Skip to content

nothing to do hky

Menu
  • Arts + Culture
  • Community
  • Date Night
  • Detours
  • Dining
  • Gardening + Outdoors
  • Hidden Gems
Menu

Surf City – Wednesday, April 12th

Posted on May 1, 2023January 23, 2026 by Emily

The boys woke up excited on Wednesday for many reasons – the biggest of which was that their grandba, my mother, would be coming down to Surf City to join us. Since she wouldn’t arrive until later that day, I decided that we could go on a little adventure to a farmer’s market.

Read more

Surf City – Tuesday, April 11th

Posted on April 18, 2023January 23, 2026 by Emily

When I go on vacation, I like to find a good balance of eating out/eating at home and a good balance of activities – sometimes I have things planned for the day, and other times we simply just go with the flow. We are on vacation, after all, and my biggest goal is to always just spend time with my family, creating those memories.

Read more

Surf City – Monday, April 10th

Posted on April 18, 2023January 23, 2026 by Emily

The drive down to Surf City was blissfully quiet. My two boys (5 years old and 20 months old) each slept for half of the trip, albeit alternating halves. My dog, a 9-year-old blue heeler/husky mix, sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window in a bit of a panic.

For 5 hours.

Read more

Putting Your Garden to Rest During Autumn

Posted on January 30, 2022January 22, 2026 by Emily Elliott

Autumn is here, in all of her splendor, and it is a sight to behold. The cooler weather creeps closer and closer as the length of daylight decreases, the leaves turning their decadent shades of orange, red, yellow, and brown before flooding the ground beneath the trees. The lushness of our summer gardens has faded, leaving us with the skeleton of our plants and the remnants of our waning harvest.

Read more

Putting Your Garden to Rest During Winter

Posted on November 30, 2020January 22, 2026 by Emily

As the days cool and winter draws near, I like to put my garden to rest. Of course, we grow some kale here and there and usually our garlic is planted in October, but I use December/January/February to really take a step back from gardening. As much as I love gardening, it’s nice to have a respite from it, though I typically use that time daydreaming and planning the next garden.

Read more
  • Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • Next

Hi, I’m Emily — the creator behind Nothing to Do HKY.

My family and I moved to Western North Carolina in 2021 from the coast, drawn here by the mountains, the slower pace, and the feeling that this was a place meant to be lived in — not just passed through. We now call a six-acre patch of land home between Lenoir, Morganton, and Hickory, where we’re slowly building a life surrounded by gardens, animals, and a deep appreciation for the seasons.

Nothing to Do HKY began as a way to explore our new home, but it’s grown into something more: a love letter to Western North Carolina and the everyday beauty of life here.

This is a place to celebrate backroads and small towns, gardens and trails, local food and community gatherings — the simple, meaningful things that make this region feel like home. My hope is to help both locals and visitors fall in love with where they live (or where they’re visiting), and to see Western North Carolina not just as a destination, but as a way of life.

Instagram | Facebook | E-mail

Support Us

Like what we do? Consider supporting us through one of the following affiliate links (some blog posts may contains affiliate links as well).
© 2026 nothing to do hky | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme