A search for the perfect holiday gift ends with these 15 businesses and makers in western North Carolina and beyond. As the holidays approach, those who thrive on giving gifts are excited to finish shopping. For folks like me—i.e., those…
Read More...

Need inspiration for your holiday meals? We asked 11 North Carolina chefs to share their go-to dishes and traditions for this celebratory season. When it comes to finding out what to serve at your holiday feast, North Carolina chefs are…
Read More...

WNC relief efforts include thoughtful tourism. Here’s how to visit mountain towns, support the service industry, and make a positive impact through wine tours. After doom scrolling for days after Hurricane Helene hit our Western North…
Read More...

The Great Trails State has converted old railroad lines into hiking trails. Learn about eight of them before trying one for yourself.  In the 1960s, the first rail-to-trail, the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wisconsin, was created. Since…
Read More...

Asheville’s Biltmore Estate exhibits glass artist Dale Chihuly’s work through early 2025. Artist Dale Chihuly, known for colorful large-scale glass chandeliers, started integrating glass into his work in the 1960s as a University of…
Read More...

Who says birthday parties are just for kids? Celebrate your next milestone at one of these Charlotte area venues. If you’re lucky, you’ve been celebrating your birthday since you were a little kid. Whether it was with a Carvel Ice Cream…
Read More...

North Carolina is home to six drive-in movie theaters. Learn about each one, then get ready for a 1950s-style date night. In the early 2000s, my husband and I went on a mission to visit as many of the local drive-in movie theaters in North…
Read More...

Chris Goldston, animal management supervisor at the North Carolina Zoo, started 40 years ago when his brother recommended him to help finish building the lion enclosure in the Africa section. He’s worked his way around the zoo, gaining…
Read More...

Charlotte resident Cathy Pickens is the author of the Blue Ridge Mountain Mysteries, formerly the Southern Fried Series and Carolinas True Crime Stories. Her foray into true crime has led her to believe that North Carolina has more serial…
Read More...

Husband and wife team Mark and Sue Bayliff opened Fill-More, a refillery shop in downtown Burnsville, in 2018. Refilleries like Fill-More have popped up around the state to help consumers reduce the waste from plastic bottles holding…
Read More...