Introducing Our Winter 2025 Issue ❄️
A Year on the River, Antiquing Adventures, Animal Conversations, and a Journey Through History + Our Winter Giveaway!
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Plus, sleeping beneath seashells, creating a bourbon collection,
and a country club like no other. It’s all inside!
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.
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.
The Winter issue looks beautiful and exciting! - I always take the long way home. Happy New Year!