Lauren Northup

Travel
Biking Through the Virginia Creeper Trail
The pleasure (and only a little pain) of a shaded cycling journey

Arts & Culture
An Asheville Native Returns Home Just in Time for a Winter Doozy
Navigating a rare Southern snowstorm, this time as an adult

Gardens
The Tiny Miracle of Gray’s Lily
Meet the rare mountain flower, pollinated by hummingbirds, that mysteriously grows near a writer’s North Carolina cabin

Arts & Culture
In Defense of the Scraggle Tree
A North Carolina childhood teaches the joy of finding and trimming imperfect Christmas trees

Arts & Culture
Five Historic Southern House Museums to Visit this Summer
If you’ve already been to the Biltmore and Mount Vernon, discover one of these off-the-beaten-path destinations

Southern Dream Homes
At Home with Charleston History
A young family updates a house with deep Lowcountry roots

Gardens
The Southern History of the Poinsettia
A primer on the favorite holiday bloom

Great Southern Houses
Secrets of the Biltmore Estate
Five things you might’ve missed on your last visit—and that you should look for on your next one

Gardens
Non-Invasive Wisteria 101
Why native wisteria is a friend in the Southern garden

Great Southern Houses
A Private Tour of Drayton Hall
Five facts you might not learn from a guide at the beautifully un-restored South Carolina estate