North Carolina

Band members sit on rocks in Joshua Tree

Music

The six-piece band has launched well beyond its wild days at App State but still knows how to throw it down

Antiques on a wall

2026 Bucket List

After a devastating flood, the beloved Antique Tobacco Barn is back in business

A bridge with star-shaped lights

2026 Bucket List

The historic North Carolina community welcomes a modern gathering space and a milestone

A gingerbread house of twisting houses

Travel

After taking a year off in the wake of Hurricane Helene, Asheville’s sweetest holiday tradition made its triumphant return, and the edible architecture is on view now

A portrait of three men in a yellow room

Music

A conversation with Scott Avett, of the North Carolina roots favorite, and Faith No More’s legendary frontman on the year’s most unexpected musical collaboration

A woman walks into a hotel door

Travel

A painstaking restoration pays homage to the fascinating life of the downtown 1926 art deco building—and brings in a new, buzzy energy

steak

Travel

Buckle up for a seven-day gastronomic tour of South and North Carolina

Inside a leather goods shop

Arts & Culture

A local leather goods shop offers bespoke goods—and provides a hub for community

Food & Drink

The Michelin Guide canvassed six new states across the region for its selections, including a two-star designation for Emeril’s in New Orleans

A large troll sculpture in a park

Arts & Culture

The magic and mystery of Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s creations land across the Tarheel State

A group of musicians stand outside

Music

The 1925 recordings captured the Appalachian sound for the first time—and they‘re still influencing artists today

An illustration of a woman standing in a church and using her hands to frame a view. A dog stands in the middle

Country Accent

Sometimes a saving grace springs up in your own front yard

an illustration of quail

Sporting

Generations apart, a shared devotion rises

an illustration of a duck

Sporting

A sunrise in the swamp stirs wings and water

pork and bean pasta

Food & Drink

Appalachian home cooking meets Italy—with a cornbread crumble and a sprinkling of pickled shallot

Cal Raleigh swinging a bat

Arts & Culture

No matter what happens in the playoffs, the Mariners catcher has had a season for the books

An open artist studio sign on a sidewalk

Severe Weather

“We’re a region of makers, farmers, dreamers, and doers, and I’ve seen how quickly that spirit can mobilize when we’re tested”

Fall leaves through a tunnel

Travel

Plus, an Appalachian ecologist says this year’s leaf show will be a grand one

a blt sandwich

Food & Drink

Merritt’s Grill has been serving a sandwich icon to generations of Tar Heels

A Venus flytrap in the wild

Land & Conservation

Venus flytraps are native to a tiny corner of the globe: the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas. As development threatens, one town—spurred on by one tireless botanist—has taken up the shovel to save the world’s most fascinating plant.