We were running a bit early for our motel check-in in Morganton, so we decided to dive off…read moreInterstate 40, and see what the little town Valdese was all about. It is located in Burke County, less than 10 miles East of Morganton, and has a total population of less than 5,000. One of the largest Waldensian congregations in the United States founded the town in 1893. The town was settled by immigrants from the Cottian Alps in the Piedmont region of Italy. The small, historic downtown section could be a poster child for quaint - it is clean, loaded with charm (almost all the "store fronts" were decorated for Halloween, flowers, etc), a beautiful church with a side garden and fountain, the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread emanating from a family owned bakery on the hill, and a feeling of 1950's serenity was all around. We walked around the three or four blocks (both sides), sat on a bench in the sun, wandered into a retro '50s diner called Myra's, had a great soft serve ice cream cone, and one bite of a bad hot dog - good times x2!

Went to the Children's Park today October 25. Had a large group and was so disappointed that the…read morerestrooms were locked. Why would they be locked during nice weather? No one could enjoy the park under those circumstances. Why would a park be open if the bathrooms were locked. Unbelievable and no excuse for that. As a tax payer and resident of Valdese I am very disappointed. Valdese do a better job!!

Downtown Morganton was a surprise. The biggest of all surprises and the highlight was the Catawba…read moreBrewing Company in an old warehouse downtown. Walking distance from restaurants, a neat old square complete with the typical memorial to the war of "northern aggression". Lots of shops around the square. Not a "destination" per se, but also "not not" a destination. There is a really great restaurant just around the corner from the Brewery. Churchill's. Upstairs is fine dining...downstairs a sports bar environment with live music.

Union Square is an amazing part of Downtown Hickory. The German cannon is what I first spotted from…read more1918 to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers from WWI. Union Square is basically a pedestrian mall with historic buildings containing shops; restaurants; a community theatre; City Walk and a park. During my walk around, I noticed an amphitheater so it appears they have live music here on occasion. Saturday morning they were setting up a Farmers Market. There are plenty of parking lots but it is a busy place so still might be difficult to snag a spot. Although I've just been there three times so there is likely more parking areas I don't know about. I need to go back and explore more!

A great place to go and spend time. Plenty of restaurants/coffee shops and neat little shops. City…read moreWalk runs along the railroad tracks and overall, I love Union Square!

We traveled here to visit friends and to explore the beautiful area that surrounds this town. This…read moreis a beautifully maintained town that incorporates an abundance of amazing landscaped homes and public areas. We had an opportunity to walk the downtown area exploring the shops and dined at one of its many wonderful restaurants with friends. Whether you travel in or out of the area via Routes 321 or 421 brace yourself to experience some extreme grades being this is truly a mountain town. I think most of the trip down the mountain in our Motorhome was in low gear with the jake brake engaged. We had a wonderful visit here and although we knew this trip here would be amazing it exceeded our expectations in every way, if you are traveling anywhere close to Blowing Rock it's definitely worth spending some time here...

This place is awesome-- good for the soul to walk around mountain roads and beautiful parks…read more It feels like a small ,4 street or so place with lots of park green spaces, hilly roads, boutiques, and eats of all sorts. I was luckily able to hike most of the streets of the exclusive Mayfield Park neighborhood---all on top of a glorious hill. I sweated my way through various hill streets with exclusive views. Both Westglow resort and spa AND Chetola Resort and spa are in town ( former more private and up a hill) and a refuge for those who crave privacy. Lots and lots of inns and cutesy hotels. A quite small Tanger outlet is also in town. Savings galore for myself at Banana Republic! Lake, waterfall, trails all accessible within the town center. Boone City is but :10 north on the 321. An easy drive a bit more up the mountain. It's the anniversary of my mother's passing. Just want to spend time with God, and her spirit

It's been awhile since I saw this masterpiece by Cerny a few years ago, and I found the perfect…read moreopportunity to go see it again... We went with some friends to check out this event, Metalmorphosis @ Whitehall with CSO Roadshow (and food trucks). What a fun idea! Surprisingly, it wasn't packed when we first got there, but gradually all the seats filled up. First of all, the Metal head was working (which is dicey!)...Thank God! I did wonder why it couldn't spew water from its mouth. THAT would be so spectacular! Still, the head did spin around, and segment into different pieces too. So amazing! It made a great backdrop for the CSO roadshow, which featured many pop songs over the decade. Surprisingly good...even for cheesy numbers like "Living La Loca" and "YMCA"!! The funny thing is...this corporate park is located near the airport, so there were many, many planes that flew over during the concert. Luckily, we were still able to hear the orchestra pretty good. The food truck was a bit disappointing though. Only 3 vendors...and the vendor we chose (King of Fire) was so slow, I almost gave up! More on that on another review. The sculpture looked so out of place...too majestic for such a common corporate park. In any case, I took several pictures of the sculpture this time. Hope they feature many more events here in the future.

