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

The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, was built in 1895, it is one of the last covered bridges in the…read morestate and the only one still in its original spot. The construction is using a unique lattice pattern made of wooden beams. Stretching 85 feet across Lyle Creek, its red, weathered look makes it a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. It is worth a stop if you are in the area, but it is very unfortunate that people have taken something historical to tag it with graffiti over the years.

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!

Excellent self guided tour, was very cool to see........however.......there are NO SIGNS stating…read moreit's "more of a museum" and that you have to pay to walk thru. That being said the guy that runs the place was very rude to me and my elderly mother!

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.

As a major Hunger Games nerd vacationing a couple hours away, I knew I had to make the day trip out…read morehere. This destination has been on my bucket list. I absolutely loved seeing the filming spots, I even bought a t-shirt to remember this day! Talking to one of the employees, he said most of their visitors are Hunger Games fans. While I give this spot 5 stars for checking the "once in a lifetime" box, I really wish they would preserve this place a bit more. Katniss' house (building #16) was home to miscellaneous christmas decorations, random tools, and a birds nest. Also, it was so dark in there we had to get a flashlight out of our car. Genuinely, I would have loved to see this house as a close to movie accurate as possible, or even decorated with photos from the film featuring the location. I think this house would have been awesome as a mini museum (with replicated furniture, not actual movie pieces of course). I think this would bring in a lot of fans and spark up a lot of social media tourism with the new movie coming out. Now is the time! Again, absolutely awesome to see for any Hunger Games fan.

I visited with my partner 2 years ago and had an amazing time. Our tour guide was Donovan and he…read moreshowed us all around "District 12" from the Hunger Games movies, which was a delight. I definitely recommend this unusual but charming destination!

This marker stands on the street and provides not a whole lot of information. It reads, "Site of…read moreHickory Graded School. First school established in Hickory Public School System 1903; North School 1914-1933 and Oakwood Elementary School 1933-present." I was able to find some information on line. The Hickory Graded School was the first public school in the Hickory system. Its construction was financed by nine local businessmen with a $10,000 personal loan. The school took three years to be built and 200 students attended the school at first. There were 9 teachers the first 6 years; D.K. McKrea was the first principal 6. In 1918 Dr. R.W. Carver was principal and later appointed Superintendent of Hickory Schools, a position he held for 30 years. The marker has the seal of the Hickory Public Schools on it. There is no installation date. [Review 15876 overall - 3094 in North Carolina - 1380 of 2021.]

Though the target of the sign is no longer here, they've at least put it close enough to the actual…read moresite that it makes sense. The sign is in excellent condition at the top of a rather high post. The marker reads, "Piedmont Wagon Company. Manufacturer of horse-drawn wooden wagons. At peak capacity produced 1000 per month. Operated from 1880 to 1940s 1/10 mile north." Online, there is more information. " In a felicitous turn of phrase local writer George Hahn wrote in 1911 that Hickory "was cradled in a wagon bed." His reference was to Piedmont Wagon Company that had made the town nationally famous. Founded by A. L. Ramseur and George Bonniwell on the site of Ramseur's rural sawmill, the company moved to the outskirts of Hickory in 1880. The site selected, at the junction of two railroads, was ideal for such a business. Nearby, other operations, such as Bonniwell's woodworking company, also took root. But it was Piedmont which, in the words of Gary Freeze, "became one of the most conspicuous examples of New South prosperity in North Carolina," on the order of the tobacco factories in Durham." "The success of the company can be measured on several counts. Their products, principally horse-drawn wooden wagons, were sold primarily across eleven states in the Southeast from Virginia to Texas. Best known for wagons with green bodies and red gear, the company was widely admired for the durability of the product. Output increased dramatically in the 1880s and Piedmont, by 1900 employing 100 workers, even weathered the depression of the 1890s with little problem. At the peak of capacity the thirteen-acre plant produced 1,000 wagons per month." "With the rise of the internal combustion engine in the 1920s, the fortunes of the company quickly changed. Sold to Daniel Rhyne in 1924, the property was sold again in the 1940s when production ground to a halt. A major fire destroyed much of the plant in 1958 and most of the rest was bulldozed in 1960 but one warehouse remains." [Review 15887 overall - 3103 in North Carolina - 1392 of 2021.]

