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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 | 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 | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
Step inside Don Walton Jr.’s distillery in Jacksonville, and you see it. It’s in the center of the tasting room, a still made with country ingenuity: a black barrel, a stainless-steel drum, and a beer keg that served as a filter. Walton’s cousin Norwood Rochelle built this still, and the two of them used it to carry on a family tradition at Walton’s Distillery — making moonshine. The cousins relied on a recipe that generations of their family used to create this illegal liquor.
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4 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
RECIPE BY LYNN WELLSDress up a charcuterie board, burger, or grilled cheese with this sweet-and-savory spread. MAKE ITRECIPE BY LYNN WELLSHello, sunshine: Mixed olives, capers, and lemon wedges bring bright, punchy flavors to this chicken dish. MAKE IT RECIPE BY MARIE NALESToss the ingredients for this recipe into a slow cooker and let it do all the work. MAKE ITRECIPE BY LYNN WELLSA simple recipe with a spicy surprise: Winston-Salem’s own Texas Pete.
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4 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
MayberryMount AiryFor fans of The Andy Griffith Show, visiting Mount Airy is like stepping inside the 1960s television town of Mayberry. Guests can sleep at Griffith’s childhood home; dine at Snappy Lunch, where the star frequently ate; or visit Floyd’s City Barber Shop, once owned by the late Russell Hiatt, who inspired the character Floyd the Barber. In September, the town hosts Mayberry Days, a festival celebrating the show and its feel-good focus.
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4 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
As Paul and Michelle Dowdey drove up the long driveway to The Flyway Lodge for the first time — gravel crunching beneath their tires, a breeze off Currituck Sound rustling the branches of the towering oak trees that lined their approach — their anticipation soared. When they saw the patinaed copper cupolas of the property’s Colonial Revival-style farm building peeking out above the tops of the surrounding trees, Michelle got goosebumps.
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1 month ago | 
ourstate.com | Mark Kemp |Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells
North Carolina, Noted: Tune in as Senior Editor Mark Kemp immerses readers and listeners in the roots and rhythms of North Carolina, discovering how gospel choirs and radio shows, beach music and bluegrass, mariachi and marching bands all contribute to the soundtrack of our state. Click here to read the story from our April 2025 issue. Click below to hear Mark read his column aloud. Our Storytellers podcast brings the pages of the magazine to life, featuring the voices of six Our State writers.
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1 month ago | 
ourstate.com | Tamiya Anderson |Rebecca Woltz |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
With a sense of quiet pride, Erica Brinker surveys the early lunch service from the dining room of The Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop that she co-owns with her sister-in-law, Emily, whom she considers a sister. Some diners relax in locally made chairs with metal frames and black channel-stitched leather, while others settle outside at picnic tables beneath navy blue umbrellas, soaking up the spring sunshine.
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1 month ago | 
ourstate.com | Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells |Mark Kemp
SPONSORED BY North Carolina, Naturally: Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, an entomologist and author of 10 books — each one about science and the natural world — views North Carolina through the lens of landscape, providing awe-inspiring explanations of our state’s creatures and creations while spotlighting the natural beauty along the way. Click here to read her story from the April 2025 issue. Click below to hear Eleanor read her column aloud.
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1 month ago | 
ourstate.com | Mark Kemp |Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells
Listen as the pages of the magazine come to life in the Storytellers podcast featuring the voices of Our State writers. Each podcast episode features a writer reading their column aloud, allowing each distinct voice to shine. Click below to listen to Senior Editor Mark Kemp read his column aloud. It all started with sticky sweet breakfast cereals.
