The North Carolina Transportation Museum has been on my list to visit for a while now, and I…read morefinally made it to Spencer, NC, to check it out. I love museums and have been to a lot of them, and some are better than others. This one felt disjointed and not cohesive. It could be improved. Tickets are purchased near the building near the train tracks. You get a wristband and a map to go on your way. The museum is on 60 acres, so there is a lot of walking. The Southern Railway Spencer Shops were once located here. 3000 people worked at Spencer Shops to keep the steam engines working properly. Spencer was halfway between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA, and the steam engines needed to be serviced about every 150 miles. They could run for about two hours, but then needed an hour of service to keep everything operating properly. I started in the Back Shop (look for the BE CAREFUL sign), which was built in 1905 for steam locomotives that required more extensive maintenance. The building is the size of two football fields. The building now shows all forms of transportation, from bicycles to fire trucks to cars to airplanes to rail cars to boats and canoes. This was a large building, and it wasn't clear which path we were to walk through it, as there were two aisles with items on both sides, along with empty areas. Building F housed the Roundhouse, which was the best of the buildings. It is the largest remaining roundhouse in the country. This was like a garage with 37 stalls to repair the steam engines. Now, inside it, you will find steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars, and a full-size replica of the Wright Flyer. There is an area where you can see people working on the cars, and at the end of the building, there are some train cars that you can enter. The exhibits in this building are well done, and you can read the storyboards about the exhibits. I started in the orientation room to watch the video about the site's history, but it wasn't available to me. I was just handed another map. I'm not sure if he didn't want to start it for just one person, but I would have liked to see it as it would have provided background on the complex. The staff member wasn't friendly and didn't seem like he wanted to answer questions. Building G was the wheel balancing exhibit in a shed. The scales made sure the weight was correct for being on the train tracks. Buildings C, D and E felt like a waste. C was decorated for the Easter events, so it didn't seem the building was being properly utilized. There were some dining car exhibits in there. Building D had a model train layout and is used for storage. Building E had more classic cars. More signage would help to get from the buildings, if they made a path to follow. I didn't see any signage for getting from building G to E, so I had to backtrack through buildings F and B to get there, as I wasn't sure where I was allowed to walk on the gravel and tracks. This is where a guide would have been helpful to direct guests. Then, the inside buildings could use better descriptions, like those used in building F. It would have been nice to have helpful, friendly guides to better understand the complex. The trains weren't running on the day of my visit, so that may have provided the background information that was lacking during my visit. I'd remove buildings D and E from the tour and relocate the exhibits to fit everything into two main buildings for better flow. If I returned, I would just focus on building F and spend my time in the building, better curated.

We had the best day at the NC Transportation Museum!!! We took the Amtrak from Charlotte to visit…read morefor the day (only wish there was some kind of shuttle from the Salisbury train station since the Amtrak doesn't stop in Spencer, but it was an inexpensive Uber). We started our visit with the train ride experience -- it took us all through the Spencer Shops property and they were playing a history explainer of the speakers (was a bit hard to hear with people talking but still interesting). Our two favorite parts of the property were the Roundhouse, which is filled with all kinds of different trains and train-related exhibits (like a real switchboard and a U.S. Army Hospital Car) and the Back Shop (literally has just about every kind of mode of transit you can think of on display, from bicycles to dugout canoes to fire trucks to boats and so much more). All the staff we met were so friendly and welcoming, too -- we had the best day! This would be the perfect place to take kids who are old enough to enjoy museums (especially those who are into planes, trains and automobiles)!!!

This is a nice area for viewing whatever exhibit they have on display at the time. We visited…read morewhile they had art on loan being shown and it was well done. The rooms are well lit and large enough to see multiple pieces but small enough to avoid getting loud or echoing heavily. The staff was super friendly and it looks like they are frequently offering different types of exhibitions or experiences for the community to share in - for free.

