I don’t know if there’s something about the Blue Ridge Mountains, or about the pace of life in the mountains of the South, or what. But whenever I had a free moment during my visit to Penland last summer, I had an irresistible urge to sit back in a deck chair and stare out into the hills.

Good thing there was ample opportunity. North Carolina is chock full of comfy, inviting chairs and gorgeous views—as soon as I saw that, I knew we were going to get along famously.