Introducing Our Spring 2026 Issue

Welcome to spring! In this issue of Backroad Portfolio, experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail through a South Carolina couple’s first-person account, find why “place attachment” is particularly strong in small towns, discover a new meaning for mobile homes, tour afternoon tea services between Charleston and Augusta, and more.

Let’s preview our spring features!

Committing to the Climb

A South Carolina couple finds joy, kindness, and simplicity on the Appalachian Trail
Introduction by the Backroad Portfolio staff

On March 25, 2007, Ron and Kelly Gaulden stepped onto the 8.5-mile Approach Trail at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia—their packs heavy with dreams and gear. Five and a half months later, on September 5, they stood atop Katahdin in Maine’s Baxter State Park, having covered roughly 2,175 miles northbound through snowstorms, rhododendron tunnels, and bear encounters.

Read more …

Love Where You Live

Place attachment in small and rural communities
By Dr. Katherine Loflin

For nearly two decades, my work has centered on one deceptively simple question: Why do people love where they live—and why does that love matter? What I’ve learned: Our relationship with place determines far more than we realize. When we feel that we “fit” where we live, we don’t just survive—we thrive.

Read more …

The Original Mobile Homes

They aren’t what you think
By Tom Poland

I’ve been traveling Highway 378/78 to Athens, Georgia, all my life. When I can, I avoid the bypass and drive through the heart of Washington, Georgia, a beautiful town named in honor of our first president. Living across the Savannah River, on trips to Athens, I take my South Carolina friends through Washington so they can marvel at its majestic Southern homes.

Read more …

There and Back Again: Charleston to Augusta

Southern Afternoon Tea Experiences
By the Backroad Portfolio staff

This recurring feature takes you to and from two destinations via winding rural roads lined with charming small towns, captivating landscapes, historic structures and, in this particular journey, Southern tea rooms and services that offer refined and delicious experiences. We’ve designed this journey to span three days, but you can stretch it out to four or five if you choose.

Read more …

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free Wanderer subscriber, or an upgraded Explorer or Voyager subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and Voyagers will be able to read all of our emails in their entirety.

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Backroad Portfolio is for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares. Take the long way home.

Our Winter 2026 issue is here!

Celebrate a Lowcountry menu staple made with heritage grains, a South Carolina town preserved by generations of locals, revitalized homes that honor the South’s history, and resilient gardens that burst with color amid winter’s chill.

Explorer subscribers: You’ll receive your printed issue within two weeks.

Thanks to those of you who participated in the reader survey we sent out to our most active readers. We’ll share the results with you soon, and have randomly selected and contacted the winner of a $100 Visa gift card. (The email went out at 6:50 p.m.)

Let’s preview our winter features!

Harvesting History

A Lowcountry tradition goes from creekside breakfast to menu star
By

Shrimp and grits didn’t begin its life on fine china with parsley sprigs and waiters in starched shirts. This dish was born of necessity, cooked creekside at dawn by hungry fishermen. It was the sort of meal meant to warm the bones and fuel a hard day’s work.

Read more …

Village of Remembrance

Explore Mount Carmel’s Huguenot & Railroad Town Recollection
By

It’s been called the Village of Remembrance with good reason. The old homes and shuttered churches in this late 19^th century village will pique your curiosity. Its Classical, Victorian, and Queen Anne architecture evokes grandeur. For that and more, South Carolina Highway 81 lures me back time and again.

Read more …

Voices of Yesterday

Learn from the sacred stories preserved homes tell
By Beth Yarbrough of

Most anyone who cares a lick about beautiful architecture will tell you that houses can talk. They will also tell you that the old ones have the sweetest voices—deep, rich, and layered with centuries of stories that will both break your heart and make it sing.

Read more …

There and Back Again

Asheville to Chapel Hill, North Carolina
By the Backroad Portfolio staff

While numerous horticultural havens exist across the Southeast, this three-day itinerary focuses on those in Western and Central North Carolina, with routes leading down country roads that wind through frosty forests to towns and cities where you can enjoy a warm winter meal or cocktail in a historic inn or boutique hotel.

Read more …

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free Wanderer subscriber, or an upgraded Explorer or Voyager subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and Voyagers will be able to read the entire email.

Explorers receive a printed edition of each magazine plus weekly emails with full access to all digital posts.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

Voyagers receive weekly emails with full access to all digital posts.

