For fans of The Hunger Games films, this is a must-see!…read more We stopped in on a beautiful spring day. We were given an informative tour by Donavan, who was hilarious and full of knowledge. After the tour, we were free to explore the 78 acres. It's a beautiful place and we had a great time looking at the mill homes and the surrounding terrain. They also offer a military discount which is always appreciated! Great place!

"The Hunger Games filming location - District 12" and an Old Mill town full of history! A must…read morevisit! We were in Hickory for the weekend and we're looking for things to do nearby. I found this place and I saw that "Hunger Games" were filmed there and decided to go check it out. We paid $18 per person to enter and it includes a 30 min tour that explains the history of Henry River Village and talk a bit about the "Hunger Games" filming locations and you can even go inside Katniss' house. After that, you can walk around on your own. You're not allowed inside the other houses or on the porches for your own safety since the houses are very old and abandoned. The history of the place is very interesting to listen to. I recommend you actually participating in the tour. It's quick and interactive and the lady is very passionate and respectful about the place's history. You can also stay there for the night. They renovated one of the houses and you can book it and have the whole village for yourself. You can actually watch the renovation on HBO Max "In with the Old" Season 1 episode 4.

Very cool urban "archaeological" find...nobody but locals "in the know" seem to be aware it's even…read morethere! Found out about it from the very nice & informative bartender at Dust Off Brewing (check out doing to the YoCo Brew Trail; check into 6 breweries on the app & get a t-shirt). He couldn't quite remember how to get to it, but after some intensive research, found the geo coordinates. That was honestly the only way to find this place, plus a little guts & guesswork. You can quasi see some portion of the rockwork of the ruinous remains from the paved Riverwalk trail. The "easiest" way to get to the ruins is to follow the Riverwalk Piedmont Medical Center Trail to just before mile marker 1.25; you will see this steep wooden thing with awkwardly placed planks. You basically have to rock-wall climb your way up. From there you are on a mountain biking trail. Follow the arrows for just over a quarter mile and you will see some indicators of the ruins before they open up in front of you. You will most likely have the place to yourself. Really cool to wander around and take it all in. Just be careful with holes and don't walk on or within the actual ruins as they are pretty sketch & unsteady. There are spiders, snakes, and flying insects galore, so put on repellent and stay vigilant cuz it is deep woods! You can either get back down the way you came; I found this gray rock slope that I found easier to navigate than sliding down the wood thing I climbed up. Either way, really neat find and I'm so glad I explored to find it! The paved walkway along the Catawba is also a nice walk to and from!

Murray's Mill is easy to find from I-40. The gristmill was built in 1913 and the Murray & Minges…read morestore from the 1890s is also open. When you arrive, find a spot to park on either side of the street. Then go into the Murray & Minges General Store to pay for your self-guided tour. You will receive a binder to read through of the history and photos of the equipment and what it does. You can tour all three levels of the mill as there are stairs to the top floor and stairs to the basement. The mill used the barter system to grind wheat and corn. The water wheel is 28 foot high and 4 foot wide. the buckets on it have rusted so they are raising money for the needed repairs. The water wheel is attached by a shaft to a gear on the wall and powers everything in the mill except the lights. The mill is still operational and grinds on the 3rd Sunday of the month when it is warm enough. The stones weigh 2400 pounds and were used to cut corn and wheat. Leather belts were used and were pieced together to make them long enough. They could make 300 pounds of flour an hour which was much less than what modern mills could produce. 10 sets of pins are needed to make flour and roller mills are used to crush the wheat. Each screen has an elevator and each set basically sifts the flour to get it to where it needs to be. Making flour creates a white dust and that dust is explosive. If you are looking for a historic mill to visit this one is a great one to visit and learn how the mill operated.

