Image of a pasta with marinara sauce

Review | Villagio Ristorante and Bar in Pinehurst, North Carolina

A Naturalist’s Guide To The Best Places Featuring Natural Foods, Products, and Experiences Villagio Ristorante and Bar is the best traditional Italian restaurant in Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen. Villagio makes their pasta and bread fresh, in-house daily. The restaurant has a separate bar and outdoor patio with occasional live music. Villagio is located in the …

Black and white photo of the oldest longleaf pine's branches against the sky in Southern Pines.

World’s Oldest Longleaf Pine Tree

The oldest known longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is located in the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve in North Carolina. This tree is estimated to be over 470 years old, making it one of the oldest living longleaf pines in existence. How to find the world’s oldest longleaf pine The oldest known longleaf pine can be …

Sunset image of the Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains

As part of the Appalachian mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains, or the Smokies, are one of America’s oldest mountain ranges forming approximately 200-300 million years ago. The Smokies run along the border of Tennesee and North Carolina in the Southeastern United States. The 522,427 acres of Great Smoky Mountain National Park is relatively untouched and …