North Carolina
If Loving This North Carolina Lodge Is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna Be Right
![If Loving This North Carolina Lodge Is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna Be Right If Loving This North Carolina Lodge Is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna Be Right](https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/wrong-way-cabins-flowers_h-1024x576.jpg?width=1200)
Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazinghotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.
Why We Love the Wrong Way River Lodge and Cabins
The three keys to real estate are location, location, location. And in that regard, Wrong Way River Lodge and Cabins, celebrating its one-year anniversary in September, has things covered. Wrong Way sits just three miles from downtown Asheville, with literally front-door access to this North Carolina mountain town’s growing portfolio of outdoor adventure. Hop on a bike, or lace up your shoes or inline skates, and hit the greenway across the street from the 1.8-acre property; heading southwest will take you to Carrier Park, home to a velodrome, while heading northeast will lead you into the River Arts District’s breweries and galleries. Pisgah National Forest, with its hundreds of miles of singletrack, not to mention kayaking and rock climbing, lies with 25 miles of downtown.
Wrong Way’s 16 A-frames are pretty to look at—their clean lines and modern construction reflecting the influence of both Scandinavian design and an Appalachian log cabin—and the views even prettier, most of them overlooking the mellow French Broad River.
The only difficult aspect of a stay at Wrong Way is deciding how to spend your time. It was prime mountain-bike season when I visited over the spring, but a heat wave made paddling the French Broad sound super enticing. I was torn: Dirt or water? And then: Should I keep my adventure urban or venture to the national forest? Decisions were made, and I did my best to dabble in a bit of everything.
Adventure Intel
Wrong Way puts you in the heart of Asheville’s burgeoning urban outdoor scene. Cultivate Climbing, with indoor and outdoor rock-climbing walls, is next door. A three-mile section of the French Broad, popular with canoeists and rafters, drifts by the property, and the growing greenway system connects a series of parks, restaurants, and other popular gathering spots. You can rent paddleboards ($15 an hour) as well as a portable grill ($39 a day) from the lodge. Consider Wrong Way’s SUP/Run Challenge, a great way to get in some daily exercise: jog the greenway upstream for two miles before hopping on a stand-up paddleboard provided by the lodge and gliding back downstream.
Want to get off-site? Youngblood Bicycles, about five miles away, rents commuter, gravel, and mountain bikes (from $50 a day). Pedal a recently completed three-mile loop of greenway that cruises through the River Arts District, passing graffiti murals and two breweries. For bigger adventure, head into Pisgah National Forest and its bucket-list singletrack; the revamped Black Mountain Trail weaves through a hardwood forest for 8.4 miles of berms, drops, and kickers. The best whitewater close to town is just a 30-minute drive north of Asheville: eight miles of Class III–IV rapids on the French Broad. The Asheville Adventure Company runs guided trips from town from April into September ($69 per person).
Choice Cabins
![The inside of an A-frame, decorated with a queen bed, bookshelves, a mini fridge, and a record player](https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/wrong-way-interior-1024x576.jpg?width=730)
Although Wrong Way calls itself a campground, you’ll be staying in 354-square-foot cabins, all of which can accommodate up to four people (you choose who gets the queen bed and who the queen sofa sleeper). Each of the A-frames has heating and cooling, a private bathroom, a small living room with a desk, closet, and coffee maker, and a fridge. All but three cabins have small porches overlooking the river, and if you’re looking for more privacy, book cabins 14, 15, and 16, which have back porches surrounded by woods. Five cabins welcome pets.
These are thoughtful digs: They’re zero-waste, which means they’re stocked with disposable items that are compostable. Fun details, including a record player and an assortment of vintage vinyl (Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson), enhance the experience. You’re encouraged to take the hammock, camp chairs, and table found in your lodging out for use elsewhere in the area.
Eat and Drink
The only thing better than the adventure in Asheville is the food. And the beer. The cofounders of Wrong Way understand this and stock their lodge commons, dubbed the Canteen, with suds from the area’s best breweries and snacks from local meal-prep company New Stock Pantry. Grab a Fonta Flora Lake James Lime Lager and a couple of chocolate-chip cookies and park yourself at Wrong Way’s meadow at the back of the property, filled with hammocks, a fire pit, and lawn games. Or head downstairs to the Ping-Pong table.
Alternatively, pedal to the River Arts District and go for a pitcher of Iron Rail IPA from the Wedge Brewery and a double cheeseburger from the Chop Shop Food Truck, which uses ground beef that’s been aged for 21 days. Looking for something fancier? Curate, downtown, is run by James Beard–nominated chef Katie Button and offers classic Spanish tapas like almejas, a brothy dish of clams and pork belly steamed in white wine. If you can’t score a reservation, walk around the corner to La Bodega, a more casual Spanish market and bar owned by the same chef.
When to Go
Wrong Way is open year-round. Winter is Asheville’s quietest season (February and March are the slowest months), while summer is the best time for exploring Pisgah National Forest’s waterfalls and swimming holes. Show up in October and November and the temperature is perfect for mountain biking and trail running and the hardwood forests are popping with fall color.
How to Get There
Asheville has a small but active airport, with direct flights from a growing number of cities, including Denver, Las Vegas, and Boston. Charlotte Douglas International, 120 miles east, is the closest large option.
Don’t Miss
About 25 miles east of Asheville via Interstate 40 is Old Fort, a textile town with a brand-new system of flowy mountain-bike trails and a killer brewery. And bring your rod: there’s world-class fly-fishing on Curtis Creek, a tight mountain stream just two miles east.
