North Carolina Rabbit Hole

A podcast that goes the distance to reveal hard-to-find stories across North Carolina. Join journalist Jeremy Markovich as he travels across the state to uncover remote places, lost artifacts, overlooked people, and forgotten stories.

The Bag of Weed at the NC Supreme Court 09/18/2025

The Bag of Weed at the NC Supreme Court Recently, a lawyer dangled a baggie of cannibis in front of the North Carolina Supreme Court and dared the cops in the room to arrested him. So, how did he get away with it, and why did he do it? Today, a story about the smell of weed, the state of pot in North Carolina, and why so many products somehow are able to him that they'll get you high, legally. This episode is also . It's that you can read (and subscribe to for free, if you want) at . /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/38267175

Sex, Drugs, and Ay Ziggy Zoomba (w/ Joe Ovies) 09/15/2025

Sex, Drugs, and Ay Ziggy Zoomba (w/ Joe Ovies) UNC and Bowling Green are polar opposites, yet they both share a weird fight song. Why? Blame a man who the CIA drugged with LSD, wrote lots of erotic novels, and sang a song that makes no sense. This episode is based on a story from the North Carolina Rabbit Hole titled "," and was on September 11, 2025. Learn more about the North Carolina Rabbit Hole and sign up for our weekly newsletter at . /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/38216250

Why Are North Carolina Politics Like This? 11/01/2024

Why Are North Carolina Politics Like This? In this episode, Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper joins Jeremy Markovich to talk about the things that drive the political scene in our state, why candidates do the things they do, and how the Roy Cooper of the past made things tougher for the Roy Cooper of the present. Read more at . Check out Chris's new book, "" Read Jeremy's Politico story referenced in this episode: "." /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/33724757

What's Up With White Shirts in Abandoned Car Doors? 03/06/2024

What's Up With White Shirts in Abandoned Car Doors? Once you’ve seen one broken-down junker with a white rag in the window, you start seeing them everywhere. Is this just a North Carolina thing? What’s it supposed to mean? Why do so many people do it? And, if so many people are doing the same thing, then where did the idea come from? Reporter Jeremy Markovich investigates to get to the bottom of an old piece of highway folklore. Read more and see pictures at Subscribe to the North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter at /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/30253558

How Much of Greenville's Economy Relies on MrBeast? (w/ Drew Harwell) 02/23/2024

How Much of Greenville's Economy Relies on MrBeast? (w/ Drew Harwell) MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) has more than 300 million total subscribers on YouTube and some of his videos have more viewers than the Super Bowl. He’s opened restaurants. He’s launched his own food company called Feastables. The MrBeast logo is now on the jerseys of the Charlotte Hornets. Also, MrBeast is 25-years-old. This multi-million dollar YouTube media empire? It's based in Greenville, North Carolina of all places. So how did that happen? In this episode, journalist Jeremy Markovich talks to Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell about what happens when a big time influencer sets up shop in a small town. To get more stories like this, subscribe to the North Carolina Rabbit Hole, the reader-supported newsletter that powers this podcast. Get a free-if-you-want-it-to-be subscription at . /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/30075678

The Greatest "I Voted" Sticker Ever 02/16/2024

The Greatest "I Voted" Sticker Ever A sixth-grade student from the Raleigh area drew a boy riding a unicorn. It's now the official "I Voted Early" sticker for the Wake County Board of Elections. In this episode, artist Shannon Fisher explains some of the details and the background behind a sticker that's turning heads at polling places around Raleigh and beyond. See the sticker and read more about it: Subscribe to the North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter here: Thanks to Shannon Fisher, Ashley Millhiser, Gerry Cohen, and the Wake County Board of Elections. Early voting is now underway in North Carolina for the 2024 primary. Find your polling place and sample ballot here: /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/29983758

The Dick Trickle Maneuver (w/ Ryan McGee) 02/08/2024

The Dick Trickle Maneuver (w/ Ryan McGee) In this episode, host Jeremy Markovich and ESPN senior writer Ryan McGee talk about beer, old school racing, a man named Dick Trickle, and a quiet trick to to help you navigate a boisterous social situation. Read Jeremy's 2013 SB Nation story about Dick Trickle: "" Subscribe to the North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter at . Special thanks to Kenny Wallace. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/29862958

