The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Memorial is filled with rich history of a black woman who started a…read moreschool solely for blacks in order for them to receive equal education at the Palmer Memorial Institute. Unfortunately, you can tell that many of the points of interest and homes are in need of a refresh. You can only go into the Canary Cottage if you payed for the $2 guided tour. No other NC historic sites have done something like this, and we feel that you should still be able to go into ALL of the homes and points of interest if you are giving yourself a tour, because most do not purchase a guided tour. The staff were alright. Most were nice, but did not do a good job at explaining things. They kind of left us to figure it out for ourselves. Their kindness felt fake, especially the woman who rushed us out of the Canary Cottage even though no one told us that we couldn't go in it. That is unfortunate, but there is nothing we can do about it. Enjoy your time here, but be weary of the condition of the historic site and the staff.

I came across this museum by accident. I'm glad I did. It has a fascinating history: founded by a…read moreyoung woman, herself educated, who began the Palmer Institute in the early 1900s as a school for African American children. She not only served as its president for 30 years until her death, she also believed so strongly in what the school represented, she arranged housing, a dorm, in a local house she bought. There's much more to the story of how this became an accredited preparatory school but it's an extraordinary story that's worth discovering. If you're on the back roads between durham and charlotte, or want to be, this museum should be a must visit.

This simple marker in the town of Graham is located a short distance from the Interstate which it…read morepredates by quite some time. The marker simply reads, "Graham College. Est. by the Christian Church, 1851, as Graham Institute; forerunner of Elon College. Burned in 1892. Stood 1 blk. west." Online there is much more information. "Graham College had its beginnings in 1851 when John R. Holt incorporated Graham Academy as a school for male students. The school opened its doors the following year under the direction of Holt and was opened to female students as well. Due to prior mismanagement and financial troubles plus the start of the Civil War, the school was forced to close in 1863." "In 1889 Elon College (now University) was founded near Burlington by the Christian Church, with William Long as its first president. Long is credited as the lead visionary in the creation of the new college, choosing the name "Elon" for the area, the Hebrew word for "oaks." Long and the Church planned to make the original Graham College institution a preparatory school. However, in 1892, Graham College building was destroyed by fire and the Church discontinued plans for its use as a school and sold the property" [Review 11829 overall, 1611 of 2019.]

Adorable and detailed miniature train set up. Much more expansive than we anticipated. My daughter…read moreand I stopped by on a day in the pouring rain and still enjoyed looking it over.

Lovely collection of model trains, G sized. I learned the G can stand for Garden size-suitable for…read moreoutdoor use.Tons to see and enjoy. Friendly "conductors" answer all the questions I had, never lost a smile. Interesting stories posted around, brings the city to life. Loved the experience, I will share, I had planned to enjoy the trains, and find a breakfast. Sans croissants. not much to pick from. Note to city planners?? lol

Across from what is now the Burlington Amtrak station, this marker points out some of the earliest…read morehistory of trains in North Carolina. The marker is high on the post but in excellent condition. The marker reads, "Company Shops built here in 1857 for maintenance and repair of the North Carolina Railroad. Closed in 1866." Online, there is more information. "Progressive leaders of North Carolina led by former Governor John Motley Morehead organized the North Carolina Railroad in July 1850. The first rails were laid in Greensboro in 1851 and by 1856 the railway was open for traffic between Goldsboro and Charlotte, passing through many of the state's prominent piedmont towns along its 223 miles of track. The new railway opened a new era of transportation in the state and created new markets for goods and products throughout the region. The railway served as the backbone of future railroad growth and led to the expansion of towns along its corridor. "One town that grew out of the railroad boom was Company Shops, now Burlington. Soon after construction was complete on the new railway and trains began their east-west travels, officials realized that centralized repair and maintenance operations were needed. After some deliberation, they decided that the offices and shops should be placed along the railroad corridor in an area roughly at the center of the laid track, in Alamance, a rural county. The North Carolina Railroad Company contracted with local families to purchase almost 632 acres of land for repair shops, offices and railroad employee homes. The company intended to control the growth of their new town, called Company Shops, by owning all land associated with the track repair shops. Brick buildings were constructed to house repair operations including two repair shops, a carpentry shop and a blacksmith shop. Company Shops grew into a bustling town until the start of the Civil War and, during the war, the town was a hub of activity as North Carolina's railroads were vital to the Confederate war effort. At the end of the war the shops were targets of both retreating Confederates and advancing Union forces. "The railroad industry struggled through Reconstruction and slowly rebuilt its network to meet the growing needs of the state. Despite post-war financial troubles, the shops and the town that grew up around them and Company Shops flourished until the 1880's. In 1886, after changes in the management of the railroad industry, officials moved the maintenance and repair operations to Manchester, Virginia, effectively cutting off the town's major source of employment and local business (NOTE: the marker incorrectly indicates the year of the closure as 1866). Following the devastation of losing the shops to Virginia, the townspeople changed the name of the town to Burlington in 1887." This is marker number G-89 and it was erected in 1972 by the Office Of Archives And History. [Review 58 of 2025 - 4033 in North Carolina - 23626 overall]

We chose the Arboretum for our small wedding and it was a perfect setting. Beautiful green…read moresurroundings and shade of large trees. Free wedding venue!

The Burlington Arboretum is far from where I was staying. I found it going for a walk one day…read more This park is absolutely peaceful and memorials for the one who served in the Air Force which is amazing. The eagle statue stand between the American flag and the North Carolina State flag. The arboretum is very well kept you and definitely tell the town of Burlington puts in the finances into keeping their parks well kept and maintained. This is where I would come to take walk or just sit in the grass and relax and take it all in. I've considered moving to NC and if I decided to make that move Burlington will definitely be where I'll call home.

I quite like this city, although there isn't enough going on for me to give it four stars. It…read morereminds me of an old era American town trying to revamp itself from its former hayday of industries. Whatever that means. The historic train depot is nice, the downtown area is quite walkable, a few restaurants and cafes and a really good ice cream shop called Smitty's. LabCorp, a company with awful quality and customer service, has their headquarters here.

From the owner: The City of Burlington is dedicated to providing high quality municipal services within our diverse…read morecommunity in a friendly, professional and efficient manner in order to promote the safety, health, and quality of life of residents and employees.