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Recent travel notes from Raleigh, North Carolina, and farther afield.

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Showing 9 stories in this archive

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”

Anita Desai

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North Carolina

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland: Our 11-Day Trip from Raleigh

Our Most Recent Stories

Sydney smiling across a brewery table with glasses of beer and colorful artwork behind her.

North CarolinaNovember 7, 2026

Five Downtown Raleigh Breweries for More Than Beer

Five downtown Raleigh breweries for yoga, cycling friends, artwork, trivia, and a meal with a skyline view.

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Sydney crouching beside Viktor on rocks in front of Hooker Falls.

North CarolinaOctober 24, 2026

Four Years Later: A Return to Hendersonville with My Parents & Viktor

Four years later, a familiar mountain weekend looks a little different with waterfalls, cider, my parents, and Viktor along for the ride.

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Daniel and Sydney seated together at a table with their wine tastings in Hendersonville.

North CarolinaOctober 8, 2026

Apples, Apple Cannons & Meeting the Parents: A Weekend in Hendersonville.

Apple orchards, mountain views, and the weekend Daniel started feeling like part of the family.

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A wide summer panorama of layered Blue Ridge mountains beneath dramatic clouds from Beech Mountain.

DomesticAugust 16, 2026

A Long Weekend in Beech Mountain, North Carolina

Beech Mountain is a little farther than we would normally drive for one of our High Country weekends, but we would absolutely make the trip again.

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Festival tents and a grassy field beneath West Virginia mountains at sunset.

DomesticJuly 25, 2026

From West Virginia to Grandfather Mountain: Discovering the Highland Games

Highland Games are not the most obvious choice for a family with no Scottish ancestry.

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Skyline Drive overlook across green Shenandoah Valley mountains under a partly cloudy spring sky.

DomesticMay 31, 2026

Shenandoah from Raleigh: Old Rag, Skyline Drive, and a Week in Massanutten

For our May trip to Shenandoah from Raleigh, we stayed in Massanutten, drove Skyline Drive, hiked Blackrock Summit, Old Rag, and Bearfence Mountain, and found a pace that made sense.

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A white barn and open field at Chatham Oaks Farm during the Piedmont Farm Tour in North Carolina.

North CarolinaMay 10, 2026

A Sunday on the Piedmont Farm Tour: Mushrooms, Goats, Strawberries, and a Better Look at Local Food

We finally made it to the Piedmont Farm Tour, spending a spring Sunday visiting five farms near Raleigh for mushrooms, goats, strawberries, local food, and a closer look at the work behind sustainable agriculture in North Carolina.

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The North Carolina State Capitol rising above autumn trees and a bright blue sky in downtown Raleigh.

North CarolinaApril 22, 2026

A New Way to Experience Downtown Raleigh: Our Latest VoiceMap Tour

Our latest VoiceMap tour moves through the center of downtown Raleigh, connecting landmarks, murals, green spaces, and overlooked details along a walk from the Convention Center to Union Station.

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Sunflowers and wildflowers blooming at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh beneath a blue evening sky.

North CarolinaApril 17, 2026

More Than Sunflowers: Why We Keep Coming Back to Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park

Sunflowers may get the headline, but Dorothea Dix Park keeps drawing us back for skyline views, trolls, dog-watching, community events, and easy afternoons outside in Raleigh.

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Stories

Find a trip story

A few stories worth starting with

A High Country Long Weekend

New River Gorge National Park

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland: Our 11-Day Trip from Raleigh

Our Most Recent Stories

Five Downtown Raleigh Breweries for More Than Beer

Four Years Later: A Return to Hendersonville with My Parents & Viktor

Apples, Apple Cannons & Meeting the Parents: A Weekend in Hendersonville.

A Long Weekend in Beech Mountain, North Carolina

From West Virginia to Grandfather Mountain: Discovering the Highland Games

Shenandoah from Raleigh: Old Rag, Skyline Drive, and a Week in Massanutten

A Sunday on the Piedmont Farm Tour: Mushrooms, Goats, Strawberries, and a Better Look at Local Food

A New Way to Experience Downtown Raleigh: Our Latest VoiceMap Tour

More Than Sunflowers: Why We Keep Coming Back to Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park