An old Cold War spy station in the Appalachian Mountains now operates as an educational nonprofit and International Dark Sky Place. Rebecca Ward travels to western North Carolina to unravel the mysteries of the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) and explore its many modern delights for families. PARI is a nonprofit public foundation established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC, the PARI campus is a dark-sky location for astronomy. In 1962, NASA selected it as the East Coast tracking station for crewed space flights. Today, the 200-acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, 30 buildings, a full-time staff, and all the infrastructure necessary to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, research, and public outreach. PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research. The institute is affiliated with the 16-campus University of North Carolina system through PARSEC, a UNC Center hosted at PARI. It is also a member of the NC Grassroots Museum Collaborative.