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    Turtle Island Preserve

    5.0 (1 review)

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    4 years ago

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    Mystery Hill

    Mystery Hill

    3.9
    (66 reviews)
    4.1 mi

    We had such a great time and ended up picking up the base ticket that includes: Gravitational…read moreAnomaly, Hall of Mystery, Bubblerama, Native American Artifacts, 2903 Dougherty House & Farmyard, Rodeo Rampage Bull Ride Challenge. It is a really cool place to visit, walking in that gravitational anomaly room is the weirdest sensation I've ever felt, but it is something cool to experience. In the hall of mystery, we literally let our inner child just wander around. And sadly we weren't able to do the bull ride, because of timing. For sure it is a place where you can spend your day in there. They're very hospitable and our tour guide was very funny.

    A pretty fun straightforward diversion good for rounding out an afternoon in Blowing Rock. I ended…read moreup coming here on a day trip weekend getaway. I'm originally from Michigan and grew up pretty close to the Mystery Spot in the Upper Peninsula, so I was somewhat familiar with this sort of place. I ended up checking out the "gravitational anomaly" room along with the "Hall of Mysteries" but none of the other stuff. There was also Axe Throwing and some sort of Native American History Museum but didn't see those as I was somewhat pressed for time. There was also somewhat randomly a huge obscure soda collection which was kind of cool. And they also had Vernors which as a former Michigander I appreciated. The "gravitational anomaly " room was pretty cool and is obviously the main focus of this place. There were a few demonstrative tools like a water flow demonstration, a rubber ball on a track that apparently defies gravity and a swingset. The room itself isn't too large and those three things were the only "tools" in there but goofing around in the room on your own is plenty entertaining as you can see from the attached pictures. Beyond that the "Hall of Mysteries" was basically a small section of optical illusions and science demonstrations which was interesting enough but something probably more interesting to and suited to kids. Overall the place is cool but kind of feels like it doesn't know what it's trying to be beyond the "gravity room" and feels like it could use a little update and some more focused development/presentation. If you haven't been before it's probably worth experiencing at least once if you're going to be in the area and have time for it. They also have a Zoltar machine, which is always a plus in my book.

    Photos
    Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)
    Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)
    Mystery Hill
    Gem Mine

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    Gem Mine
    High Gravity Adventures Zip Line & Aerial Park

    High Gravity Adventures Zip Line & Aerial Park

    4.5
    (36 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    High Gravity lies between Blowing Rock and Boone just off highway 321/221 on the Tweetsie Railroad…read moreproperty. Took 9/4 year olds up for a day trip. 4 year old struggles at first with the zip line but the staff there are young and cool so they helped him along. 9 yr old loved the whole thing but wants to go back and do the more challenging course. Swing is a must but under 7 can't go on it. However there is a ninja course next to it they can mess around on while your getting towed up for the swing. Here's my three things: 1) $150+ for 3 for a couple hours so plan accordingly. Check ages and weights for everyone against their online profiles. 2) Snacks and drinks available but limited. 3) They have safes to lock up your valuables while you are on the course. Staff is pretty chill and very safety oriented. Stop by Happy Valley Filling station on the way up or down the mountain if coming up/down 321. Great pizza's and beer!

    The staff told us we would just pay the difference between the small course and the big course if…read moreour 12-year-old wanted to upgrade. Our 12-year-old was extremely bored on the small course and we were able to get him off midway through. He did not even complete the course and they still charged us more than just the difference to do the bigger course. They did not advise us that the small course should just be for kids under 8yo as it is extremely basic. They also did not space the kids out well enough and our kids were waiting a long time on the course. Dissatisfied with the organization and customer service.

    Photos
    High Gravity Adventures personalized birthday party.
    High Gravity Adventures personalized birthday party.
    High Gravity Adventures Blue Ridge Course in the fall.
    High Gravity Adventures Blue Ridge Course in the fall.
    A youth take on the Foothills Course!

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    A youth take on the Foothills Course!
    Center 45

    Center 45

    3.8
    (4 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    Not kid friendly. It's more of a fitness workout gym for teens and adults. Wasted money to find…read morethis out after about 10 minutes.

    A heads up from the get-go, this is not a rope-based climbing gym. They're in a warehouse without…read morehigh ceilings so top rope and course setting including clip-in points is not a thing here. There is another place in Boone for that, though admittedly their hours are much shorter. I was happy to find this place open on a Saturday evening until 10pm. There's plenty of wall space if there are just a few climbers here but I bet it can easily get crowded. There is lots of other equipment for cross training, but most of it is quite dated. Like something your dad or uncle had in their garage in their teens and 20s. A rusted fan-bike and nylon wrapped, thin foam padded bench. There's a cool "moon board" on the opposite side of the gym at a 40 degree angle. I personally have a hard enough time climbing vertical walls though. There are some rings and balls suspended from the ceiling for you to impress your friends or yourself with some gymnastics level moves. And of course lots of fingerboard options. Normally a Saturday would be packed I bet but I came in during an event elsewhere in town that was specifically popular with the climbing types. So I basically had the gym to myself. At a price of $14 (I brought my own shoes and chalk, not sure if they rent them) it was in line with the gym back home in Charlotte. There's a waiver process that will take you a few minutes to complete. The bathrooms are large and there's a relatively limited amount of cubby space to put your stuff. The hand holds felt tight and I didn't find a single spinner. I was able to clear all of their V0s, most of their V1s and one of their V2s. As you can see I'm barely a bouldering beginner but I will say these seemed to fall in line with my expectation for difficulty. Lastly, the music choice for the evening I was there was not kid friendly and not really to my liking. I imagine it would be different on crowded days or if children were here. All considered though, I would definitely come back.

    Photos
    Moon wall to sync up to your phone
    Moon wall to sync up to your phone
    Lots of assorted seating
    Lots of assorted seating
    Finger boards and other torturous looking contraptions

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    Finger boards and other torturous looking contraptions
    Tweetsie Railroad

    Tweetsie Railroad

    4.0
    (99 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    We've come for Thomas the Tank Engine Day for past 3 years. Always so much fun! They love getting…read moretheir picture taken with Sir Topham Hat and playing the activities under the Thomas Day tent. The kids love riding the big train, although the loud whistle scared the little one this year. But we had noise-canceling headphones, as a just-in-case, so all was well. The kids are still little and really enjoy the activities up at the top. We had a stroller, so took the free shuttle to the top, rather than the skylift. The mine train, gem mining, and the little-kid rides were a big hit. Feeding the animals (goats, llamas, deer, emus) is always super fun, too. Before you enter the animal area, you can buy ice cream cones filled with animal feed ($1 a cone). Once you've handed out all the feed, then you break the cone apart and feed it. We bought 3 cones; could probably have used a 4th. The animals were all very friendly and gentle. Even one of the llamas came over for some feed; they are usually a bit aloof. Look forward to coming back!

    We visited Tweetsie Railroad over Christmas break. The Christmas lights were really pretty and the…read moreholiday décor was fun and festive. There were several rides and activities geared toward kids, which made it a nice family outing. The train itself is very loud for little ones, so that's something to keep in mind, but overall the kids loved it and had a good time. For a family of 5, tickets for the train (which includes admission and all the rides) is pretty costly.

    Photos
    Horse
    Horse
    Tweetsie Railroad
    Tweetsie Railroad

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    Turtle Island Preserve - kids_activities - Updated July 2026

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