Have you ever waited a year to spend time in someone’s amazing garden — especially one with rare plants from around the world?

Or wondered what it would be like to live in a $5 million mansion with water and golf-course views?

Or wanted to know how a successful college coach handles adversity off the field?

You’re curious.

And we’re curious, too.

If you watch documentaries, enjoy asking questions, or can’t wait to learn (or tell) a secret — welcome to the Triangle’s largest club of well-intentioned thought-seekers. There’s no membership fee: Only requirement is a willingness to explore roads less traveled.

That’s why The News & Observer has launched NC Inside Look, a collection of stories and images that takes readers behind the scenes to illuminate the people and places in our community.

Since launching NC Inside Look, we’ve attempted to match your curiosity with our story-sourcing access.

When all of Raleigh seemingly followed NC State’s basketball teams to the Final Four, we took you there — even when it meant hanging with stars DJ Burns and DJ Horne at Applebee’s.

N&O stories have connected you with the latest creation from a top local chef, explained the role of North Carolina’s only milk bank for premature babies, and made sense of everything going on at RDU.

Writers, scientists and Walt Disney have offered profound or pithy definitions of curiosity.

Ralph Waldo Emerson — who spent time in Charleston and occasionally lectured in the Carolinas — described curiosity as “lying in wait for every secret.”

And Mr. Disney wasn’t talking about Epcot, Animal Kingdom or Mickey when he declared: “Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” (Or was he?)

The best of Southern mannerisms has never apologized for a healthy dollop of curiosity. For instance: Is it true grits if the chef adds cream?

NC Inside Look is meant to fill that curiosity gap. (Grits? Add the cream.)

Today, we offer a selection of five from around the Triangle:

We hope this collection of stories channels your perpetual need to know.