Details
![A pastel-colored sunset over the A-frame cabins](https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/sunset-wrong-way-1024x576.jpg?width=730)
To Book: WrongWayCampground.com
Price: From $139 per night
Address: 9 Midnight Drive
Asheville, NC 28806
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
North Carolina
Tropical weather update for Wilmington: What we can expect and when
![Tropical weather update for Wilmington: What we can expect and when Tropical weather update for Wilmington: What we can expect and when](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/03/PPEN/74658494007-153935-5-day-cone-no-line-and-wind.png?auto=webp&crop=896,504,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor a tropical depression over Cuba. It’s expected to become a tropical storm later Saturday, bringing impacts to the Carolinas around the middle of next week.
Heavy rainfall and flooding are the primary impacts expected, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
“Gusty winds are also possible, but it is too early to predict specific impacts in great detail at this time,” the weather service said.
At the same time, there is the potential for heavy rainfall and some flooding associated with front expected to stall inland this weekend.
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the center of the tropical depression, which would be name Debby if it becomes a tropical storm, was over Cuba and moving west-northwest near 15 mph. The hurricane center said a turn toward the northwest is forecast for Saturday, followed by a northward motion on Sunday and then a slower northeastwardmotion Sunday night and Monday.
Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph. Slow strengthening is expected throughout the day Saturday. Faster strengthening is possible Sunday, with the storm nearing hurricane strength when it reaches the Florida Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said.
STORM TRACKER: Monitor the latest tropical developments here.
Here’s a look at what we can expect in the Wilmington area, according to the latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Wind
The probability of tropical storm force winds has increased, especially for the South Carolina coast. The most likely time of arrival of for northeast South Carolina is Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and for Southeastern North Carolina is during Wednesday morning.
Rain
The potential for significant rainfall exists with 8 to 12 inches possible from near Cape Fear to portions of thenortheast South Carolina coast. Flash flooding and urban flooding are possible. Some rivers, including the North Cape Fear River and the Waccamaw River, could exceed flood stage next week.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Enter your address to see hurricanes, tropical storms that have passed nearby
Marine impacts
Rough surf, including dangerous rip currents, and hazardous marine conditions are expected this weekend and will persist into the upcoming week.
Are you prepared for a hurricane?
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Even if this system won’t pose a threat to the NC coast, it’s never too early to be prepared.
GET READY: Are you prepared for a hurricane? Here’s what to know if you live in the Wilmington area.
North Carolina
Tropical Depression Four forms on its way to the Gulf of Mexico
As of the 5 AM update Friday, Tropical Depression Four has formed. Areas along the East Coast including North Carolina need to continue monitoring this system. Winds are at 30 MPH and gusts are up to 40 MPH. The pressure dropped to 1009 mb and is moving to the west at 16 mph. TD 4 is expected to become Tropical Storm Debby over the weekend. Tuesday night and Wednesday are First Alert Weather Days due to the threat to ENC from this system but we may need to adjust the timing as we get closer.
It’ll move slowly before escaping to the north next week. As it moves up the East Coast, there’s a lot more uncertainty about the track and threats. We expect the track of this system to change through the weekend and even into next week. If ENC sees impacts from this system, they’d likely come mid-week. The longer this system stays over land, the weaker it’ll be. It’ll have the chance to strengthen if it moves back over open water, especially if it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
The speed of this system is just as important as the strength. The quicker it moves through, the less rain piles up. If it slows down or stalls, higher rainfall amounts would be expected. Our river levels have dropped a bit since July’s wet weather, but levels are still higher than what you’d find in a typical August.
This is a reminder that we are heading into the heart of the hurricane season and to make sure your emergency supplies are ready.
Stay with WITN and WITN.com as we continue to track this system over the coming days and monitor the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
Copyright 2024 WITN. All rights reserved.
North Carolina
Alabama man on work trip stops to buy $3 quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot
![Alabama man on work trip stops to buy quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot Alabama man on work trip stops to buy quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/02/USAT/74654762007-screenshot-15.png?auto=webp&crop=1164,656,x0,y114&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Christopher Baker of Leesburg, Alabama was on a work trip in Hickory, North Carolina, when he thought he’d try his luck on a lotto game. It turned out to be a lucrative Powerball win.
An Alabama man on a work trip in North Carolina bought a $3 Quick Pick Powerball ticket on a whim and walked away with a six-figure windfall.
Christopher Baker of Leesburg in northeastern Alabama bought his lucky ticket in July in Hickory, North Carolina, where had been traveling for work, according to Powerball.
When the numbers were drawn, Baker says he had to do a double-take when he realized he had a $100,000 winning ticket. He had matched four white balls and the red Powerball, which would have been $50,000, but a 2X multiplier doubled the win and the disbelief.
“I just kept looking at it to make sure I was reading it right,” he laughed, according to Powerball. “I told my family but they didn’t believe me. either.”
Baker, who called his win “a shocker.” said he plans to save his winnings to buy a house.
Baker will take home $71,501 after federal and state taxes are withheld.
How to play the Powerball
In order to purchase a $2 Powerball ticket, you’ll have to visit your local convenience store, gas station or grocery store − and in a handful of states, you can purchase tickets online.
To play, you will need to pick six numbers in total to mark on your ticket. Five numbers will be white balls ranging from numbers 1 to 69. The Powerball is red and one number which is between 1 and 26.
If you want to increase your chances of winning, you can add a “Power Play” for $1 which increases the winnings for all non-jackpot prizes. This addition can multiply winnings by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X.
Players can also ask a cashier for a “Quick Pick” where a cashier will give you a computer generated numbers on a printed Powerball ticket.
Drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. If there’s no jackpot winner, the cash prize will increase by millions.
Where to purchase tickets
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050(MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms.
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