Located on a street corner at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains here in Morganton, this…read moremarker points out the spot where a structure used to be, four miles from here. I'm sure if they put the marker at the spot, no one would see it so it's here. This is well before the English colonies were here so quite old! The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Fort San Juan. Built by Juan Pardo in 1567 at native town of Joara. Served as Spanish outpost until razed by Indians, 1568. Northeast 4 miles." Online, there is more information. "Columbus' landfall in the Bahamas in October 1492 initiated what was perhaps the most dramatic century of cultural exchange in human history. Over two continents, the native peoples of the Americas--from Tierra del Fuego to the St. Lawrence River--withstood waves of explorers, settlers, proselytizers, and profiteers from Spain, England, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, and other distant centers of European colonial aspiration. Of these nations, Spain was the most ambitious in its early efforts at exploration and conquest." "Archaeological research at the Berry site in Burke County has shed significant light on the process and practice of colonialism in the Americas, as its borderland setting was the northern frontier of Spain's long reach. There, in January 1567 at a native village named Joara, Captain Juan Pardo founded a garrison, Fort San Juan, and manned it with thirty soldiers. Occupied for nearly a year and a half, it was the first European settlement in the interior of what is now the United States. The Berry site witnessed one of the longest periods of sustained contact between Europeans and the peoples of North America's interior until the seventeenth century." [Review 20121 overall - 3473 in North Carolina - 1097 of 2023.]

Amazing tour!!! Wonderful history! I highly recommend coming here to learn THE TRUTH!read more

Extremely interesting and educational exhibit in Valdese! My family has a distant connection to…read morethe Waldensian faith, so we took a field trip to the Trail of Faith to learn more about it. The staff was very sweet and helpful. The layout of the trail is interactive and engaging. They have an amphitheater for their outdoor drama which shows in August. There is Christmas light display, but we have yet to see it. Every time we drive over to drive through, it's been closed!

The Historic Burke County Courthouse is located in Downtown Morganton, NC, surrounded by convenient…read morefree parking. As the oldest building in Western North Carolina, it has limited open hours and offers both self-guided and guided tours. I opted for the guided tour because I always prefer having the inside information. A Scottish builder named James Binnie constructed the building from 1833 to 1837 using nearby quarried stone. In April 1865, Union Major General George Stoneman's cavalry forces raided the courthouse, sparing the architecture but burning and destroying the majority of the county's early property deeds and records. Later in 1903, Frank Milburn remodeled the exterior, covering the native stone with stucco and adding a Baroque-style cupola. The State Supreme Court held summer sessions at the courthouse from 1847 to 1862. This allowed them to escape the heat in Raleigh. It remains one of only three places in the state legally allowed to host these high court sessions. The courthouse served the community until a new court complex was completed in 1976. It took a group of local citizens to save it from demolition, leading to a full interior and exterior restoration in the early 1980s. When the building was saved from demolition and restored between 1983 and 1984, the architectural teams preserved the historical integrity of the stairs while adding modern safety features. Today, the interior space has an elevator to the second floor if you'd rather not take the curvy staircase with different-height steps. Today, the courthouse serves as a museum. It features a permanent representation of a turn-of-the-twentieth-century lawyer's office. Furniture and personal items were donated by Senator Sam J. Ervin Jr.'s family, even though he never had an office in this courthouse. Ervin was a native of the area and the prominent chairman of the Watergate Committee. The courtroom on the second floor reminded me of a theatre with the stage and the sloped floor. The judge's box and jury box were elevated on the stage, with spectators watching from the floor. It was designed this way so everyone could see and for the hierarchical authority of the law. The space now serves as a community auditorium. The courthouse grounds feature a statue of Senator Sam Ervin, the Charters of Freedom monument (displaying bronze replicas of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights), and a historical 1911 Confederate monument. In 2019, a mandala was added when Tibetan monks visited from the Drepung Loseling Monastery. The monks spent a week handcrafting a traditional sacred sand mandala, then ceremoniously dissolving it to symbolize impermanence. It was suggested that local citizens use colored sand to build their own community version. The design was made into a permanent artwork to preserve the occasion and the cross-cultural unity. Throughout the summer months, this historic lawn continues to bring people together, serving as the main gathering space for Morganton's free Friday night community concert series.