A fun historical site, preserved so well & well worth the $7. Remarkable how industrious & sharp…read morethis family was. From a time when attention to detail was valued, all the chutes are made of wood with beveled edges & beadwork because...some of it is furniture quality. Pay your way & get the 3-ring binder of pics/info & step back in time. This is the heartbeat of America. "1965-1966 - Lloyd & brother Ernest run the milling operation by themselves to cut cost. In 1966 Lloyd let Ernest go & ran the whole mill on his own. Ernest went to work for Southern Furniture. 1967 - The mill closes due to government taxing. In 1964, the federal government levied a grain tariff that heavily taxed corn & wheat. Small mills were put out of business by larger industrial mills. Lloyd Murray had been working by himself for the last year, he locked up the mill & went home for the last time. He goes to work for Pinnacle Furniture Company. 1980/81 - With help from NC Preservation Fund & Stewart Family, the Catawba County Historical Assoc. purchases Murray's Mill, the General Store, & the Wheathouse for $68,000. 1982 - John Murray dies one month shy of his 105* birthday. At the time he had 10 children, 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, & 3 great-great-grandchildren. 1986 - Murray & Minges General Store reopens to the public. 1988, April 30 - Murray's Mill reopens to the public after a $2M restoration". That's just a taste of the recent info, go get a history lesson...wheel is still in the process of being replaced

Built in 1998 for nearly $2m, this is a modern covered pedestrian bridge and it is named for the…read moreroad that it covers, Old Salem Road. It is located at the site of North Carolina's first Moravian community and is next to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. I found it interesting that it is the first covered bridge built in North Carolina in nearly a quarter century, and is one of only three in the State. From the American Society of Civil Engineers (North Carolina) web site, "It is a timber Burr arch truss bridge (named for early 19th Century American bridge builder Theodore Burr) which compliments the characteristics of Old Salem's Moravian heritage. The structure spans approximately 120' over Old Salem Bypass with 17' vertical clearance over the roadway, and a 12' walkway. The bridge is framed with two massive Burr-arch trusses, 15'-10" in height with a 5' rise. The arches spring from two cast in place concrete, stone-faced abutments. The western landing of the bridge has stairs and a wheelchair ramp, meeting the American with Disabilities Act requirements, providing access to the bridge from the strollway. East of Old Salem bypass, the structure connects to an elevated concrete walkway leading to the stairwell and ramp, which connects to Main Street." It is a spectacular photo opportunity and in fact, a family was having some professional portraits done when I was here. Sorry to disturb y'all! [Review 19948 overall - 3435 in North Carolina - 922 of 2023.]

Super cute spot. Looked like someone had just gotten married there because there was confetti…read moreeverywhere. Great stop for pictures and easy to walk too. Wheelchair accessible as well.

Great venue, organizers did a fantastic job reenactor did a great job portraying local militia and…read morethe burning of the baggage shows how desperate the British were.

Revolutionary War battle site featuring original cabins, a mass grave and a beautiful .3 mile loop…read morewalking trail. Very peaceful and educational.

This was a very nice tour and so informative. We got a great tour of the inside of the house as…read morewell as its surrounding areas. So much history! This is a great place to visit if you are in the area. Staff was very nice too and the place is very well maintained.

Beautiful property and enjoyed the history and gardens. Did not get to tour the house as it was…read morenear closing time.

Being born and raised in SoCal this was a cool place to stop. My friend who recently moved nearby…read morefrom California had seen the sign to this place but hadn't had the chance to visit yet. So off to the bridge we go. It was not far from the freeway. We were the only ones in the park on this overcast, hot and humid day. We weren't sure how far we had to hike to the bridge and the map at the kiosk was a bit faded so it made it difficult to figure out. After doing one loop we looked at the map and went the opposite direction. Thankfully there wasn't much bug activity going on. Not sure if it's because put on bug repellent on before our trek. Anyway, we found it! It wasn't even a mile to the bridge. We were glad we didn't give up and made it to this cool bridge. It's historic and also one of the last covered bridges in NC. It's beautiful here, plenty of lush trees. The have signs and info along the path. My friend said that schools plan field trips to visit here. The bridge is sadly covered with graffiti but if you can look past that you will see the beauty of the bridge and imagine yourself in the time it was built. There is quite a few parking spaces and a covered seating area. It's worth stopping to check out.

