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1 week ago | 
ourstate.com | Katie Schanze |Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells
Murphy to Manteo: Finding new adventures, historic detours, and the soul of North Carolina on the state’s longest highway: U.S. Route 64. Read the series. I’m bobbing and weaving through a crowd as I chase after my toddler, who is surprisingly quick, despite his general lack of coordination or understanding of gravity.
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1 week ago | 
ourstate.com | Lynn Wells
Before she became Randolph County’s “goat lady,” my friend Ginnie Tate was a nurse at Moses Cone Hospital who dreamed of owning a sustainable farm. Ginnie and I worked together at the hospital in the mid-’80s and bonded over our love of fresh produce and cooking. In 1984, Ginnie bought an abandoned tobacco farm in Climax that she called Nubie Acres, named for her favorite breed of goat.
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1 week ago | 
ourstate.com | Lynn Wells
Yield: 50 to 60 cookies. 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting1½ teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup granulated sugar1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped1 tablespoon lime zest1 cup pistachios, choppedIn a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to whip butter until light and fluffy.
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1 week ago | 
ourstate.com | Lynn Wells
Yield: 4 servings. 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterfliedSalt and ground black pepper⅓ cup all-purpose flour2 tablespoons cornstarch3 tablespoons canola oil½ cup dry white wine2 tablespoons honey½ stick unsalted butter1 shallot, minced2 tablespoons parsley, chopped2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped2 tablespoons thyme, chopped½ cup chicken stock2 tablespoons lemon juice1 teaspoon lemon zestPlace chicken breasts on a cutting board and season each side with salt and pepper.
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1 week ago | 
ourstate.com | Lynn Wells
Yield: 6 servings. 5 sweet potatoes, baked, peeled, and cut into ½-inch chunks1 small sweet onion, diced1 celery stalk, diced3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled⅓ cup extra virgin olive oilJuice of 1 lemon2 teaspoons soy sauce½ cup fresh parsley, chopped4 sprigs fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried marjoramSalt and pepper to taste½ cup toasted cashews, for garnishInto a large bowl, add sweet potatoes, onion, celery, and goat cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce.
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2 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells
SPONSORED BY Falling for Franklin & NantahalaTake a scenic drive through stunning fall colors, look for waterfalls, go fishing in crystal-clear water, and explore kid-friendly hikes in these two mountain communities within Nantahala National Forest. Your Guide to Franklin & NantahalaWithin Nantahala National Forest, just off the Appalachian Trail, Franklin welcomes travelers with outdoor adventures and small-town charm.
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3 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
You open the front door of Madison Dry Goods and Country Store using the shop’s original 1908 handle. As you step onto the creaky wood floor, you smell cinnamon and brown sugar, hear the twang of bluegrass music playing over the speakers, and see local antiques lining the shelves. “When you walk in the door, you’re touching and you’re hearing and you’re feeling history,” says owner Michael “Smitty” Smith.
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3 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Jason Frye |Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells
The bar purrs. Ice rattles against a shaker, keeping rough time with the lo-fi blues spilling from the speakers. Around the room, conversations hum like bumblebees, floating over the clink and chime of glasses and silverware. At Nanas, time hangs suspended between past and present. There’s the decor — a contemporary homage to mid-century glamour and Ralph Lauren’s classic vision of American style. The menu — a mingling of familiar and reinterpreted classics.
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3 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
The first thing that guests at Opal & West House see when they walk into the historic inn is a golden dogwood flower on a blue wall. The bloom was painted by Heather Stevens, who owns the inn with her husband, Seth, and their daughter, Lynsie, and is one of many personal touches that the family has added to the 1860 property in the Central Shelby Historic District. When the Stevenses bought the former residence in 2022, it had been empty for a decade.
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3 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Chloe Klingstedt |Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells
A bus from South Stokes High School sits in front of Mitchell’s Butchery. Inside the shop, a group of students crowd around the butcher table behind the meat coolers. Before them lies the culmination of their class project: half of a pig carcass. Most of the kids are dressed in jeans and boots. A few live on nearby farms. Some are on the livestock show team. Still others are part of Future Farmers of America (FFA). By now, they’re used to working with animals.