BECOME A VOYAGER

Follow Our Journey

Instagram • Facebook • X • LinkedIn

Backroad Portfolio is a quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

Relax into our fall issue, where you’ll discover a wildflower that has regenerative powers, loyal hunting companions, nonprofits doing amazing things, and a journey through southern holiday traditions.

Let’s preview our fall features!

The Wildflower That Could Save the Sea

How a British man’s love of the ocean led to a regenerative fish oil alternative
By Andrew Hebard

Discover how North Carolina became the birth place of the Ahiflower—a plant-based alternative to fish oil that could save the sea.

Read more …

Hunting Partners

A Horse for All Seasons
By Tom Poland

The steadfast Carolina marsh tacky holds a unique place in our state’s heritage and in the hearts of the riders who value them as the perfect hunting partners.

Also, read our companion piece about the loyal German shorthaired pointer’s hunting skills.

The Heart of Community Giving

Support local nonprofits this holiday season
By Erica de Flamand

Nonprofits play an important role in society. This year, many face significant challenges. In this feature, we cover several that could use your help.

Read more …

There and Back Again

Dahlonega to Copperhill

Backroads transport us to the places in between ... Our fall issue features a rural backroad journey from Dahlonega, Georgia, to Copperhill, Tennessee, that prioritizes scenic backroads, small towns, and festive holiday experiences with Southern Appalachian charm.

Read more …

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free Wanderer subscriber, or an upgraded Explorer or Voyager subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and Voyagers will be able to read the entire email.

Explorers receive a printed edition of each magazine plus weekly emails with full access to all digital posts.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

Voyagers receive weekly emails with full access to all digital posts.

BECOME A VOYAGER

Last Chance to Enter Our Summer Designed for Joy Giveaway

Our Summer 2025 giveaway ends October 1. After that, we’ll kick off our Fall 2025 giveaway. Enter now for a chance to win Designed for Joy’s Abigail Shoulder Handbag in vibrant pink. Valued at $149, the Abigail is crafted from premium leather and finished with refined stitching.

ENTER TO WIN

Follow Our Journey

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Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

Summer breezes carry us to rodeos, beaches, heirloom farmers, and letter preservation projects. Print subscribers, you should receive your copy in a couple of weeks. We’ll update you as soon as we get them back from our printer.

Here are previews of the features you’ll find in our summer issue.

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Rodeo Roots

North Carolina keeps the cowboy spirit alive
By Morgan Harrington

Rodeo has long been a staple of Western culture, but in North Carolina, it has carved out a unique space that blends tradition, competition, and community. From bull riding to barrel racing, rodeo events unite families, spectators, and athletes who share a passion for the sport.

Read more …

An Unexpected Treasure Hunt

A trove of Civil War letters reveals a couple’s fears, frustration, and love
Reprinted with permission from University Libraries at Virginia Tech

When members of the Wharton family sold their home, which later became the Glencoe Museum in Radford, they made a remarkable discovery. Unbeknownst to the family, who had lived in the house for more than a century, steamer trunks full of documents belonging to a Civil War general, Gabriel C. Wharton, were tucked away waiting to be found.

Read more …

Heirloom Tomatoes

Derrick Gunter & Radiator Charlie Knew a Good Thing When They Saw It
By Tom Poland

Robert Clark and I were on the road running down a story about land, a farmhouse, and tomatoes. A story of war, old ways, and survivors. On a hot, humid July morning we abandoned I-20 for Longs Pond Road and, after a backroad or two, arrived at a farmhouse near the Boiling Springs community of South Carolina.

Read more …

There and Back Again

Explore 8 North Carolina Beaches
By the Backroad Portfolio staff

Our summer excursion is inspired by Bob and Darian Poliachik, residents of Leland, North Carolina, who decided to visit eight Wilmington-area beaches in one day. In honor of the Poliachiks’ idea, we’re stretching their journey out to two days, starting with a Wrightsville Beach sunrise coffee and finishing with a Sunset Beach dinner.

Read more …

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free or upgraded subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

UPGRADE YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Enter Our Summer Designed for Joy Giveaway

Our Summer 2025 giveaway features Designed for Joy’s Abigail Shoulder Handbag in a vibrant pink. Valued at $149, the Abigail is crafted from premium leather and finished with refined stitching. Its dramatic silhouette and structured softness make a bold yet versatile statement, giving it a polished aesthetic that transitions seamlessly from workday to weekend. The Abigail is not just a handbag but also a symbol of purpose.

