This was our second time coming to the Strawberry Festival. The last time we went was 8-10 years…read moreago. We enjoyed ourselves each time. Tips: Arrive first thing when they open to avoid traffic and finding a spot to park. They have several different lots to choose from - some will shuttle you or others are a short walk. We chose the lot with the short walk. Bring cash for this - it's $5. Arriving early allows you to walk around to each of the vendors before it gets slammed just to check things out. Lines for food started early, so if you think about having lunch at 12, be prepared for long lines. We had no issues with vendors accepting credit card or cash. Bring water. We brought our hydroflask filled with water and ice which was nice because it gets warm fast. What I love: That each vendor had at least one menu item featuring strawberries - whether it is a dessert or a meal. If you love strawberries like me, you can find a lot of great items to fill you up! Look forward to it again next year, it's a great time!

AMAZING fun time for the whole family! Great food selection from many LOCAL food establishments…read morethat have their own trucks. A standard set of faire food too... YES on the FUNNEL CAKE! A good set of rides for kids aged 8-12 years old. Prices are carnival-level... not cheap... but understandable. LOTS of lawn and grass areas to hang out. LOTS of police and safety folks very visible. All the tent vendors are in the shade, so it was easy and nice to walk around and visit them out from the sun. LOTS of toilets... AND a physical toilet building for those that dont like the plastic portable toilets. There is a NEW kids area they built in the park and they had it fenced in so the kids would not be running away and out of parent control, it was like a mini-day-care. Excellent selection of local and appropriate music to listen to that was at appropriate volume levels to be able to enjoy. Parking was difficult, but there were bus shuttles to the local school that ran every few minutes, so that was helpful. They had a classic car show, that was fun to walk around. I think they should have had more 'competition' style activities.

This festival is run solely by the church volunteers and has provided the church with a major fund…read moreraiser for the past 20 years which in turn has aided the building of much of the facilities located on the property. This festival has something for everyone from children with their outdoor games and bouncy rides to talent contest, canolli run, silent and live auctions and Fantastic Italian homecook foods. My favorite is the eggplant parm but we also serve delicious lasagna and baked ziti. The food is consistent because everyone follows the same recipes. There is always plenty of room inside to sit and eat and enjoy your meal, listen to music and browse the auction. Outside you will find vendors, enjoy music with a live band and spend time with your family over delicious ice cream, ices, pizza and subs. This year instead of going to a restaurant come to the festival on May 19-21 and relax.

Great time at our first Oyster roast at the Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery! Oysters were steamed by…read moreSaltwater Markets and they did a great job of bringing fresh hot oysters out every half hour to all of the tables. Each standing table also had an empty tray to discard shells. Ample supplies were on hand - shuckers, gloves, paper towels, hot sauces, cocktail sauce, and saltines. Beverages were available for purchase - a selection of ciders and wine, soft drinks and bottled water. Many of their regular menu options are not served in the winter, but we find that to be a good reason to go back during peak season. All service was self service - walk up to the bar or walk over to find any oyster shucking supplies you may need. Souvenir glasses were also available. The staff who checked us in on arrival were kind enough to suggest we take those after our feast to avoid having to keep track of a pint glass while focused on our oyster shucking. A couple of fire pit spots were available and there were picnic tables under a covered shelter set up in the event that inclement weather moved in. It is truly a Windy hill - it's always windy when we are here and this event was no different. Live music was on hand - a solo artist with guitar whose name I didn't catch, but he was very talented and did a great job. He played mostly cover music from under the covered shelter area. Parking does involve a walk if you're not one of the very first to arrive. That walk is down a gravel path a little ways up the hill and not a great fit for wheel chairs or those who with mobility challenges. It would not be hard to drop someone off though near the front, then go park down the street and around the corner.

This was my first visit to Windy Hill. The place is really great. They have bagged apples, cider,…read morebottled hard cider, apple pies, freshly made apple cider donuts (plain or cinnamon sugar), and a hard cider bar. The orchard wasn't open for picking, but it was a beautiful day, so there were lots of picnic tables to sit and relax. After we shopped, we sat and enjoyed a donut and the outside. We arrived right as they opened on a Sunday, but it got very busy with families, small groups, dogs, and children after we arrived. This is a very family friendly spot, lots of parking, and a good amount of apple treats to enjoy. We had a nice time, and since it is only 1 hour from Charlotte area, will definitely go back again.

Produce is always fresh and makes everything you cook taste better. Service is professional and…read moreconsistent.

It has good quality of fruits and vegetables of what is in season but there is a long line for…read morewaiting due to only one register. Though I can see why the long wait the ice cream is very delicious but if you are in a hurry this is not the spot. The staff is very courteous.

This festival just continues to grow each year! I genuinely love checking out Festival in the Park…read moreevery single year, because there's always something new to see. There's probably hundreds of vendors at this point, from food, drinks, desserts, artists, charities, jewelry. I mean there's SO much to see at this festival! My favorite part about it is the live music. My friends and I always bring a blanket and just come lay out there and enjoy the live band. This year it was actually the same singer as last year and she was great!!! Love her voice and she always sings upbeat songs everyone knows. It's always a whole vibe. We grab food and bring our own cooler and just pick a spot up on the hill and enjoy. That's exactly what we did this year too. For food I couldn't decide what I wanted so I kinda settled for a gyro and it was pretty good, all things considered. The fries we great though! Nice to have so many food options available though. I'll continue to come to this festival year after year!! Definitely a lifetime fan.

I enjoy FITP every year. The variety of vendors lets me purchase items I can't find in my weekly…read morejourneys. It's great to find something I've never seen before. I stopped by a cookie vendor, deliciousness! However, the food lines are typically ridiculously long. Not my speed. There should be a vendor who sells water only for one price. Parking is a task and requires a lot of patience. It may help to catch a ride and skip parking altogether.

