Destination archive
North Carolina
Raleigh day trips, mountain weekends, coastal escapes, and North Carolina places worth circling back to.
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Destination archive
All North Carolina posts
North Carolina / April 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.
North Carolina / April 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.
North Carolina / April 5, 2026
Easter Weekend in Raleigh: A Visit Worth Repeating
A spring family weekend in Raleigh brought First Friday, blooming gardens, barbecue, museum grounds, and a quiet Easter morning worth repeating.
North Carolina / January 24, 2026
A Festive December Weekend in Asheville
We spent the weekend of December 5th in Asheville celebrating the start of the holidays together with Mike and Darlene (my parents) and Sarah and Jerry (Daniel’s parents). Christmas at Biltmore has been on my mom’s bucket list for years, and for Daniel’s parents, it had been more than a decade since they last experienced...
North Carolina / November 10, 2025
Wine Country to Wedding Bells: A Blue Ridge Celebration
This fall, I got to celebrate my friend, Jordan, twice — first with a mountain getaway for her bachelorette trip, and then again with Daniel for her beautiful wedding weekend in Asheville. Both weekends were full of laughter, great food, and plenty of North Carolina charm. The Bachelorette Weekend in Hendersonville A month before Jordan’s...
North Carolina / October 24, 2025
Discover Spooky Season in Historic Oakwood — Our First Audio Tour Together!
If you love exploring cities through stories as much as we do, we’ve got something fun to share! Daniel and I have officially launched our first VoiceMap Audio Walking Tour — right here in Raleigh, he city where we met. You can check it out here: Historic Oakwood: A Tour of Raleigh’s Victorian Architecture. Daniel...
North Carolina / August 24, 2025
A Few Weeks in North Carolina’s High Country – Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock and West Jefferson
This summer, Daniel and I escaped to the North Carolina mountains for a few weeks at his parents’ condo just outside Boone. From mid-July until August 1st, the mountains became our home, our office, and our playground. The time we spent there gave us everything—rest, adventure, family, and even a big surprise. Settling In On...
North Carolina / July 6, 2025
A Quick Summer Escape: 2 Days in Carolina Beach, NC
After a packed workweek, Daniel and I hit the road Thursday afternoon for a much-needed escape to Carolina Beach, NC. Just a short two-hour drive from Raleigh, this cozy coastal town gave us the perfect blend of relaxation, beach vibes, and a bit of adventure — all in under 48 hours. Thursday Evening: Smokehouse +...
North Carolina / December 3, 2022
Taking a Ride on the Elkin Vine Line
Once a bustling town steeped in the textiles industry, Elkin has pivoted to become the premiere wine hub in North Carolin’s most popular viticultural region, the Yadkin Valley AVA. We were fortunate enough to spend a weekend in Elkin with friends a few weeks ago and highly recommend this area for the budding oenophiles among...
North Carolina / November 8, 2022
Spending A Day In Wake Forest, NC
Introduction North Carolina is acclaimed for its awe-inspiring Appalachian mountains, pristine beaches, and abundance of rural farmland; however, some of the lesser-known charms of NC are the small-town main streets that dot the state. One such place is Wake Forest, North Carolina, located about 30 minutes from both Raleigh and Durham. Last year, I bought...
North Carolina / October 31, 2022
Nocturnal by Nature: Halloween at NCMNS
Halloween is a time for dressing up, for spooky and chilling thrills, and for things that only come out at night. In Raleigh, there is no better place to celebrate this holiday than the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Held every year, the museum’s Nocturnal by Nature event offers adults the chance to experience...
North Carolina / October 20, 2022
A High Country Long Weekend
Autumn in North Carolina’s High Country feels like something out of a dream. The reds and oranges of the deciduous trees set the sky on fire in an otherwise steady sea of green pines and moss. Daniel and I were fortunate enough to spend a few days during peak leaf season this October, and below...
North Carolina / October 11, 2022
An October Week in Raleigh, NC
The other day Daniel remarked on how active we stay, even during a typical October week in Raleigh. While this may have something to do with my inability to sit still most nights, I choose to believe that some of my exploration habits are due to the fact that I moved to Raleigh at the...
North Carolina / October 6, 2022
IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival
The IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival is a three-day event that features bluegrass music, workshops, and more. The festival features live bluegrass music from some of the most talented musicians in the world, as well as up-and-comers in the scene. This year’s festival was moved indoors to accommodate Hurricane Ian’s arrival in North Carolina. Raleigh...
North Carolina / October 3, 2022
A “Short Little Walk” to Pullen Park
Introduction One of the things I love most about Sydney is how active she is. As a former collegiate cross country runner, a day rarely passes where Sydney isn’t partaking in some form of vigorous exercise. That being said, a lifetime of intense running can take a bit of a toll on one’s body, so...