The first essay, “Three Elephants in the Basement,” allowed me to transport the reader back to a time not very long ago—just a comma and three zeroes ago—when the land that would become North Carolina was populated by three species of elephant and a menagerie of strange animals as large as any in Africa today. Continue Reading Interview: Tom Earnhardt on Crossroads of the Natural World
For me, every story is a journey, so the format was natural: follow the river and pause at each interesting bend to reveal its story—its natural and human history, the way it has shaped our life and politics. Continue Reading Interview: Phillip Gerard goes Down the Wild Cape Fear
Our featured North Carolina icon this week is the Appalachian Trail. There are thousands of different species of plants and animals along the Appalachian Trail, varying as the trail goes through different climates. There are 2,000 rare, threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and animal species. Continue Reading North Carolina Icons: Appalachian Trail, Part 2: Nature
Our Holiday Sale is now underway! If you need some gift ideas for the folks on your list, our Southern Gateways catalog is a great place to start. Southern Gateways is where we collect of all our general interest books about this region we call home. Continue Reading Southern Gateways: essential southern reading that makes a great gift
This week we’re featuring number 79 from Our State magazine’s 100 North Carolina Icons list: the Brown Mountain Lights. Unexplained lights often appear at Brown Mountain, hovering in the air when the weather is right. Our State writes, “Your best chance at catching the Brown Mountain Lights is Milepost 310 along the Blue Ridge Parkway, at the Brown Mountain Overlook along Highway 181, or from the top of Table Rock.” There have been various explanations for the lights, from scientific to legends and ghost stories. Today we have some suggested books of Carolina ghost stories. Continue Reading North Carolina Icons: The Brown Mountain Lights
This week for our North Carolina Icons series, we’re featuring Muscadine wine and Yadkin Valley wine. They are numbers 28 and 85 on Our State magazine’s 100 North Carolina Icons. Muscadine grapevines are native to the Southeastern United States and have been used to make wine since the sixteenth century. Yadkin Valley stretches from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the North Carolina Piedmont and is full of wineries and vineyards. Continue Reading North Carolina Icons: Muscadine Wine and Yadkin Valley Wine
This week in our North Carolina Icons series we’re featuring Asheville and its most famous residence, the Biltmore House. Our State describes Asheville as “A different kind of place. Unless you’re a little different yourself. Make a visit and see.” Continue Reading North Carolina Icons: Asheville and the Biltmore House
This week we continue our NC Icons series with loggerhead sea turtles, number nine on Our State magazine’s 100 North Carolina Icons list. Loggerhead sea turtles are an endangered species that nest along North Carolina’s coast (and as far south as Florida and north to Virginia). Continue Reading North Carolina Icons: Loggerhead Sea Turtles
We start our series with icon number 1: the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our State Magazine says, “Travel any one of the Parkway’s 252 North Carolina miles and you’re guaranteed a beautiful drive.” We have three different books that will help you explore the Blue Ridge Parkway in three different ways. Continue Reading North Carolina Icons: Blue Ridge Parkway
In the book I own up to a special fondness for the little blue heron, but many of the birds I write about are just spectacular. Right up there with the spoonbills and avocets are the black-necked stilts, the wood storks, the snowy and great egrets, the anhingas—and the list goes on. Of course, I’m perfectly willing to confess that my favorite birds tend to be those I can actually pick out from the rest. Continue Reading Interview: John Yow, author of “The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal”
People’s hospitality was amazing, as was their openness. Many people were very proud of their accomplishments. A few were very humble, but fortunately they had cheerleaders, usually in the form of a relative, who helped them share their stories. They were also very excited about giving us recipes. Their food is their life, and you can’t share one without sharing the other. Continue Reading Interview: Paul & Angela Knipple on immigrant cuisine around the South
Independent bookseller Steve Brumfield of Manteo Booksellers asks for assistance after Hurricane Irene flooded the store. Please contact NC Sen. Kay Hagan. Continue Reading Manteo Booksellers, flooded during Irene, needs your help
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