Stretching across the remote Mojave Desert, Cadiz Road once linked travelers to Route 66 but now passes silent ghost towns, shifting dunes, and relics of a vanished highway era.

From quaint historic districts filled with shops and eateries to pristine stretches of white sand, there’s something new to discover in every corner of North Carolina's Crystal Coast.

The dunes were installed to help protect seawalls and coastal infrastructure following massive erosion during Hurricanes Ian and Nicole ...