A few days of exploring Hickory and enjoying it. Hickory is located in Catawba County though…read moreneighboring Newton is the county seat. The origins of Hickory's name stems from a tavern made of logs beneath a hickory tree during the 1850s. The spot was known as "Hickory Tavern." In 1870, Hickory Tavern was established as a town. Three years later in 1873, the name was changed to the Town of Hickory, and in 1889 to the City of Hickory. Hickory is the home of Lenoir-Rhyne University, founded in 1891 by four Lutheran pastors. It remains a private Lutheran university with the motto "The truth shall set you free." The school has over 50 undergraduate majors and nearly 30 graduate programs. Hickory is home to one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the United States that is still located and operated on the original site. Hickory White, formerly known as Hickory Manufacturing Company, was built in 1902 and has been in continuous operation ever since. During World War II, the factory made ammunition boxes for the U.S. military instead of furniture. Hickory was known in the years after World War II for the "Miracle of Hickory". In 1944 the area around Hickory (the Catawba Valley) became the center of one of the worst outbreaks of polio ever recorded. Residents who were then children recall summers of not being allowed to play outside or visit friends for fear of contracting the disease. Since local facilities were inadequate to treat the victims, the citizens of Hickory and the March of Dimes decided to build a hospital to care for the children of the region. From the time the decision was made until equipment, doctors, and patients were in a new facility, took less than 54 hours. Those events are memorialized at Miracle of Hickory park. And on that topic, many parks in Hickory. Lots of food. A dense downtown area with restaurants, shopping and coffee. Nice place! If you're looking for the mural I posted with my review of Hickory, it's on the side of 117 Government Avenue SW. [Review 15863 overall - 3081 in North Carolina - 1367 of 2021.]

From the owner: The City of Hickory's Planning and Development Division is responsible for overseeing the physical…read moredevelopment of the City of Hickory. The division's primary functions involve land use planning, development review, community development, brownfield redevelopment, and historic preservation.

I love it here. I am a very science-y girl, I love anything to do with science and medicine. So, of…read morecourse, I started coming here a few years ago. The planetarium shows are gorgeous, my particular favorite was one about monarch butterfly migration. The Aquarium and reptile section is so cool, you get to see these massive tortoises and an alligator named Lucy, pet sting rays, fish of all kinds, etc. You can also explore the human body section and the physics section, where you can play on a special pulley system on a physics playground. There is also a section with insects where you can take a closer look at different types of preserved butterflies. And, every three years or so, they hold a butterfly exhibit where you can watch the butterflies flutter about. They'll even give you some sugar water on your finger, and butterflies will come flocking to you and even land on you! I had the privilege of being present for it last year and butterflies landed on me left and right, I absolutely felt like Snow White! All in all, the Catawba Science Center is a family friendly learning environment that is perfect for field trips of all kinds. You won't regret visiting!

The Catawba Science Center is located next to the Hickory Art Museum in the SALT complex so I…read morestopped here too. It was about $15 to visit the museum. I had reciprocity but didn't think to ask about it and they didn't ask like is done at the other museums. The Science Center was on the small side and a lot of the exhibits were out of order. The exhibits they had seemed geared more to younger children. So there wasn't a lot there. I never found my way to the aquarium as that is apparently in another building and that was not mentioned. The planetarium show wasn't starting until 2pm so that was disappointing. I will go back with my reciprocity to see the building I missed.

McComb Park (aka Beaver Memorial Garden) is a passive park. There is no restroom here, no…read moreballfield, no playground and no splashpad. And that's okay. This park features a few pieces of public art, a pretty fountain and several benches (some painted) along smooth paths where you won't find screaming kids and don't need to be concerned about getting hit by an errant frisbee. It's quiet and peaceful. There is street parking. [Review 15881 overall - 3097 in North Carolina - 1385 of 2021.]