ENTER TO WIN

Follow Our Journey

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Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

SUBSCRIBE

Spring 2025 Issue Preview

Sweet spring blooms perfume the air as we introduce our Spring 2025 issue of Backroad Portfolio magazine! Print subscribers, you should receive your copy in a couple of weeks. We’ll update you as soon as we get the issues back from our printer.

Here are the features you’ll find in our newest issue!

Unearthed

Discovering the tradition of Seagrove pottery

By Jenna Biter

Halfway between Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. 705 winds its way through the Piedmont in the shadow of the Uwharrie Mountains. The two-lane road—what seems a highway in name only—wanders past farms and longleaf pines to connect the small towns home to an esteemed community of artists who carry on a pottery tradition that dates to the 1700s.

Read more …

The Blue Ridge Heritage Project

Honoring ‘The Children of Shenandoah’

By Beth Peterson

In 1934, a farmer in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia read an eviction notice. He read it again—just to be sure—before silently laying it on the kitchen table. “There must be some confusion,” he said to his wife. … In the fervor to produce their coveted national park, the Public Lands and Surveys Committee had begun buying up parcels of land from families willing to sell. However, a stubborn contingent of mountain folk refused to leave.

Read more …

The Elixir of Life as Therapy

Healing Springs, Mineral Springs, and Hot Springs

By Tom Poland

Old Jed Clampett was shootin’ at some food, and up through the ground came a-bubblin’ crude. Well you can’t drink crude and you sure don’t want to soak in it. Water, the elixir of life, however, was made to drink and bathe in and, in so doing, reputed health cures bubble up from the earth. When modern medicine fails many people turn to springs hoping to heal various ailments.

Read more …

There and Back Again

Wondrous Waterfalls

By the Backroad Portfolio staff

Inspired by a Wandering Smoky Mountains article, we’re hiking through the scenic Great Smoky Mountains to see some of its breathtaking waterfalls. There’s no better time than spring to enjoy this majestic area. Home base is Gatlinburg. From there, you can hike trails lined with lustrous vegetation to spectacular waterfalls.

Read more …

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free or upgraded subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

UPGRADE YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Follow Our Journey

Instagram • Facebook • X • LinkedIn

Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

SUBSCRIBE

Winter Issue Preview

A refreshing chill is in the air as we introduce our Winter 2025 issue! Print subscribers, you should receive your copy in mid-January. We’ll update you as soon as we get it back from our printer.

Here are the features you’ll find in our newest issue!

A Year on The River
Lake Wateree Throughout the Seasons

Photos and story by Tom Poland
Places remain where the past hangs tough and old habits die difficult deaths. Can a river and lake be one and the same? Yes.

Entering South Carolina, the Catawba becomes the Wateree and the Wateree becomes Lake Wateree for a while, but Harold Branham calls the lake “The River,” even though a dam straddled this big two-named river way back in 1919.

Read more …

Peer Into the Past
Go on a winter antiquing excursion

By Beth Peterson

Go ahead and throw on the fuzzy sweater. Brew the peppermint tea. But put it in a travel mug and get in your car. Drive to the outskirts of town. Better yet, leave town entirely. Where are you heading? To some of the South’s most charming and out-of-the-way antique shops.

Read more …

Speaking to Hearts Through Animals

Written by Kali Crosby
Photos courtesy of Kali Crosby

In 2008 a friend of mine, Don, called from the barn saying he needed help. Every vet he’d called was over an hour away and his horse, Moose, was frantic and couldn’t wait. I told him I’d be there. … We began muscle testing all possibilities, assuming it was internal as nothing was visible during examination. Next, unlike anything before, I heard Moose say, “I have a splinter in my ear.”

Read more …

There and Back Again
Lenoir, North Carolina, to Pickens, South Carolina

By the Backroad Portfolio staff

Our winter excursion takes you from Lenoir, North Carolina, down to Pickens, South Carolina—a historic corridor lined with American history and timeless beauty. Discover cozy cafés and tea shops, acclaimed wineries and breweries, an iconic overlook, artisan shopping, southern-style dining, and more.

Read more …

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free or upgraded subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

UPGRADE YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Follow Our Journey

Instagram • Facebook • X • LinkedIn

Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

SUBSCRIBE

Fall Issue Preview

Fall is in the air, and so is our latest issue! Print subscribers: We’ve just sent this beautiful issue to the printer. We’ll get your copy in the mail to you as soon as we receive them back in a few weeks.

