North Carolina

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

Situated on a mountain plateau in western North Carolina, some 4,000 feet above sea level, the four-stoplight town of Highlands is no secluded hamlet. Dubbed the Aspen of the East, it attracts 200,000 visitors a year.

Although she now calls New York City home, actress Bellamy Young says she’ll always be a Southern girl at heart.

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

Unexpected discoveries in the pursuit of a poet.

Keith Nordan and Chris Hollifield, producers of the award-winning Carriage House Apple Brandy, opened Carolina Distillery in 2008. Here's how to mix their hooch.

Thomas Wolfe was born in 1900 and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. When he was twenty-nine, he published Look Homeward, Angel, his debut novel set in a fictional version of his hometown.

Since Southbound debuted in 2013, our staff and contributors have logged thousands of miles, consumed millions of calories, and taken countless notes and photos to showcase the very best destinations around the region. Although every place we’ve covered is special, some left a particularly powerful impression. Here, we give you the best of the very best, our favorite spots in the South.

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.