Last time we were out here visiting looked up some art to see. Came across the Metalmorphosis Giant…read moreHead sculpture and thought that would be cool to take my grandkids out to see. It was a bit of a drive to get here and the sculpture is located tucked away around some office buildings. The day we came it was empty and we had the whole grounds to ourselves except for security, lol. This sculpture is really cool and I liked how it rotated around. It was really awesome to see how someone's vision can come to life with determination.

I really enjoyed this unlike our sad experience in NODA. A block long with lots of interesting…read morelocal artwork, which most of was quite good. It was a great 20-30 minutes wandering throughout. Definitely worth strolling through. Don't waste your time ambling through NODA murals. I won't make that mistake again.

Almost passed right by it -- it looks like an unsuspecting alleyway but fear not! The murals were…read moreBEAUTIFUL and I so appreciate when cities make an effort to incorporate more art into its streets

This shop is amazing! Home to over 50 WOMEN vendors. Holiday ornaments, jewelry, soaps, candy,…read moredresses, pants, shorts, tops, sweaters. A shopping delight. Items sold are unique and one of a kind. You will not find an item in a retail or big box store. Space is huge and nicely set up. Cashiers are fantastic and will point out items of interest. Clothing is final sale. Good news there are private dressing rooms with full length mirrors. There is something for everyone! Get started on your holiday gifts and stop by. It's in Concord at Carolina Mall!

It's a nice store with a variety of items for both personal and gifting…read more Clothing is nice but the problem I have with it is their no-return policy- that you find out at the register. I purchased several items anyway and she asked me if I wanted a receipt...is there a point besides your own record keeping? lol. I liked it but it was pricey on most items but still fun to look through. Probably won't go back unless it's for an item for myself. I wouldn't want to purchase anything for another person and they not be able to return or exchange if it doesn't work out for them. Just my opinion.

Located in one of the more upper crust neighborhoods of a town that's already upper crust itself,…read morethis sculpture is definitely political. The statue depicts a Jesus as a homeless vagrant sleeping on a park bench. Huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured, only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet give him away. The bronze statue was purchased for $22,000 as a memorial for a parishioner, Kate McIntyre, who loved public art. The rector of this liberal, inclusive church is the Rev. David Buck, a 65-year-old Baptist-turned-Episcopalian who seems not at all averse to the controversy, the double takes and the discussion the statue has provoked. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me." -Matthew 25:40 [Review 13405 overall, 724 of 2020.]

This is homeless Jesus I guess they have a lot of these because we have one of these in my city…read morethat I live in. So we were downtown exploring the area we came across another homeless Jesus. I guess the meaning of this is to love everyone and just respect people no matter who or what they are.

Second tour I've done with John and he is THE BEST! So knowledgeable, interesting and FUN! Highly…read morerecommend anything and everything he offers.

Greenville History Tours is the main tour operator in the city of Greenville, offering a variety of…read moreculinary and history tours. As I wanted to get out of the city and see the surrounding area, I opted to go with their 5-hour Carolina Countryside tour, which is a culinary tour offered once a week. The tour includes several stops including the historic Pointsett Bridge, the base of Table Rock Mountain, a tea farm, and 2 food stops at the Cherokee Country Club and Aunt Sue's Country Corner. The first stop was at Core 450 restaurant at Cherokee Valley Country Club. We were able to sample some absolutely delicious food with beautiful views of the golf course. Their French toast was some of the best I've ever had, and chicken items were also of very high quality. The second main stop was a tea farm at Table Rock Tea Company. The owner was super enthusiastic in showing us around the tea farm, but the tour did seem to drag on for those that weren't overly interested in the tea process. The sweet tea samples were refreshing on a very hot and sunny day. The final stop was a buffet style meal at Aunt Sue's Country Corner. Personally, I thought the food quality here was pretty poor and much preferred the food at our first stop. I know this was a food tour, but felt it could have done without the final stop, and could have been more balanced if it explored the mountain or lakes of the area more, with just the country club food stop and perhaps stops for coffee/baked goods and/or ice cream along the way. Overall, this tour was a great introduction to the area, and the food tour parts of it definitely filled guests up. I would suggest that this tour be tweaked to be a nature and countryside tour with less emphasis on food and a bit more exploration. The tour operator/owner, John Nolan was an absolute delight offering great narration and audiovisuals to help us gain a better understanding of the history of the area. I wouldn't hesitate to take another tour with Greenville History Tours, and would recommend their tours to any visiting the Greenville area.