From the mist-covered Blue Ridge Mountains in the west to the wild barrier islands of the Outer Banks in the east, this state offers two completely different coastal and mountain escapes in one trip. Charming small towns, a booming craft food and beer scene, and some of the friendliest locals in the South make every stop worthwhile. North Carolina is the kind of place that gets under your skin and keeps calling you back.
There's a certain magic that exists only in a place that hasn't needed to change. I grew up in an era of drive-thrus and squawk boxes, of crumpled paper bags…
There's a certain kind of restaurant that reveals itself slowly. You drive past it once, twice, maybe three times before you finally walk through the door. It doesn't announce itself…