Category: Explore

Outdoors: A peaceful paddle on Beaverdam Lake

by Suzanne M. Wood As my paddle parted the clouds reflected on the water’s surface, I marveled – not for the first time that sunny fall afternoon – at how still it was. My husband and I were paddling our tandem…

Spotlight: Local treasures

Charlotte’s celebrates 25th anniversary by Jessie Ammons photograph by Missy McLamb Decades ago, Charlotte Harris was home in Texas for the holidays and in search of a good gift. Her friend told her she must go to Carol’s. “I thought,…

Shop local

by Ernest Dollar This season, as you’re making your list and checking it twice, our area retailers would be grateful if you remember to “shop local.”  That didn’t used to be a matter of choice. Local was the only option, and…

Oakwood oddities

Downtown’s Historic Oakwood offers plenty for visitors to see. There are period homes, lush gardens, and Raleigh’s oldest private cemetery. The News & Observer’s photo editor and staff photographer Juli Leonard took to these tree-lined streets with iPhone in hand…

Transcending light

by Katherine Connor photographs by Catherine Nguyen Ask Raleigh’s Louise Gaskill the secret to her artistry in lighting design, and you won’t get far. “Oh, I don’t know how I do it, I just sort of taught myself and I…

Studio 123

by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Travis Long “We never dreamed it’d be this big … watching Seaboard Avenue change, watching Capital Boulevard change. It’s just getting bigger and bigger.” – Molly Rohde, co-owner of Studio 123 It started out as just a fun…

Spotlight: Not your father’s thrift shop

Father and Son Antiques Don’t let the rack of vintage clothes plunked down on the sidewalk – or the store’s name, for that matter – mislead you. Inside the two-story emporium of vintage-ness on West Hargett Street, Father and Son…

Landing the big one: Kelly Barefoot lures them in

by Charles Upchurch photographs by Geoff Wood The airbrushed colors come at night. The green and orange of an autumn leaf. The silver-blue of darting fish. Soon, the airbrush is out again. Flawless transitions. Scale patterns in geometric perfection. As a…

Runologie

by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Travis Long “We wanted this to be a little community for runners where everyone felt comfortable, from the best of runners to people who had never run before.” – Kimberlie Meeker, co-owner, Runologie Kimberlie Meeker…

Ashe County weekend

  photographs by Jim McGuire It was a hot July morning in Raleigh when strategist Nation Hahn, nonprofit executive Alexis Trost, and restaurant owners Van Nolintha, Angela Salamanca, and Matt Kelly packed their cars for a weekend adventure. The friends,…

Local hotel heaven

by CC Parker Ending the day in one’s own bed is the highlight of “staycationing” for some people. But for many of us, bedding down somewhere new – but nearby – is another kind of fun. I first caught the…

Through the eyes of stylish locals

CHAPEL HILL Betty Kenan’s Chapel Hill is a place steeped in history and filled with culture. The longtime Triangle style setter and owner of refined women’s clothing boutique Fine Feathers, which she founded in 1976, shared some of her favorite…

Where the sidewalk ends

by CC Parker At the height of summer, North Carolina humidity drives many of us indoors. But eventually, it’s inevitable: Cabin fever strikes. When it does, one sure way to beat the summer blues is to take a trip –…

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