Trees

Even if you have no growing space of your own, you can plant community seeds with volunteer opportunities at public gardens and arboretums

Distance: 2.5 miles round-trip, Difficulty: Easy to moderate

A father-daughter team in Ashe County stretches maple syrup making to its southernmost limits

Even a century later, the Great Flood of 1916’s watery depths haunt Western North Carolina

How a California girl became a Carolina gal

It’s gone to the birds at Duck Dance Farm, a waterfowl conservation venture in Burnsville

Distance: 12.5 miles round-trip, Difficulty: Strenuous

While remaining true to its past, the world-renowned Penland School of Crafts never stops exploring the reaches of contemporary art

Potter Reiko Miyagi brings deep meaning to her ceramics

Head to Charleston this spring to tour grand estates and prize-worthy gardens

The Cherokee Preservation Foundation invests in the tribe’s past and future

Difficulty: moderate Length: 3.5 miles round-trip

County: Madison Population: 868

Lift your spirits with a refreshing seasonal cocktail

Bee City USA leads the way in protecting pollinators

True. We're biased. But we can't imagine a better place than the mountains to meet your local farmer, become a food entrepreneur, nosh on artisan eats, and savor a pint (or three).

Harboring troves of curiosities, such as dwarfed turtles and carnivorous plants, bogs are among the most imperiled habitats in the mountains. Today, conservationists are bringing these fascinating and rare ecosystems back from the brink in hopes of creating the first national wildlife refuge in Western North Carolina.