On a visit to the Charlotte/Kannapolis/Concord area to visit all of the NASCAR Team…read moreGarages/Headquarters, Hendricks Motorsports was our third stop. We visited the Hendrick campus this past summer, on a Thursday afternoon in July. It was not super busy, but there were a few other groups in the museum and store while we were there. The campus is located in Concord, and there is plenty of private parking just steps away from the front doors of the museum and gift shop. It was easy to figure out we were in the right spot with the ample signage around the property. The museum and gift shop are essentially one and the same - you walk into the lobby of the building, and the museum is mostly around the perimeter of the space, while the gift shop area is in the center. The team garages are located in another building on the property. We had positive interactions with all of the staff, and especially with the woman who works reception at in the building with the team garages (her name escapes me, but she was so wonderful!). The review is further broken down into categories below: Displays/Museums/Historical Items - 4/5 Rating The downright history, and all of the cars to see at Hendrick is unmatched. There is a lot to take in regarding the history and variety. Also, the amount of cars to see is impressive. All or the cars are behind ropes, so you cannot touch them or get very close. As stated above, the museum is located in one large space, so the cars are just what can fit along the perimeter of the room. There are also large displays discussing the history of Hendrick, along with various trophies. Team Store - 5/5 Rating Hendrick has the largest selection of merchandise for any of the racing teams, by far. There is plenty of selection for each current cup series driver, along with a diverse selection for past drivers. There was a clearance rack of items, and they were also running a promotion of a free item if you spent so much in the shop. You got to pick the item from a select area in the shop. The die cast selection left something to be desired. However, there are plenty of knickknack-type items to choose from. Garage Access - 2/5 Rating In terms of garage access, there is not a ton for this team. As stated above, the garage is located in a separate building on the property from the museum and gift shop. But, this access of this area is limited. The viewing area is only one smaller window. They were working on an Xfinity car at the time we were there, and you were asked not to take pictures of the garage area. Overall Access - 5/5 Rating The access here is rather vast when comparing to other teams. You are able to drive around the entire campus, and see a lot while doing so due to the size. Additionally, there is access for fans to the pit practice area. This is a unique aspect of Hendrick that we did not see from other teams. There is also access to the team lobby, specifically the 5 and the 9 who share a building. This is where the garage viewing area is located. It also had multiple trophies on display, historical items and past cars. Extras - 5/5 Rating Being able to see live pit practice for the team is rather insane. This is not happening at all hours the shop and museum are open, but when the crew is conducting practice, fans are invited to view the sessions. We witnessed this on a previous trip to Hendrick, and watched the practice for an extended period. The pit practices are held in the designated area behind the museum and gift shop. There were even bleachers for fans to sit on for the practice. The Hero Cards are also located in the lobby/entrance of the museum, and the selection was good! In the 5 and 9 team buildings is where the public access to the garages are located. There are a few more race cars to see in there, but the highlight of this part of Hendrick is the receptionist for the building. She was so friendly, and let us hold the sword trophy from Jimmie Johnson's last Bristol win. It is right on the desk, so you will not miss it. This was a major highlight for my fiancé! If you can only make one racing team stop while in the area, Hendrick is the place to stop. There is a lot to look at in the museum, as well as one of the most diverse gift shops of all the teams. It is nice to be able to get merchandise from current drivers, as well as retired Hendrick legends. The extras here are top-notch. If you are able to visit during the pit practice, that would make the whole trip worth it. This absolutely is a must-stop for any racing fan while in the area.

Was lucky enough to come here for a speaking engagement with SAE. Hendrick was so hospitable,…read moreoffered private tours of their facility for our group, and some cool interactions with their employees. I've been here before as a NASCAR fan and this just heightened my opinion of the company and their workforce.

This facility is amazing and the staff are extremely helpful, kind, willing to go out of their way…read moreto help you out! I highly recommend visiting this amazing museum and tribute to the Great Terminator!

The offerings of Dale Earnhardt Inc. are definitely well-kept secrets in Mooresville, NC…read more Visitors can visit the facility: - Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. From the company's website: "DEI has a retail store and showroom open Monday through Friday (9 - 5) and Saturdays (10 - 4) that are both free of charge for visitors. They are also open some special hours during race time, so be sure to call ahead before visiting. The showroom contains one of a kind items that are a must see for Dale Earnhardt Fans. Some of these items include all 7 championship trophies, some of Dale's old fire suits, some of Dale's old race cars, and much more!" Right now (December 2012), the building is decorated in a vibrant shade of red for the holidays! Also on the DEI campus are the offices of the technology group and The Dale Earnhardt Foundation. Though these are not open to the public to visit, these offices are a wonderful testament to the work still being down around the NASCAR industry. For more information about The Dale Earnhardt Foundation, visit: www.dalearnhardtinc.com/foundation

If you're a history buff, this might be worth a stop. Actually, even if you're not, this might be a…read moregood stop once at least. The grounds are beautiful and very peaceful. We visited on a Tuesday afternoon and hardly anyone else was there, so it was really quiet and relaxing. Most of the grounds have are shaded by trees, so even though it was a hot day (in the high 80s), it was pleasant walking around. What was a disappointment was that we couldn't enter any of the buildings, so the self tour was only to see the exteriors. The exhibits upstairs were interesting, too. One was on political cartoons and the other was on philanthropy; both worth a visit!