From the owner: Waterworks strives to be a leader and innovator in the exhibition of art and in museum education…read more We are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) as a non-collecting art museum. This highly honored accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. We are one of only 12 art museums currently accredited in North Carolina. We offer visitors a sculpture courtyard, sensory gardens, and three revolving exhibitions annually featuring some of the most creative and expressive artwork from regional and national emerging/established artists. Waterworks is handicapped accessible. We provide designated handicapped parking spaces, wide entrance doors and an elevator for access to the 2nd floor. Benches are provided throughout the galleries for those requiring the need to sit. Waterworks is a cultural asset and destination; a vibrant, collaborative space for lifelong learning, and an economic development engine for Salisbury-Rowan County. We are proud of our sixty-two year history and our ability to respond and adapt to the needs of the communities we serve. We look forward to your visit!

Very sweet people here. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Staff went above and beyond. Nice little gift…read moreshop and scavenger hunt for children.

We were visiting the Polar Express event and stopped in and what a treat! My daughter and I loved…read morethis musuem!! It has toys, dolls, trains and so much more! A doll collector would love this place because they have super old, antique dolls and even forgein dolls. They showed us some newer dolls they just got that come from Japan. They also have a small play area for kids to play with a train set, dolls, doll house and some more. The staff and volunteers were so friendly!

My wife and I were at a popular event at the Bell Tower Park two blocks away and came here after…read more It was only $5 per adult to get in, and you can pay with your phone online while there. The two docents were so friendly and extremely helpful. There was only us and another couple there, so one docent took my wife and the other couple on the tour while I stayed in the entry with my granddaughter and the other docent. We had a great discussion about the history of the house, Salisbury, and President Jackson. Some of the furnishings are so rich with history. A very enjoyable and laid-back experience. Highly recommended if you like history.

I love taking tours in historical homes. We were spending the day in Salisbury and made it a point…read moreto take a docent tour of the Hall House Museum. Upon entrance, we were greeted by friendly ladies docents. They embodied Southern hospitality and were very knowledgeable. Hall House was built in 1820 and was originally a female academy and later bought and converted to a residence in 1825 by a businessman and his half sister. In 1859, it was purchased by Dr. Hall and turned it to a grand house as it sits today. Four generations of Hall lived in the house. It's amazing how original wallpapers, painted ceilings and furnishings were all in great condition and survived all these years. Andrew Jackson studied law in Salisbury in 1780 and the desk that he used is also in the house. We were told by the docent that he was a party animal and was told to leave Salisbury by the wealthy people! I would come back to tour the restored outside kitchen where enslaved workers lived and worked. We were told there's only a few kitchens survived and Hall House's kitchen's one of them. Our little granddaughter was tired and hungry and we had to leave before the tour ended.

