Editors' picks across 8categories — the dock with the deepest channel, the winery with the view, the restaurant with the right wine list, the trail nobody's on at sunrise.
Billed as the only premier music venue and restaurant on Lake James — burgers, Philly cheesesteaks, and fried seafood baskets with lake views, live music part of the draw.
A full-service marina on NC Highway 126 — fuel, a ship's store, boat slip rentals, and fishing licenses.
A marina and campground on Benfield Landing Road with 140 wet boat slips and an easy-access launch, open year-round.
Visit ↗Two public boat ramps along NC-126 near the park entrance — Canal Bridge, open 24 hours year-round with free overnight parking, and Hidden Cove, open seasonally from March through November.
Visit ↗A state park spanning Burke and McDowell counties, about 50 miles northeast of Asheville — the Paddy's Creek area has a 700-foot swimming beach with seasonal lifeguards (May through September), a bathhouse, and a concession stand, plus canoe and kayak rentals.
Visit ↗Created between 1916 and 1923 by three earthen dams on the Catawba River, Linville River, and Paddy's Creek, built by Western Carolina Power Co. after the Great Flood of 1916 damaged the region's existing hydroelectric stations. Named for tobacco tycoon and Duke University benefactor James Buchanan Duke — the first and one of the largest reservoirs on the Catawba River chain, still operated by Duke Energy.