

Friday, January 9

11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. — Our State welcome and registration on the main level of The Carolina Hotel | South Room

Visit the Our State Marketplace, located in the Cardinal Ballroom on the main level.

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. — Elizabeth Hudson, Our State editor in chief | Grand Ballroom

3:45 – 4:00 p.m. — Please visit the Our State Marketplace in the Cardinal Ballroom.

4:00 – 4:45 p.m. — Wiley Cash, best-selling novelist, NC native, and Our State Book Club writer and podcaster | Grand Ballroom

5:00 – 7:30 p.m. — Dinner on your own

8:00 – 9:00 p.m. — Kruger Brothers, a unique blend of bluegrass, folk, and classical influences | Grand Ballroom

9:00 – 10:00 p.m. — Ice cream social

 

Saturday, January 10

6:30 – 9:00 a.m. — Southern-style breakfast buffet

• Holly Inn guests, please eat at the 1895 Grille.
• Carolina Inn, Carolina Villa, and Manor guests, please eat in the Carolina Dining Room. Host will assist you to a table.

Saturday’s seminars are in the Grand Ballroom on the main level.

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. — Dr. Elliot Engel, humorist and historian, presenting “Scarlett Fever: The Greatness of Gone With the Wind”

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. — Please visit the Our State Marketplace in the Cardinal Ballroom.

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. — Jan Karon, New York Times best-selling author of the Mitford series

11:00 – 11:30 a.m. — Please visit the Our State Marketplace in the Cardinal Ballroom.

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. — Sam Jones, owner and pitmaster at Sam Jones BBQ and Skylight Inn BBQ; interviewed by Jeri Rowe, Our State editor at large

12:15 – 2:00 p.m. — Lunch on your own

2:00 – 2:45 p.m. — Eddie Huffman, author of Doc Watson: A Life in Music, with special musical guest Riley Baugus

2:45 – 3:15 p.m. — Please visit the Our State Marketplace in the Cardinal Ballroom.

3:15 – 4:00 p.m. — Eleanor Spicer Rice, PhD entomologist and author/host of Our State’s North Carolina, Naturally, presenting “The Science and Wonder of Our Natural World”

4:00 – 6:00 p.m. — Free time; the Our State Marketplace closes at 5 p.m.

6:00 p.m. — Cash bar | Outside of Carolina Hall — Downstairs

6:30 p.m. — Our State farewell dinner | Carolina Hall — Downstairs

8:00 – 9:00 p.m. — Benjy Springs and the Our State Little Big Band, featuring vocalist Sarah Strable | Grand Ballroom

 

Sunday, January 11

6:30 – 9:00 a.m. — Southern-style breakfast buffet

• Holly Inn guests please eat at the 1895 Grille.
• Carolina Inn, Carolina Villa, and Manor guests, please eat in the Carolina Dining Room. Host will assist you to a table.

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. — Donald Davis, award-winning, nationally renowned storyteller and author

Click here to download a PDF of the itinerary.

 

The Best of Our State is sponsored by:

 

Speakers & Entertainment:

 

More to be announced soon!

 

Accommodations:

We’ve introduced a new tiered pricing system to offer you more flexibility in your accommodations (see below for details). Pinehurst Resort has various lodging options: The Carolina Hotel is where all included meals and programming will be held. The Holly Inn and The Manor are also on resort property, and a shuttle will be available to transport guests.

The Carolina Hotel

For more than a century, the “Queen of the South” has welcomed guests to Pinehurst. Come stroll across the hotel’s spacious verandas and into one of 215 Four-Diamond rooms and suites, which, along with its grand lobby, have been newly renovated. The Carolina Dining Room, home to the best breakfast in golf, continues to tempt the palate of every guest, while the new Coffee House located in the lobby serves up quick bites and freshly brewed java. This cornerstone of Pinehurst also offers a heated pool complex, a putting green on its West Lawn, and three retail outlets for your shopping needs.

The Holly Inn

Pinehurst’s very first hotel, The Holly Inn has welcomed guests since 1895 and is situated in the heart of the Village, offering easy access to all resort venues. The architecture here is part Queen Anne revival and part Arts & Crafts, but the overall effect is pure Pinehurst. Fine touches adorn every nook and cranny, from the Tiffany lamps illuminating the space to the antique bar that once dwelled in Scotland but now welcomes thirsty patrons in our Tavern. This unique property has engendered much affection over its century-plus lifespan, and we’re sure you’ll love it as well.

The Manor

A year-long renovation completed in 2019 has transformed The Manor, originally opened in 1923, into a contemporary hotel wrapped in classic charm. Beyond the communal lobby lie well-appointed rooms waiting to immerse guests in comfort. The North & South Bar offers a wide selection of fine whiskeys and cocktails, while just outside, Pinehurst Brewing Co. pours craft beer brewed on site. The Village of Pinehurst is also just a short walk away, making The Manor as convenient as it is memorable.

 

Package Rates & Registration:

The Carolina Hotel:

Regular rate: $2,267 per couple
Single rate: $1,591

The Holly Inn and The Manor:

Regular rate: $1,830 per couple
Single rate: $1,171

Early arrivals* and late departures: $279 per room per night

*Please note: The Carolina Hotel will be closed Thursday, January 8. If you plan to stay overnight before the event, please book one of the other hotel options.

For more information and to register for The Best of Our State, please contact Pinehurst Resort at 1 (855) 265-9091.