West NC InSight

11/16/2025

11/15/2025

There’s a troll takeover happening across North Carolina. In the last month, a troupe of giant wooden trolls, created by Danish Artist Thomas Dambo, has been installed in Asheville, High Point, Charlotte and Raleigh.

In Asheville, 12 trolls are stationed at the North Carolina Arboretum. The traveling exhibit, “Trolls: A Field Study,” opens on Saturday, Nov. 15, and runs through Tuesday, Feb. 17. In the other cities, the trolls are permanent additions to the landscape.

Dambo, the man behind the trolls, said the “field study” exhibit in Asheville is all about encouraging human beings to see themselves from a new perspective. And by that, he means from a troll’s perspective.

“I hope that people will find it fun,” he said. “Fun to see yourself through a lens of something else. We need to see ourselves through others to really understand who we are, right?”

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

11/13/2025

11/13/2025

City Drive In Spruce Pine Nc has lots of live music and is a local favorite... 🔥

The City Drive-In in the little Western North Carolina mountain town of Spruce Pine is one of those classic local spots you’re glad you didn’t skip. Here you can enjoy a warm, rustic setting with wood interiors, open doors, and friendly staff. The menu hits all the drive-in favorites, from burgers, hot dogs, wings, and fish and chips to the Chuckwagon and Mushroom Swiss Burger. You can sit indoors, outside by the fire, or in the bar area with local brews on tap. Live music nights draw a fun crowd, and the shakes...especially the peanut butter one...make this little roadside diner in the mountains of WNC well worth the stop!

11/13/2025

11/12/2025

Banner Elk- the old Cannon Memorial Hospital will soon be torn down. The town of Banner Elk says the property was recently purchased by Eggers Construction. The company is removing trees from the property right now that were damaged by Helene. The hospital closed back in 1999 and was badly vandalized over the last 25-years. The town says the asbestos inside the building was removed over the last several months. More details tonight on channel 9 eyewitness news at 5:30.

11/12/2025

Snow on the ground and Northern Lights visible from Beech Mountain, can’t think of anything cooler than this!

Photo: Tyler Poling!

11/12/2025

11/10/2025

For the first time in more than 80 years, the PGA Tour is making its return to Western North Carolina.

11/10/2025

Wolf Laurel, , NC...

11/09/2025

North Carolina’s Emerald Village and its historic mines make for one of the most interesting places to explore in the Western NC mountains! You’ll step inside the historic Bon Ami Mine, once used to produce feldspar for Bon Ami cleaning powder, and see what real mining was like underground. Explore the North Carolina Mining Museum, see the Bon Ami Waterfall, and try your hand at gem mining or gold panning. Tour the multi-level Discovery Mill packed with exhibits, or browse the gift shops. From black-light mine tours to digging for emeralds, this Blue Ridge treasure promises a “gem of a day!”