Parking is a breeze. It's a lovely structure. There is a flow to this place…read more We arrived about 2PM on a sweltering Friday in August. What a lucky day that for this entire month admission is free, and we were just in time for a guided tour! We viewed the grounds of Hezikiah Alexander's homestead. Our tour guide and group were all terrific. Everyone was eager to learn and respectful of the exhibition and each other. The tour lasted about an hour with great sensory experiences in the garden and it was just the right level of audience interaction. As an African American person, I was appreciative to the mention of the enslaved people who ran this massive house. The kitchen area was really interesting to me, but there were so many spider webs and bugs all around.... I was concerned. The maintenance/cleaning staff should come in there for a quick visit. At the end our tour, the guide rung a gigantic bell and explained the symbolism of the hornet for Charlotte, North Carolina. It was inspiring and quite bad a$$ery. As a British soldier beat a retreat out of town he remarked "this place is just a hornets nest of rebellion!" As an independent colony from the crown, Charlotteans have proudly sported the symbol of the hornet since then. The plight of indigenous people was very lightly addressed with a terrible exhibition of a red dress to bring awareness to missing and murdered indigenous women. They really should seek to create an exhibit more inclusive, relevant and respectful to the original inhabitants of this land. That too is the history of Charlotte.

Magnificent free museum. The front desk check-in lady was incredibly flattering, she thought I was…read moreactually playing in the Charlotte FC game when she asked why I was in town, and me being in town "for the game" was delightfully read by her as me playing in the game, which was an "I wish" moment. Number of people who think I look like a MLS player that are not my mommy: we're up to one now, but men remember every compliment they receive (most don't get that many) so obviously I will remember this forever. The museum has a large footprint in the building for being an overall relatively small museum. There is a lot of empty floor space which is for vibes I guess, or the Southern deep fried ambiance that you need adequate room to maneuver yourself around the wide open walkways when Bojangles is sufficiently well-loved around these parts. The museum is very similar to the STL Gateway Arch Museum, in terms of set up, focus on limited time periods, lewks, and content depth. This free museum is an introduction to a very interesting, historically rich city that gives you a taste of the history (but isn't a dissertation on every little thing) and gets you excited about the future of the city based on some key moments in modernity. While the state government was very particular about which bathroom you used up until it was repealed in 2020, CLT had originally passed local protections that the state got threatened by and made an international spectacle of for years of high profile constitutional litigation and appeals. If you read somewhat fast you can get through the entire museum in under 30 minutes; it is closer in size to the Bechtler rather than the Mint. It is well situated on S. Tryon (the city so far has resisted the obvious name change to Trigon, for all my Teen Titans bros, bro-ettes, and non-binary brxs) to hop, skip, or frogger across the street to the Bechtler and Mint for further museum experiences nearby. They have weird hours and occasional closure days (put actually tell you about it in advance) so be sure to check their webpage to plan ahead for when you can drop in. The gift shoppe is very small but every purchase helps support the free museum so I picked up a shirt for my next volunteer shift at the food bank this week. When you visit here too I am sure you will want to contribute something (voluntarily) to help support the free museum. That is when you know you have a free museum that actually works as intended. A great place to start to realise why Charlotte is one of my favourite American cities, and it could be one of yours too.

This is a small elegant museum, free to enter. It captures the history and evolution of Charlotte…read moreand North Carolina pretty well. It's a single floor, takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much time you spend on each topic. Lots of images, maps, explanation of milestone moments for the city and the state that shaped it over centuries. The two key events I remember from visit are Charlotte's role in ending segregation and the city became the a leader in banking world. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Charlotte for the first time.

The marker is on the east side of the Bank of America stadium, inside the gates. You'll be able to…read moresee the marker from outside but probably not read it unless you have a ticket for a game. It points out what was here before it was a ballpark. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Good Samaritan Hospital. 1891-1961. Site of the first independent private hospital in North Carolina built exclusively for African Americans. Established by Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. One of the oldest black hospitals then in operation in the U.S." In 1961, ownership was transferred to the City of Charlotte and the facility was renamed Charlotte Community Hospital. It continued operating until 1982, when it was converted into a rest home. Ultimately, in 1996, the building was demolished to make way for the stadium. [Review 518 of 2025 - 4118 in North Carolina - 24079 overall]

A must stop when in town! Great little museum honoring all of our veterans... but the best part is…read morebeing able to talk to the vets that go there daily. We met phenomenal people that did extraordinary things to keep us a free country. So happy to find this living museum!

Stopped in unannounced so there was nobody available for the meet and greet and tour. Since the…read morebuilding appears to be locked up tight I gave it a wide berth to avoid arousing suspicions (I imagine NRC-jail being 7200x worse than airport-jail which I assume is 20x worse than regular jail). Like everything else around here it looks to be in good repair and the deck is in fabulous condition. Nice views of the lake and the grounds and there's large circular plaques with information on Lake Norman and the generating stations attached to it plus there's a trail for hiking nature nearby, little maps are provided that highlight additional information stations along the route.

This was a beautiful area to hike to the woods. It was a fun area to be educated about the…read moredifferent types of trees that they have here in North Carolina. I know they have a nuclear plant and a dam close by but it was very educational and gorgeous to be outside on this beautiful North Carolina day. I WOULD recommend if you have a chance to go here and check it out yourself.

Been to Smoky Mountains many times before but this time I definitely have to give it 5 stars…read more Yosemite has nothing compared to Smoky Mountains. 2nd time I go this year and first I was able to see a black bear and this time we saw many elks. The fog and views looked amazing. The changing of the colors of the leaves. It was incredible.

Smoky Mountain is America's most visited national park and it is shared by the states of North…read moreCarolina and Tennessee. Often referred to as the Smokies and the name originated from the fog that sits above the range. The views are astounding and if you want to get back to nature then this certainly is the place to do so. Several different types of campsite are offered in the park, but there is only one lodge, the Le Conte Lodge and advanced reservation is always required. However there are numerous outside the park. The park is a long drive from the regions surrounding the international airports but worth a visit.