Where to Find Some of the Most Unique...

The winding roads of Appalachia’s Blue Ridge Mountains are characterized by jutting pine trees, sprouting wildflowers, and a hazy blue blanket of mist. The serenity and mystique surrounding these mountains have long drawn artisans, makers, and storytellers to take root in the foothills. That same allure brought cheesemaker and glassblower Victor Chiarizia to Fairview, North Carolina in 2005. A self-starter by nature, Chiarizia fell in love with the traditional methods of crafting cave-aged cheeses. In 2010, he took a backhoe to the side of the mountain on his property and carved his own cheese cave, launching Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery. Little did Chiarizia know, this cave—a testament to his creativity and grit—would soon withstand one of the most devastating natural disasters to ever hit North Carolina.

Savoring Gouda in the Land of Wind an...

Kinderdijk, Netherlands, is a stunning landscape of dikes, canals, and windmills that create polders, or land reclaimed from the sea, to help manage floods. The iconic Dutch town, which was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, is home to the highest number of windmills in the country. There’s a good chance that if you close your eyes and picture the Netherlands, Kinderdijk is likely what you imagine.

How to Eat Cheese Like Jane Austen

It is a truth universally acknowledged that England’s Somerset County has outstanding cheese. And what better time to visit the cheddar-toned streets of Bath to explore its Regency-era ballrooms, cobbled squares, and generous cheese boards than the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.