Walking the grounds of the Historic Burke County Courthouse, you can feel the weight of nearly two…read morecenturies of local history standing about. This place isn't just old. It's foundational. It is literally built of native stone quarried just a few miles north of town thanks to Scottish building Jamed Binnie, who won the construction contract in 1833. By 1836, the county had its new courthouse, a sturdy Classical Revival structure with clean lines, pedimented porticos, and the kind of solid, square presence that makes you feel that justice really does happen inside. What really gives the building its current personality is the 1903 renovation by architect Frank Pierce Milburn, who elevated the porticos and swapped the original simple cupola for the dramatic Baroque-style one that crowns the roof today. It's the kind of flourish that makes it stand out and maybe stare a minute or two. Over the years, the courthouse has seen everything from North Carolina Supreme Court sessions (from 1847 to 1862) to Union cavalry raids in 1865 and now it lives on as a museum and event space, beautifully restored and still the centerpiece at the heart of Morganton. There is street parking all around. [Review 546 of 2026 - 4641 in North Carolina - 25728 overall]

You might drive right past this pedestrian bridge and not think much about it. But this relic from…read morethe past built in 1928 once carried Highway 70 over the Stones River, one of America's longest roads designated in 1926 connecting Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean! It's also one of the world's last surviving fusions of a K-truss design (at the center) and a Parker truss design (outer panels). The k-truss, debuting in 1918, is exceptionally strong and supports tremendous weight, even fully loaded trains! This design features a framework that branches off a central vertical post, connected to the top and bottom in a pattern that resembles the letter "K." The Parker truss, first patented in 1870, features the top of a bridge sloping upward to its central pinnacle instead of approaching it perpendicular to the street below.

The Bob Sheehan Memorial Bridge sits alongside Lebanon Pike and is now part of the Stones River…read moreGreenway, and is easily accessible via Lebanon Pike or the Kohl's Greenway entrance. What once was an iconic bridge for travelers is now a historic pedestrian bridge that passes over top of Stones River and connects portions of the ever expanding Greenway. The bridge is small, but mighty with the large steel overhead and wide pathway. On one side you have river views and the other is Lebanon Pike, so one is definitely nicer than the other! The bridge is kept clean and for the most part is kept up by the city. It's a nice landmark, and a great part of the Greenway!

Beautiful hikes and mountains views. Nice picnic area with restrooms available. Several people…read morefishing or playing in the stream. Good place for families.

Amazing views!!!…read more Came here on a group hike and it did not disappoint! We did the 4 something mile loop from the upper parking lot to the waterfall and back to the parking lot. It is hard! The amount of incline is enough but going up the stairs after resting at the waterfall was dreadful. We survived! The views are OMG!!!!! Wow! Breathtaking at each lookout. The stone is so smooth it almost looks painted. It rained a little at one of our lookout stops and it was such a refreshing experience. Cellphone reception here is super limited and so I want to come back in hopes I'll be able to actually track my hike .

Our first play at Broyhill. Very convenient location and easy parking. Facility is nice and people…read morewere friendly. The auditorium is well equipped - attractive with good lighting and sound. The seat rows are close together with little leg room and no one can pass by you unless you stand up and move. Seat bottoms felt a little worn as we sunk down in them. The play we went to see was a disappointment. We drove an hour and a half to see it and left at intermission. The set was pitiful and the acting was like junior high school. There weren't a lot of people there and it seemed a lot of them knew people in the cast. We have marvelous college theater in our little town and we were surprised at the lack of quality and professionalism. What they did to the casting was was horrid. We wasted a day and thirty bucks. I hate to be so blunt - but that's what reviews are for. Have to tell the truth. I'm sure the young folks are nice kids, but most were not actors. I guess I helped fund a fun a experience for them but.........

They had a sort of decent Director for this place but when he left they let a wanna be comedian…read moretake over. He loves to get on stage just to hear himself talk and introduce everything like he's on Hee Haw. He points to the Exits like it's a joke to tell people what to do in an emergency. Show selections are poor. Once in awhile they get something good. They could get their heads out of the sand long enough to look around and find good shows like they do over in Morganton. There's no staff to speak of - especially on a show night. This place is run like it's someone's back yard theater. Totally unprofessional. And to top that off the guy that runs the place rude to ticket holders. He won't have to worry about me buying a ticket again.