North Carolina

Breaking news from Ayden: the Capitol has been relocated to a barbecue roof, and lunch now holds office.…

By Lenora Winslow · Jul 21

Your lunch table may be older than your grandparents, and it still knows what you should order. In…

By Lenora Winslow · Jul 20

Talk about a gem of a family plan: North Carolina has an outing where ordinary rocks can make…

By Bryce Halloran · Jul 20

Crab legs have no respect for vacation schedules. One glance at the buffet can turn a quick dinner…

By Clara Whitmore · Jul 19

Whoever says they don’t get excited about the cool item that costs less than a fancy coffee is…

By Cedric Vale · Jul 18

North Carolina seafood loyalty runs deep, especially when one small-town kitchen keeps wrecking sensible dinner plans. This is…

By Trevor Maddox · Jul 18

Some bakeries quietly sell pastries. This North Carolina stop seems determined to turn baked goods into a full…

By Cedric Vale · Jul 18

In the modern, fast-paced world, we’re all craving a little something that reminds us of home. Something safe.…

By Iris Bellamy · Jul 18

Your calculator may finally stop behaving like it has received terrible news. This town brings together a smaller…

By Eliza Thornton · Jul 18

Nobody springs out of bed because an alarm starts yelling. A warm doughnut, however, has negotiating power. Across…

By Adeline Parker · Jul 16

Furniture shopping can turn confidence into calculator anxiety, especially when every decent option seems determined to pick a…

By Cedric Vale · Jul 16

When the conversation is about BBQ, I take it seriously. Not scary, but definitely napkin-ready. North Carolina has…

By Bryce Halloran · Jul 16

Okay, so, Charlotte can be sneaky about dinner. We know that. It hides and whispers, but once you…

By Renata Holcombe · Jul 16

Who doesn’t love the feeling of discovering a nice waterfall? That magical moment when you go around the…

By Marisa Tindall · Jul 14

When warmer days roll around, it’s only natural to want to sit outside. Now imagine that but also…

By Trevor Maddox · Jul 13

Fish stands have a reputation for keeping things simple, but this spot proves simple can still be seriously…

By Iris Bellamy · Jul 13

Seafood people are not casual people. Mention fried flounder, hush puppies, or peel-and-eat shrimp, and everyone has an…

By Adeline Parker · Jul 13

Sometimes, just sometimes, waking up super early is a gift to yourself. That is especially true when the…

By Bryce Halloran · Jul 12

Here’s a quick tip right off the bat: treat this list as proof of what magic happens when…

By Cedric Vale · Jul 11

Do you have an Italian nonna? No? Honestly, same, but that has never stopped pasta from making me…

By Bryce Halloran · Jul 11

Some Friday traditions involve clocks, traffic, and pretending the week did not win. In North Carolina, one tradition…

By Eliza Thornton · Jul 11

Some lunch counters age gracefully. Others simply refuse to change the recipe, and everyone is grateful for the…

By Eliza Thornton · Jul 11

Some roads end with a sign. This one ends with a question mark wearing hiking shoes. Near Bryson…

By Trevor Maddox · Jul 10

Remember when Sunday lunch meant a table so loaded with food you could barely see the tablecloth? When…

By Bryce Halloran · Jul 10

When July rolls in, people finally roll out of their houses, and suddenly the couch starts acting betrayed.…

By Trevor Maddox · Jul 10

Beach towns have a different kind of vibe. A great beach town practically hands your car keys a…

By Cedric Vale · Jul 10

The best restaurant recommendations in North Carolina do not sound like suggestions. They sound like warnings from someone…

By Adeline Parker · Jul 9

Could pie be the official love language of Florida, or did flaky crust simply file the paperwork first?…

By Bryce Halloran · Jul 9

Can fried chicken really taste like it showed up wearing an apron and Grandma-level confidence? Oh, absolutely. In…

By Marisa Tindall · Jul 9

Picture this: you’re seated at a table on the boardwalk in Duck, North Carolina, and the sky is…

By Daniel Mercer · Jul 8

My favorite kind of meal starts with one suspiciously low price and ends with me wondering if I…

By Lenora Winslow · Jul 8

A good Southern meal makes every rushed lunch plan look suspicious. One minute, you are just hungry. Next,…

By Eliza Thornton · Jul 7

A good farm stand can make a grocery list lose all authority. That is the danger here. You…

By Cedric Vale · Jul 7

Hushpuppies are tiny troublemakers. They show up like a side dish, then somehow steal the whole table before…

By Lenora Winslow · Jul 7

A curve in the road opens up. The mountains rise a little higher. The whole day feels softer…

By Daniel Mercer · Jul 7

Some restaurants look like they are minding their own business, which is exactly how they get you. You…

By Clara Whitmore · Jul 7

Have you ever spotted a tiny roadside restaurant with a line outside and thought, okay, what does everybody…

By Gideon Hartwell · Jul 6

I know a meal is going somewhere interesting when I stop checking my phone before the food even…

By Gideon Hartwell · Jul 5

North Carolina still has places that make you lower your voice a little, as if saying too much…

By Cedric Vale · Jul 4