Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) in Jamie and Claire's bedroom. Outlander season 4 is based on Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn. Photo by Aimee Spinks. Starz.com
When you think of bagpipes, kilted Highlanders, and all things Gaelic, the last thing that comes to mind for most people is North Carolina. Yet, that is precisely the leap made by the Outlander series of novels. The story begins in the Highlands of 18th-century Scotland and winds its way to the New World, where the cast of characters eventually settles in the Southern colony.
Published in 1991, Gabaldon’s Outlander eventually grew into an epic adventure spanning nine volumes, with a tenth on the way, along with numerous spin-off novellas, a graphic novel, and an acclaimed STARZ television series. Six of the nine books and much of the television series detail life in pre-Revolutionary War North Carolina.
Gabaldon, a meticulous historical researcher, has visited North Carolina numerous times to attend Outlander-related events. Her works average 300,000 words and require an average of two-and-a-half years of research, and she has said that details uncovered during the research phase often influence the story in ways that are surprising even to her. As the series is ongoing, the author no doubt continues to draw inspiration for the fictional adventures of the Fraser family.
After the devastating Battle of Culloden, which put an end to the Jacobite rebellion and cast Scotland into decades of tribulation, fictional Highland warrior Jamie Fraser goes into hiding while his time-traveling wife returns to the 20th century. However, the third novel of the series, Voyager, picks up twenty years later. Claire, now living in 1960s Boston, is shocked to discover through historical research that Jamie survived the battle, and she returns through time to search for her lost love. Voyager sees the couple reunited and, in later books, settling in North Carolina, as so many Highland Scots did in real life.
In the series, the star-crossed lovers — along with various family members — make their home on Fraser’s Ridge in the mountains of Western North Carolina. While the location is fictional, fans of the show eventually pestered Gabaldon enough to reveal its presumptive location.
Gabaldon finally answered, “It's up near Boone and Blowing Rock,” putting an end to the boundless speculation. Blowing Rock, with its breathtaking vistas and rugged terrain, provides the perfect setting for the adventurous spirits of Jamie and Claire Fraser as they navigate a mysterious new continent and the political intrigue of 18th-century North Carolina.
Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) in the North Carolina woods for Outlander's season 5. Photo by Aimee Spinks, courtesy of 2019 STARZ Entertainment, LLC. Starz.com
Much as Outlander has served as a boon for tourism in Scotland, North Carolina has earned its fair share of attention as well. Fans flock to locations such as Grandfather Mountain, the site of the country’s largest annual gathering of the clans, and Tryon Palace, featured in the series’ sixth novel, A Breath of Snow and Ashes. Gabaldon herself attended the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in 2008, saying on her blog, “I took two extra days to do research in North Carolina since Grandfather Mountain is smack in the middle of Fraser’s Ridge country.”
Afterward, the author extended her travels down to Greensboro, where she “spent a delightful afternoon wallowing in the Guilford Courthouse Battlefield and Visitors Center. Walking battlefields and listening for the echoes is one of my favorite things, and the Visitors Center there is excellent, with a really good film explaining the battle.” In 2019, Gabaldon attended events at Alamance Battleground and Tryon Palace, aiding fundraising and preservation efforts for those sites.
In fact, Governor Tryon himself appears in the series, although, like historical fiction writers tend to do, Gabaldon fictionalized much of his character. She also drew North Carolinians General Hugh Waddell, Herman Husband, James Hunter, and the Regulators into the story, along with Flora MacDonald, the Jacobite hero who famously aided Bonnie Prince Charlie in his escape from Scotland and then later immigrated to North Carolina with her husband.
The Battle of Kings Mountain is featured in the ninth novel of the series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. While Kings Mountain lies in Western North Carolina, the battle took place in the vicinity of what is now Blacksburg, South Carolina. When writing those scenes, Gabaldon was inspired by an actual soldier’s written account of the battle. Those details, including bark flying as trees are hit by bullets, weave their way into her story.
Walking through gardens at Tryon Palace in New Bern. Photo courtesy of Visit NC.
In addition to Gabaldon’s frequent visits and book signings, the series has sparked Outlander-themed events and tourism opportunities throughout the Tar Heel state. Fraser’s Ridge Homecoming, held at Leatherwood Mountains Resort in Ferguson, offers an immersive experience for fans to experience 18th-century “life on The Ridge.” Attendees are treated to authentic music, dancing, workshops, and more that transport them to pre-Revolutionary War North Carolina. Tryon Palace offers special tours, Spark of the Rebellion and The Storm of Revolution, along with living history events that explore 18th-century life. Travel agencies in towns like New Bern and Blowing Rock often sponsor tours and events for visiting Sassenachs.
With the tenth — and predicted to be the final — installment in the Outlander series currently underway, readers must wait a bit longer to learn the fates of Jamie, Claire, and the rest of the North Carolina Highlanders. In the meantime, the rugged mountains, historical small towns, and breezy coastal capes continue to provide inspiration and touristy delights to Gabaldon and her fervently dedicated — some might say occasionally outlandish — fans.