Has to make a trek out to Bunker Hills Covered Bridge one afternoon recently, to enjoy the fall day…read moreand see on of the last and few remaining covered truss bridges left. Built in 1894 and covered in 1900, this one hundred plus year old landmark sits quietly off in the distance on an off beaten path. There is paved parking close but you must walk in a short distance to see the actual structure. Its covered in graffiti now but still standing, strong timbers and heavy wood beams with a heavy wooden two runner lane path. Its not in service any longer but is still walkable. We stopped and admired this century plus old bridge and then took a slow stroll across it, thinking about all the people from eras long ago that had walked before where we were walking. A Solid 4 Stars - Worth the effort and journey, if you like history, old bridges or unique structures and architecture 01171

HISTORIC LATTA PLANTATION Come check out this historica…read moreplantation if you're into old history about how farm life and slavery was back in the days in North Carolina. Small quaint houses and animals adorn this quiet farmstead. Luckily for me, today, there was a WWII reenactment happening this weekend. On the night of July 9th, 1943, the Allied invasion of Sicily , codenamed Operation Husky, commenced. This proved to be a very important WWII campaign which incorporated both amphibious and airborne operations. The Battle For Sicily consisted of 6 hard weeks of land combat pushing the Axis Army into Italy. This kicked off the Italian Campaign which would last until the end of the war in Europe. The Allied Army was made up of soldiers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Newfoundland, and the Free French - a total of 160,000 personnel. The Axis Army was made up of soldiers fro Italy and Germany - a total of 290,000 personnel. Here, in this reenactment, German soldiers take over a plantation and battle both US and British armed forces, where they are defeated when they get attacked on both sides. Even with a German halftrack, the battle is lost for the Germans!

The entrance fee to walk around independently is $5 but there isn't much to see except some…read morebuildings with animals that is like visiting a small farm. The buildings that are meant to appear as being refurbished appropriate to the era when the plantation was functioning are minimal, three small single room buildings. Not worth the price. I did not do the guided tour that was $9 to tour the single plantation home for 45 minutes which seemed like a really long tour for the small plantation house. Might be a good tour for school children but wasn't worthwhile for an adult. Plenty of onsite parking on a quiet weekday visit.

For the 5th year running my family and I did the Amazing Maze and we loved it. It started with my…read moredaughter and I years ago then we expanded the family and others joined in and now we take quite the group. It is so much fun. We had great times trying to find our way out and doing the various puzzles as we move about. All of us have tried to lead and we have always shared many laughs. This year I was extremely excited to see the AFTER pandemic approach to the Hill as they had a festival feel with all types of retail and food choices. They even had places set-up for you to take selfies or have photo opportunities. What a nice touch. I cannot wait until next year.

Not adult friendly for actual attendants. Miserable mindsets of workers, sadly…read more The maze is fun and interactive. The check in attendants were rude to adults and after spending an hour in the maze. We went to return our pencil and crayons and there was a candy bowl. The lady with frizzy grey/dirty blonde hair yelled at us saying 8 and under and that that's all the candy for the day. At first I thought she was joking and laughed it off. But unfortunately she was being serious. Candy is a festive piece to fall and Halloween. It's not designated for kids. Majorly let down and made me feel bad for trying to have fun on my weekend.

While in Hickory, I knew I had to make a stop at the Harper House. After you drive up the driveway,…read morethere is a free parking for you to use on the property. When you arrive for your tour, you do need to go to the Lyerly House (Hickory History Center) to check in and pay rather than the Harper House. (I do think they want you to schedule an appointment to tour the house even though I just showed up and asked for a tour as I didn't know about needing an appointment then) I don't have much background in Hickory's history so I wasn't sure what to expect with the Harper House. From the minute I walked in the house, I was wowed. It is said to be the finest Queen Anne home in the state and I think I'd agree with that statement. The house was built in 1887 by Daniel Webster Schuler who founded Hickory's first bank. The Harper's acquired the house in 1923 and three generations of the family lived in the house. In 2000, Catawba County took ownership of the house and started to restoring it to its original Victorian decor. The architecture is just amazing and unique in this house from the fish scale shingles to the spindles on the porch railing to the pebble dashing to the stained glass windows to the cherry staircase to the winged Mercury on the stair post to the parquet floors. The ornate details are there. I hadn't seen wallpaper before on the ceilings or various patterns used together. One room had at least 13 different patterns in the design. The furnishings are elegant to show off their luxury. It is a little overwhelming. The draperies are beautiful and the chandeliers are amazing but it is a lot. The attic was a fun surprise as that is the speakeasy used during Prohibition and the Harpers required they get a silhouette on the wall. I highly recommend touring the Harper House as you are in for a treat with this gem.

Lovely Victorian house. Nice way to spend an hour or two. The guide had a lot of knowledge about…read morethe entire history of the home & the exhibit in the office building on polio was very interesting.