I tried to handle this on a personal level with the owner prior to posting a review…read more To start this seemed like a great place so we booked my son birthday party here for March 7th. We booked a basic party package which based off the website appears to include, trampoline park, play gym, and comes with pizza and drinks. Once the party got closer I got a call from the owner, to which she had to leave a message. Once I tried getting back into contact with the owner it seemed near impossible. I did finally talk to them via text the day prior and they had an employee call me back. Sounded like we were all set to have our party. When you book you get emails confirming and a virtual invitation, do NOT use the invitation it includes their old address and brings everyone to the wrong location. Their new location is located on the website in a very small box stating they are moving and "closed". No worries here we pivoted and made it in time for the party. We when arrived the location is SO HARD to find, no signs, or indication that is the location. Super small parking lot, with black spray on the front of the building. Again, if they were moving ok no worries. Once we got settled, and we asked for the game cards that we were told were part of our package. We got those and the kids started playing. After about 10 minutes we realized we did not see the trampoline park, or play gym so we asked. To which we were informed were not set or available for play. Now mind you, based off their website the "contract" which the owner continues to bring up in responses this was NOT made clear that these were not available. There were at least 3 other families that also had parties planned this day who also, were not aware of this. Let along squeezing a lot of people in a small space as family was told they "overbooked" on accident. The staff was handling this the best they could but were very stressed at the questions and anger they were facing from those that had booked. I felt horrible for them, especially when I found out the owners husband had been their the entire time and did not address anyone until he was called out by one of the mothers there. At this time he came out acting clueless as to what was going on and could not give any answers. When we were leaving the husband did come up to my husband and talk to him stating "yeah I guess we did open a bit sooner than we should have" to me this indicates they knew exactly what they were doing. Moving forward I tried reaching out to the owner for a full refund of what we paid. I was met with the offer of $50 and free day passes (for an attraction with no actual open date). We declined based off the misinformation and lack of professionalism around still being open and the disappointed caused from their actions. The owner has responded and stated based off "contract" agreed to, and the fact that we stayed for our party time (which is outlandish, as where else were we supposed to go when we had party guest and our kiddo ready to play with his friends) as to why we won't be getting a refund. I truly feel for these owners but do better. This is very gross business and to do families this way is unprofessional. I do not recommend this facility at this time, in the future maybe once they get it together and ensure they clearly state what you are paying for. Side note to this: treat your employees better, these poor young adults were about in tears. I tipped them both before I left for handling themselves so well during the chaos they had thrown there way by others and thanked them repeatedly for their time and efforts. Update I'm regards to the owners response. Partial refund as I stated was $50 and free passes. Again, we have no intentions on coming back. The "arcade" had about 5-6 playing games and then claw machines that were disappointing in the sense they were barely strong enough to pick up the large items within the machine. Overall, poor experience. I do not believe the employees are treated kindly based off conversations with the and watching them struggle. Regardless of your husband being involved he was present and should have offered some support as he was present in the building. Wish you best in this endeavor.

This is a tough one, because I hate to write less than satisfactory review for a small business…read more The positive - my daughter really loves playing here. She loves the slides, the trampolines and the ball pit area in the toddler spot. However, most of my thoughts aren't as positive. To have not been here that many years it looks so run down. We haven't been in a year and it seems like 15 years. It's dirty, things are broken, and again.. DIRTY. Spaces like this just take daily maintenance to keep them great, such as wiping down the walls, tightening screws before the item breaks, scrubbing services that are high contact. (I have worked at a children's museum and know that a place like this can be hard to keep up when it is well loved, but day to day care makes it much easier as well as having staff not just glued to the front desk) I guess I was more disappointed because we arrived right as they opened and you can tell nothing was vacuumed from the day before, or simple things like picking foam scraps off the trampoline. We likely won't come back anytime soon, but if you are not a clean freak like me - your toddler will probably enjoy it!

We went awhile back to see Charlotte and were sorely disappointed. Hearing of her death today…read morereminded me I had forgotten to write a review. This location is privately run and not for educational purposes. More like going to a friends house to see their pets. Please consider going to an aquarium run by scientists for educational purposes.

I want to say this has been one of the highlights of my family trip. When your 16 yo his 17 yo best…read morefriend and wife all agree on this fact it says something. As adults we have this tendency to say "if I knew then what I knew now, I'd have paid more attention in school!" Well here's your chance. This tiny aquarium will impart more knowledge in a short visit than you probably take in most months if you take advantage of it. The interns and owner (a former teacher) are committed to answering questions. The things they are studying and sharing are amazing. If you go in and you want to learn and ask questions this will be an experience you won't forget. Think of the best science teacher you ever had, having an opportunity to show the world what she loves to talk about... and that is what you have here. Do yourself a favor, go, enjoy and learn!!

This gallery is a true gem... they specialize in wonderful late 19th & early 20th century paintings…read moreand have extensive experience in both art collecting/consultation and one of the finest restoration artist on the eastern coast. Check out the website for examples of their artwork and use them to start or enhance your own collection.

From the owner: We offer the region's best in sales, restorations, and appraisals of 19th and 20th Century Fine…read moreArt. Also, restoration of gold-leaf frames. Open Wed. 11-5, and by chance or appointment.