Oh what memories! Back in the 1980's and early 1990's, this festival was called Stumptown Festival…read more Just before I was born (in the 1970's), my parents, older sister and brother lived mere blocks from here and would walk to the parade then the festival and walk through the booths. Eventually, they moved a few miles away, then my younger sister, and all 6 of us would come to the parade, then walk through the area with booths carefully avoiding the ride area as my parents could not afford to let us ride any of them, or buy the food. Fast forward to my teenage years in late 1980's, early 1990's, where we would come with friends, ride the rides, go through the booth area, buy all we wanted. My last actual time I was able to walk through the entire festival was back in 2003, when I came down to help my mother after a surgery. My last trip to Charlotte (Labor Day weekend 2018), I dragged my parents here on the Sunday. We were early-ish. We walked through some of it, but were unable to enjoy the full affect as they were still opening. This is a small town festival that is fairly inexpensive to do. Homemade items for sale. Some of the booths with items for sale are in the elementary school, which has been updated since the last time I was here. There are stages with live music, and other entertainment. A great time to be had by all. I did not get many pictures of my own as I was busy chatting with my parents, but check out the links below. Parking can be difficult at best. Crowds can be thick in places. For more information: https://www.matthewsalive.org/ https://www.facebook.com/MatthewsAlive

It was 7PM. I'd just gotten my car back (I have it on Turo, which is basically Airbnb, but with…read morecars). Having been in the house all day, I hadn't been able to keep my streak going on Pokémon Go! This being an inscrutable state of affairs, I decided that, instead of driving home, I'd head to one of my main Pokémoning sites: downtown Matthews. I arrived, parking as I do most often in the library/town hall parking lot (small town = multi-use public buildings. The court house in chapel hill is also the post office for example). I takedown all of the gyms in the area, set my guys in them, and then go Pokémon walking. To my pleasant surprise, the legendary gym I was walking to happened to fall smack-dab in the middle of a whole festival! I'm never one to turn down the opportunity at giant smoked turkey legs and deep fried Oreos - both of which are available at multiple vendors along the main walk - so I decide to stop Pokémoning for the moment and take in the event. Live music is a wonderful thing, and they have an entire soundstage set up just for it. The genre of choice seems to be bad country, which ain't my bag, baby, so I keep it moving. I recommend going at night. There are few things in life as immediately disarming as neon lights against an ebony sky, especially when those lights signal funnel cake and rides. Oh yeah, there are carnival rides in full effect. All the good hurlers, too. The ones that make your kids sick. The ones from which memories are built. Anywho, so there I am, hunting for the best giant smoked turkey leg, when I catch the Devine odor of cured pork fat. I know this can only mean one thing: bacon. There's a vendor that wraps everything in bacon. EVERYTHING. IN. BACON. I had bacon wrapped BBQ. That's right, I was in pigception. And it was glorious. I also had a pretty decent crabcake sammich (bun as set dressing only, I swear) and I cheated a bit, and got a refreshing frozen blueberry lemonade. I didn't stay long, but what I saw left a good taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively). Then I went back to catching all the Pokémon, so, you know, I was productive.

Great food, wide choice of German food, beer & wines, pure real German gasthaus design, as Germans…read morewould say "echt". Owners freely roam the central room often, the serving staff are friendly,warm, and everywhere. Excellent time had by all. Our visits have been so good I had to join their beer club. Additionally, this is the first time in my 84 years seeking real German taste in a German styled American restaurant that I found it. This is the real deal!

This is the place my husband asks to go for his birthday every year. Something has changed…read morethough... better quality ingredients ? Better Chef ? because the night we came on a Thursday the place was packed and the food was fantastic ! I love their wheat beer. The beef stew we started off with was phenomenal ! Very rich with deep flavor. Highly recommend. Our waiter was very good and checked on us often. The veal schnitzel was excellent ! The spaetzle was excellent too ! Our meal was absolutely delicious !

The Fort Mill Christmas parade is the epitome of cozy and quaint. If you're local I'm sure you'll…read moresee the appeal. You're more than likely to see a few familiar faces and it's very family, kid & pet friendly. If you're looking for high production value you're most likely going to be disappointed. This is not the Rose parade. Most participants in the parade are local school bands, scout troops, small businesses and local officials. What they lack in size though they certainly make up for in charm. The downtown area is small and side streets can be hard to navigate for parking (very narrow lanes) so bring your patience and don't plan to be anywhere right after. If you don't live in the area I wouldn't necessarily make a special trip out to attend (however, downtown Fort Mill is very cute and absolutely worth a visit!). If you are local it's a must, at least once. Happy Holidays!

By far my favorite festival in Charlotte. I've been attending for years and for their 10 year…read moreAnniversary they pulled out all the stops. Whole roasted pigs every hour on the hour. Three types of bacon - the bourbon maple bacon was amazing. Amazing Beer and liquor vendors to satisfy anyone's tastes. A tasting theatre with food and drink classes. Live music all day. And that's just the things that come with the price of admission. Cigar vendors, artist and BBQ vendors from the best of NC and VA top off an amazing day in Sympathy park. Not going to lie the lines did seem a little longer this year but I'm thinking the beautiful weather contributed to a larger than normal crowd. Hope they cap attendance before the long lines become the norm.

This year VIP was a complete disappointment and a rip off compared to last year. All we got was one…read morecrappy plate of BBQ and a toilet while last year we got to sample all the BBQ vendors who brought unique dishes to try, a VIP area, and an entire bottle of wine! What a waste!