Features

Maggie Valley pioneer and Ghost Town co-founder Alaska Presley has stepped in, these 50-plus years later, to help resurrect the long-moribund North Carolina Old West-themed amusement park.

The dark spots in these mountains – where streetlights and other brightness from the ground don’t compromise the views of the stars as much as in most places – are home not just to telescopes, but also to curious, sky-peering people.

Can moon phases, signs, planetary retrogrades and other bits of lore from “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” really have an influence on our health and well-being?

There is perhaps no musician more treasured in these mountains than Arthel “Doc” Watson, who died in May at the age of 89, and whose music and spirit will live on for many years to come, here and all over the world.

And they love it for the same reasons we do. It’s fun to go outside, it’s fun to walk along trails and get wet in the heat. But of course canines have some other reasons to love summer too, like getting to chase stuff, to pose for the camera...