A Holiday Story: Deck Your Halls With Rauch Balls 12/21/2023

A Holiday Story: Deck Your Halls With Rauch Balls In this special holiday episode, host Jeremy Markovich meets the man from Gastonia who became the world's largest manufacturer of Christmas ornaments and used his power to make North Carolina more tolerant of all religions. This episode was originally released in 2018 and was adapted from: "" which appeared in Our State magazine's December 2016 issue. Additional music: Blue Dot Sessions /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/29191813

How Racing Returned to North Wilkesboro 05/17/2023

How Racing Returned to North Wilkesboro North Wilkesboro Speedway is hosting the NASCAR All-Star Race, a quarter century after its last major event. Why did it sit empty for so long? And how did it finally reopen? In this episode, host Jeremy Markovich takes a look back as a historic place now looks toward a new future. More Reading: "" (2015) - SB Nation "" (2022) - North Carolina Rabbit Hole "" (2022) - North Carolina Rabbit Hole Music via Blue Dot Sessions under a Creative Commons license. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/26866296

Panthers Aren't Real 04/27/2023

Panthers Aren't Real Shortly after I moved to Charlotte in 2005, I became a Carolina Panthers fan because it was much better than being a fan of the Cleveland Browns. A few years later, I became the producer of the Panthers postgame show on a local television station. A few years after that, the production moved from the station to the stadium. It was there that I first heard a piece of information that I hadn’t actually considered before: The screaming panther sound—the noise that you’d hear during home games whenever the Panthers did something good like get a first down or make a third down stop—was not actually the sound that a real panther makes. You can read more here: Closing song: "Riverboat Ron" by Crab Claw /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/26668596

Hello Again 04/20/2023

Hello Again After 2 1/2 years, host Jeremy Markovich is breaking his silence to explain, well, where he's been all this time, why you haven't heard any new episodes since then, and what happens now. about the immediate plans for Away Message and its new home at the . /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/26597421

Away Message S3 E8 | Climbing Down From The Dune 11/03/2020

Away Message S3 E8 | Climbing Down From The Dune In the season finale, our hikers reach the Outer Banks of North Carolina and end of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Now, more than a year later, we see where they've ended up and how the trip has affected their lives. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/16663784

Away Message S3 E7 |The F-Words 09/24/2020

Away Message S3 E7 |The F-Words As our Mountains-to-Sea Trail thru-hikers approach the end, one final challenge remains: A kayak trip down two of North Carolina's most well-known waterways. All will have to grapple with problems that could potentially stop them from reaching their final destination. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/16136681

Away Message S4 Bonus | How to Hike, with Jennifer Pharr Davis 09/04/2020

Away Message S4 Bonus | How to Hike, with Jennifer Pharr Davis In this bonus episode, host Jeremy Markovich talks with long-time hiking guide Jennifer Pharr Davis about how anyone can prepare for and pull off a trip on a trail, from day-trippers to thru-hikers on North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/15891836

Away Message S3 E6 | A Trail Town Without A Trail 08/20/2020

Away Message S3 E6 | A Trail Town Without A Trail Roseboro is a small eastern North Carolina town that sits on the route of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail but doesn't actually have any good places to hike. Yet. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/15684482

Away Message S3 E5 | The Long Road 07/24/2020

Away Message S3 E5 | The Long Road As Erin Brennan and Aaron and Lexi Harris pass the halfway point on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the path undergoes a dramatic shift from footpath to roadside. In this episode, we take a closer look at the parts of the MST that only attract the most intrepid hikers, and discover what it takes to bike and hike your way through a world built for cars. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/15335567

Away Message S3 E4 | Elkin 07/03/2020

Away Message S3 E4 | Elkin When it comes to trail towns along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Elkin stands out. So how did a quiet place in the North Carolina foothills go trail crazy? We find out, thanks to the men who are building footpaths as fast as they can. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/15069851

