Our State

Meet Bernie Harberts, a North Carolinian who has sailed the world and now travels the state - and wherever Polly the mule takes him - in his hand-built mobile home. Along the way, strangers turn into friends as Bernie and Polly bring out the best in our state on Mule Rider. Then take in the restoration of the Bodie Island Lighthouse, a beacon to mariners since 1872.

In the flatlands just south of Elizabeth City looms a monolithic monument to a mostly forgotten chapter of World War II. We will visit the giant Weeksville hangar that harbored Lighter than Air control craft and learn how they helped turn the tide in the Atlantic. Then, travel to Clemmons, and meet the remarkable family behind Mrs. Hanes' Moravian Cookies.

Learn how the beautiful but finicky orchid finds an ideal environment at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont. Next, follow artist Chris Wilson as he travels Highway 64 with grand ambitions. Then, spend an emotional summer with the gorillas at the North Carolina Zoo.

Enslaved person Elizabeth Keckly was forced to re-locate to Hillsborough, NC as a teenager. Learn how these circumstances led her to buy her freedom and settle in Washington, DC, as dressmaker and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln. Then, meet Pulitzer Prize winner Matthew Lewis, who watched the defining era of the 60s and 70s through his camera lens and became a portrait of the American spirit.

Passionate artist Alex Matisse reveals the thoughts and emotions behind his work as he creates pottery with an aesthetic that fuses pre-industrial traditions. Then, join Bland Simpson on a literary journey down the Lumber River.

Meet the Krüger Brothers, German immigrants who grew up in Switzerland and followed the sound of the music they loved all the way to North Carolina. Then, with a playful love of fireworks and a meticulous process, pyrotechnician Jeff Hale creates magic in the sky with his dazzling displays.

Learn about the uncertain fate of the famous Corolla horses and the people trying to save them. Follow the journey of Dorton Arena, from a simple concept drawing to a world-renowned icon of the NC State Fair and practical design innovation. Explore the history of our Star Spangled Banner with John Andringa, also known as the “Flag Man,” and his collection of over 130 flags.

Experience poet Amy Bagwell’s vision of immersing the public in poetry through murals and news racks in Uptown Charlotte. Then, travel to Hart Square, an oasis of nineteenth-century life in modern Catawba County, where Dr. Robert Hart explains his dedication to not only preserving the largest collection of historical log structures in the United States, but bringing that history to life.