North Carolina

Scott Dean shares his favorite hiking trails, advice for seeing spring ephemeral flowers, and an unforgettable outdoor event in the Smokies.

You don't think inside the box. Why sleep in one? The South is full of unexpected accommodations, from a nineteenth-century castle to a Hobbit hut to the tree house of your dreams. Let us introduce you to sixteen offerings that are anything but ordinary.

From James Taylor to Eric Church, Carolina lingers in the hearts of its songwriting sons. This sentiment is shared by students and alumni of the oldest public university in the country, UNC-Chapel Hill, and by those who visit this town in the Piedmont of North Carolina.

Visitors traveling through the valley along US 601 from Yadkinville to Mount Airy will pass vineyards pocketed alongside fields of corn, soybeans, and the occasional chartreuse span of tobacco. They’ll also discover a number of attractions worth a stop, from a popcorn factory to a century-old general store to the childhood home of actor Andy Griffith.

Unexpected discoveries in the pursuit of a poet.

A determined mother moves to Asheville for her kids and births a new career as the distiller of Troy & Sons Platinum Whiskey.

Eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina are home to some of the highest elevations in the eastern United States, rising more than 6,000 feet above sea level in some parts. It’s a favorite destination for outdoor enthusiasts who hike and bike its steep trails and brave its rushing rivers.

"Come on in! I’ll get y’all some Champagne,” calls a bellman. My husband and I have arrived at Old Edwards Inn and Spa in downtown Highlands, North Carolina, for a quick getaway.

"On that night, under that starlit sky, the sound of the water lapping against the dock, I felt a prescient sense of peace."

I would start by kayaking on the French Broad River downtown with a six-pack of Asheville Brewing Company’s Perfect Day IPA. Then I’d go to South Slope, our unofficial brewery district with eleven breweries.