Away Message S4 Bonus |The Voice of George Simkins (Replay) 06/11/2020

Away Message S4 Bonus |The Voice of George Simkins (Replay) In 1955, a dentist and five of his friends played a round of golf. They were black. The course was white-only. What happened next changed the course of one man's life, and in turn, helped integrate an entire town. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/14778104

Away Message S3 E3 | The Newlywed Game 05/25/2020

Away Message S3 E3 | The Newlywed Game What's it like to be with the one you love 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? In this episode, host Jeremy Markovich meets Aaron and Lexi Harris, a pair of newlyweds who experienced the highs and lows of hiking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail across western North Carolina. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/14552339

Away Message S3 E2 | The Warriors on the Trail 05/01/2020

Away Message S3 E2 | The Warriors on the Trail On the first day of her trip across North Carolina on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, veteran Erin Brennan is making sense of new gear, new routines, and a new beginning with the help of Warrior Expeditions, a group that treats hiking like therapy. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/14229182

Away Message S4 E1 | 1,175 Miles 04/13/2020

Away Message S4 E1 | 1,175 Miles How was the Mountains-to-Sea Trail created? And what kind of people would hike the whole thing? In the season premiere, we find out what it takes to build a trail across North Carolina, and then walk it. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/13974005

A Preview of Away Message: Season 4 04/07/2020

A Preview of Away Message: Season 4 In the latest season of Our State's podcast, we take a trip down North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail. All 1,175 miles of it. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/13889714

Away Message | Staying Calm In A Scary Place (Re-Release) 03/18/2020

Away Message | Staying Calm In A Scary Place (Re-Release) A replay of Season 1, Episode 3, entitled "As High As You Can Get." It's the story of a man who climbs to the top of 2,000-foot-tall television broadcast towers to change the light bulbs, and how he remains calm in an environment that most of us would consider to be frightening. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/13599824

Away Message S3 E8 | The Rookie 11/21/2019

Away Message S3 E8 | The Rookie Jeff Postell was 21 and working the overnight shift as a police officer in a small North Carolina town when he made the arrest that would change his life. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/12121172

Away Message S3 Bonus | Moving To Mayberry 10/22/2019

Away Message S3 Bonus | Moving To Mayberry To see what outsiders see when they look at North Carolina, we take a close look at The Andy Griffith Show from the view of an insider who moved to the real life Mayberry. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/11732792

Away Message S3 E7 | An Island Of Your Own 10/01/2019

Away Message S3 E7 | An Island Of Your Own For years, Robert Humber lived virtually alone on his own private island off the North Carolina coast. He thought he had everything he needed. Then, he got a knock on the door. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/11461001

Away Message S3 E6 | Searching for Squatch In All The Wrong Places 09/13/2019

Away Message S3 E6 | Searching for Squatch In All The Wrong Places A New Yorker shows up in a small North Carolina town, and starts hearing about ghosts. Then bigfoot shows up. In this episode, we go looking for both, and find out what it means to believe. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/11233922

Away Message S3 E5 | The Concert on Powder Horn Mountain 08/28/2019

Away Message S3 E5 | The Concert on Powder Horn Mountain Curtis Johnson puts on small house-style concerts in an out-of-the-way place, and the shows keep everyone coming back for more. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/11024603

Away Message S3 E4 | How To Get To Space 07/19/2019

Away Message S3 E4 | How To Get To Space Christina Koch was once a kid growing up in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Now, she's living on the International Space Station. In this episode, we go back to school to find out how she turned her dream of becoming an astronaut into reality. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/10581830

Away Message Replay | What Once Was Lost 07/10/2019

Away Message Replay | What Once Was Lost From Season 1: A trip to a cemetery that's only reachable by boat reveals a story about progress, a national park, promises made, and promises broken. Along the way, we meet the woman who kept hope alive, and kept a sacred spot from being forgotten. /episode/index/show/awaymessage/id/10467044

North Carolina Rabbit Hole

TOPICS