Features

01

The transition to an empty nest is often framed as a period of loss—the loss of noise, the loss of frantic schedules, and, most commonly, the loss of square footage.…

13 minRead time

01

Mar 2026

Features Travel

The Ellie Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach

By Jennifer Primrose | You think you know Myrtle Beach. The ocean. The boardwalk. The common rhythm of umbrellas, sunscreen, and sandy feet. But perspective changes everything, and at The…

10 minRead time

01

Mar 2026

Features Home & Garden Local Sightseeing Travel

A Garden Journey through North Carolina

From Murphy to Manteo, North Carolina is home to a variety of vibrant cities, each with its own unique charm. Whenever I travel across the state, I seek out places…

10 minRead time

01

Mar 2026

Community Family & Education Features Nonprofit

Cache In: Geocaching is a way to help clean the trash out

Geocaching is a scavenger hunt for all ages. People around the world put items inside small containers called geocaches or caches and hide them for others to find using a…

7 minRead time

01

Jan 2026

Community Features Special Sections

2026 Diamond Award Winners

5 West readers voted for their favorite businesses, services, and venues. Now, we are excited to present this year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners! Select a category, browse the…

2 minRead time

31

Dec 2025

Family & Education Features Food Health & Wellness Nonprofit People & Profiles

National Alliance on Mental Illness partners with Wake County schools

Story by Sarah Merritt Ryan | The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wake County has teamed up with the Wake County Public School System to begin piloting…

8 minRead time

31

Dec 2025

Features Food Local Business

Holly Springs’ Pimiento Tea Room celebrates 5 years

Story by Kyle Marie McMahon | Five years ago, the Pimiento Tea Room in Holly Springs was a humble, grassroots beginning that perfectly foreshadowed what it would become:…

10 minRead time

31

Dec 2025

Features Local Business Sports & Fitness

Inside the Triangle’s Boutique Fitness Communities

Story by Samantha Carson | The calendar flips to a new year, and with it comes the annual, silent promise: This time, I will exercise more. For many, that resolution…

10 minRead time

03

Nov 2025

Features Food Local Sightseeing

Celebrate by Starlight: FigMINT’s Dinner in the Pines

| By Jennifer Primrose | Photography by Jessica Bratton | Hidden just past I-540 on Highway 64, FigMINT Farms feels like a world apart, where twinkling lights, a long communal…

9 minRead time

03

Nov 2025

Features Home & Garden Travel

100 Years of Hands-On Learning: John C. Campbell Folk School

| By Page Leggett | Going to the John C. Campbell Folk School (JCCFS) is like going to a grown-up sleepaway camp. That is, if you were the kind of…

10 minRead time

03

Nov 2025

Features Pets

A Guide to Winter Pet Wellness

| By Dolly Sickles | For some folks, winter is a cozy season. Colder temperatures encourage layered clothing and snuggly evenings by the fireplace. Sound carries farther, the dew point’s…

8 minRead time

03

Nov 2025

Features Local Sightseeing Nonprofit People & Profiles

Apex Family’s Holiday Display Draws Visitors to Unique Tribute

| By Kurt Dusterberg| Eric and Mandy Rogers started out like lots of other couples with holiday spirit. “We both grew up loving Christmas,” Mandy says. “The first year we…

6 minRead time

01

Sep 2025

Features Travel

A Season to Stay: Blowing Rock Beckons

| By Dathan Kazsuk | When the air turns crisp and the leaves begin their slow, colorful descent, the call of the Blue Ridge Mountains becomes impossible to resist. Each…

11 minRead time

01

Sep 2025

Entertainment Features

Spooky Good Times in Kersey Valley

| By Mario Boucher | In 1984, movie fans met a man with knives for hands and seemingly cute creatures that turned nasty in a hurry. The next year, Tony…

6 minRead time

01

Sep 2025

Features People & Profiles Sports & Fitness

Former Apex, UNC catcher Tim Federowicz nearing return to majors as a manager

| By Kurt Dusterberg | For 13 seasons, he climbed the professional baseball ladder, often shuttling back and forth between Class AAA—the highest level of the minor leagues—and the major…

10 minRead time

01

Sep 2025

Features People & Profiles Sports & Fitness

Rod Brind’Amour: Reaching Milestones, Making Memories

| By Kurt Dusterberg | Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour spends most of his days living in the moment. For the past 37 years, his life has revolved around the…

18 minRead time

01

Jul 2025

Drink Features

The Blind Pelican’s Bloody Mary Revolution

From Brunch to Bucket List BY JENNIFER PRIMROSE | PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON In Holly Springs, something wildly unexpected has been happening, and we had to get to the bottom of it—a…

10 minRead time

01

Jul 2025

Features People & Profiles Visual Arts

Cary artist Shalimar Waffa brings color, music and joy to her canvases

Artist at Work BY DOLLY R. SICKLES | PHOTOS BY JESSICA BRATTON A registered nurse by training, Shalimar Waffa was on track to become a nurse anesthetist when she became pregnant with…

8 minRead time

01

Jul 2025

Features Sports & Fitness

Bonus Baseball: The Holly Springs Salamanders Give Local Players and Fans a Hometown Summer Experience

BY KURT DUSTERBERG If you drive along NC Hwy 55 Bypass in Holly Springs on a summer evening, you might catch a familiar slice of Americana. On the east side of…

7 minRead time

01

Jul 2025

Family & Education Features Home & Garden

What Each Swim School Offers May Surprise You

What to know before you choose BY SARAH MERRITT RYAN When our son was 18 months old, my husband and I wanted him to learn to swim. We just chose the first…

7 minRead time

Small Space, Big Soul: Intentional, Unexpected Design

The Ellie Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach

A Garden Journey through North Carolina

Cache In: Geocaching is a way to help clean the trash out

2026 Diamond Award Winners

National Alliance on Mental Illness partners with Wake County schools

Holly Springs’ Pimiento Tea Room celebrates 5 years

Inside the Triangle’s Boutique Fitness Communities

Celebrate by Starlight: FigMINT’s Dinner in the Pines

100 Years of Hands-On Learning: John C. Campbell Folk School

A Guide to Winter Pet Wellness

Apex Family’s Holiday Display Draws Visitors to Unique Tribute

A Season to Stay: Blowing Rock Beckons

Spooky Good Times in Kersey Valley

Former Apex, UNC catcher Tim Federowicz nearing return to majors as a manager

Rod Brind’Amour: Reaching Milestones, Making Memories

The Blind Pelican’s Bloody Mary Revolution

Cary artist Shalimar Waffa brings color, music and joy to her canvases

Bonus Baseball: The Holly Springs Salamanders Give Local Players and Fans a Hometown Summer Experience

What Each Swim School Offers May Surprise You

Subscribe to
our Magazines

Subscribe to
our Newsletter

Features

Subscribe toour Magazines

Subscribe toour Newsletter

Subscribe to
our Magazines

Subscribe to
our Newsletter