Bridge to the Past 

By Tom Poland

My mother talked often about covered bridges when I was a boy. She told me how picturesque they were. I write “were,” because in her youth she saw several firsthand. Since then, many have burned. Today’s survivors are relicts, just as gristmills, standpipe water tanks, and smokehouses are. 

Read more …

The Air Up There

By Elizabeth Poland Shugg

Any aeronaut will tell you: Floating peacefully above the world isn’t just about chasing sunsets and defying gravity. It’s a culture. Way of life. Adventure in the sky. Ballooning provides what many believe is the most magnificent view of our world—its backroads, mountains, valleys, and oceans. And … fall in North Carolina may just be the best time and place to try it. 

Read more …

A Longing for Fire and Sunlight

By Tom Poland

Imagine an unsullied Southland with vast tracts of sun-filled, grassy woodlands, open glades, and even the occasional prairie sweeping from horizon to horizon. Accustomed as we are to shady forests, farm fields, and urban sprawl, that’s not an easy thing to do. Native grasslands once existed in the Southeast, yet, like other natural systems, humans destroyed them out of necessity and ignorance. But those folks might have been a bit less voracious if they had better understood nature. 

Read more …

There and Back Again: Charleston to Savannah

Backroad Portfolio staff

Our fall excursion follows coastal highway U.S. 17 from Charleston to Savannah, offering intriguing stops along the way. You’ll travel west then southwest, passing through small towns and, at times, edging close enough to the coastline to see the ocean. Peel off side roads to explore some of the area’s hidden gems and historic treasures. 

Read more …

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free or upgraded subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

UPGRADE YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Follow Our Journey

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Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers. 

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

SUBSCRIBE

Summer Issue Preview

• Vintage Summer: Explore cherished places and pastimes from your childhood

• The Great Wagon Road: Journey the passage that helped settle the South

• There and Back Again: The Great Smoky Grand travels North Carolina and Tennessee backroads from Boone to Knoxville and back

• Acrylic Adventures: Kathleen Kelley’s art brings the human-animal connection to life

• The Forsaken Land: A tribute to old homeplaces

• Summer Splendor: Expert tips for arranging a kaleidoscope of seasonal blooms

• Backroad events across the Southeast

• Backroad secrets, historic events, provisions, and more

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free or upgraded subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

UPGRADE YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Follow Our Journey

Instagram • Facebook • X • LinkedIn

Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

SUBSCRIBE

Spring 2024 Issue Preview

• Rare rocky shoals spider lilies of the Southeast

• Rose Lane and Chuck Leavell’s love story

• Cycling mountain backroads

• There and Back Again: Rocky Mount to Bristol, Virginia

• A conversation with Trey Braswell of Braswell Family Farms

• How to plant your own herb garden

• Backroad events across the Southeast

• Backroad secrets, historic events, provisions, and more

Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free or upgraded subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

UPGRADE YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Follow Our Journey

Instagram • Facebook • X • LinkedIn

Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.

SUBSCRIBE

Winter 2024 Issue Preview

• “The Art of Wintering” by Kathleen McIntyre

• “The View From a Horse” by Elizabeth Poland Shugg

• “How a Mule Kick Killed 8 People” by Tom Poland

• “There and Back Again: Pittsboro to Statesville” — Backroad Portfolio’s exclusive guide to getting there the long way

• Discover hidden backroad secrets like the Camelback Bridge (Georgia)

• Visit evergreen destinations like Grayson Highlands State Park (Virginia)

• Learn about historic events that have shaped our region

• Shop for must-have provisions to take on your backroad adventures, and inspirational creations from small-businesses and boutiques

• Read exclusive interviews with cool humans across the Southeast, like photographer Robert Clark

• Contemplate philosophical musings about traveling backroads by award-winning writer Tom Poland

• View featured portfolios displaying fine art by more than a dozen local photographers, illustrators, and artists

• Discover interesting facts about 50-plus towns across the Southeast

• And much more!

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Welcome New Subscribers!

Whether you’re a free or upgraded subscriber, you’ll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.

BECOME AN EXPLORER

UPGRADE YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Follow Our Journey

Instagram • Facebook • X • LinkedIn

Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.

Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.

Take the long way home.