Charlotte on $190: free trails and a cheap hotel
Two hours west for a weekend of free greenway walks, whitewater center trails with paid parking and a hotel out near the airport.…
The Outer Banks, finally: four days, a year late
The trip a storm cancelled last September. Jockey's Ridge, two lighthouses, a cottage in Kill Devil Hills and our full receipt.…
Two days in Beaufort, South Carolina in a rental car
Live oaks, a waterfront park and Hunting Island's beach. The mid-May trip that almost didn't happen, and what it cost in the end.…
Asheville in spring, a year and a half after the flood
We went back to the mountains to spend money where it helps. What has reopened, the roads we took and what our weekend cost.…
A Raleigh weekend built around free museums
The state art, history and science museums cost nothing to get into. A $168 weekend in Raleigh where the main paid thing was parki…
Christmas Town USA on a Friday night
McAdenville, near Charlotte, lights up nearly every tree in town. The drive, the traffic trick we learned and a $9 supper on the w…
Three days in the Smokies the week before Thanksgiving
Bare trees, quiet trails and a $15 parking tag. Wes's 45th birthday trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, and every dollar it cost.…
A long weekend in Savannah that cost $340
Free squares, the free downtown shuttle, one splurge dinner and a hotel out by the airport. Our three days in Savannah, line by li…
A day trip to Lake Norman on one tank of gas
Two hours each way, a state park swimming beach, a picnic and $41 in gas. How we did a summer lake day without renting a boat.…
Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from Boone to Asheville
A slow day of overlooks, a picnic at Linville Falls and two nights in the mountains. What the whole three-day trip cost the two of…
A $212 weekend in Wilmington and Kure Beach in March
Off-season beach, a free couch at my brother's, shrimp at a fish shack and a long walk at Fort Fisher. Every dollar of our first t…