This was a very interesting museum. They have a lot of items from the area that generous residents…read morehave donated. Our guide was very knowledgeable and super nice. We were the only ones there so we had his undivided attention and he was a wealth of knowledge! You could tell he really loved what he does. This is a must see if you like history! You have to get a tour, not just go alone because you really get a sense of the county when it is accompanied by a great tour guide!

I made it back to Morganton to see the rest of the History Museum. I was there around three hours…read moreon this last visit and still didn't see everything. I did see more than my first visit though as my time was limited then and had another docent take me through so gained another perspective. I also got to go in the vault this time! And to one section where photos were not allowed and after seeing that display I am not sure why. I highly recommend this gem of a museum and the great gift shop. Remember to leave a donation on your way out.

I've only been here for shag parties and the members of Sandy Beach Shag Club are great at…read moredecorating and making it feel very festive!

A private club based on exceptional hospitality. Catawba Country Club features a full 18 hole golf…read morecourse designed by Donald Ross along with a fine dining restaurant, turn service grill and wonderful staff. The clubhouse also has multiple event rooms capable of holding any of your special times with family, friends or business partners.

Great golf.. Great food... Everything you could ask for at a Country Club with very reasonable dues…read moreand prices !

Nice course of three nines. Good design of bunkers. Greens are tricky. Need to hit landing…read morezones. Afterward we had lunch at the clubhouse. Being July 3rd scheduled staff was low, so we did wait a while for our food. Menu has a good selection of salads and sandwiches. The wedge and Asian noodle salad were good. Sandwiches looked good, but weren't huge. The special was a Nashville hot fried chicken sandwich which was a large piece of tasty chicken and not too hot. Some things tasted a bit salty. Our waitress was very good and friendly. She told us that the kitchen was short staffed, which we appreciated.

Was able to play LHCC a number of times over the summer. Great course with 27 holes. Recently…read morerenovated. Good practice facility. Most importantly, Brian, Joe and their staff do a fantastic job and are very accommodating. If you're looking for a club to join in the Hickory area, this would be the one.

One of the most interesting house tours I've ever taken! The docent took us in every room and gave…read morethe full history of the local families. It was a 1.5 hour tour! The house was a plantation, a tavern, an inn, a courthouse with jail, and a home. The family became wealthy by earning land serving in battles, by farming (with slaves), by mining gold, and then by taking in travelers and lodgers. Many, many details about people, places, events, and objects I didn't know. The rooms weren't roped off and she often let us touch things, which made the whole experience more vivid. They have narratives, later interviews, textiles, donated objects about the slaves and slave/family descendants which were presented in a way which was respectful and enlightening. There's also a local genealogist and research library at this site, if you're interested. Apparently the many descendants also meet here once a year. Their Friends group is working to build auxiliary buildings so they can provide more educational programs and showcase all the local history items donated to them. Fantastic experience all around - highly recommended.

Came up from Charlotte to play some mountain golf with a group. This course by far was the worst of…read morethe three we played. To top it all off the head golf pro. Some dude named Champ was just a rude dude overall. Not cool buddy. It's obvious your club is in bad shape and you need all the public play you can get to stay in business. So being nasty to customers over start times will keep people away. We won't be back. It's a simple thing. Treat customers well and they will spend money at your place. Treat them bad and they won't come back DUH! Business 101.

Course is decent. My complaint would be in what I assume to be a member and his family refusing to…read morelet a single play through. People lack the understanding of how much more relaxed their own round would be if they used common courtesy in their golf habits.

The Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr. Library and Museum is located within the library at Western Piedmont…read moreCommunity College in Morganton, NC. The library is inside Phifer Hall; there is a book return in front of the building. It was challenging to find the library as I missed the sign that said upper level; I just saw the arrow to the left. But then didn't see another sign. I went into a faculty office and asked for directions. The library is on the second floor, and the museum is inside the library. It is a small museum, but it is mighty and full of history with 7,500 items from the Senator's home. When you arrive, check in with the library staff, and someone will let you into the museum and give you an overview. I arrived later than expected, so I didn't have as much time as I would have liked, but I still feel I learned a lot, and I even managed to fit in the 30-minute video of Sam Ervin and the Watergate hearings. I highly recommend watching or at least listening to the video as you go through that room to get a feel for who Sam J. Ervin, Jr. was and why he is so beloved. He had a sense of humor and seemed personable, but he also went to Harvard Law School and graduated with honors. Ervin had passed the NC State Bar before entering Harvard Law School. He did it by just reading the law. He even did law school backwards, starting with year three classes, then year two and finishing with year one. Upon graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1917, his diploma actually had to be mailed to him because he had already left for basic training. (WWI) After returning from combat, he worried that his hometown sweetheart, Margaret Bruce Bell, might not wait for him to finish three years of law school. Because he already had his law license, he originally intended to stay at Harvard for only one year, so he took the advanced third-year classes that interested him the most first, just in case he had to leave early. When he found out she was willing to wait, he decided to stay and finish the rest of the degree. (She waited, and they were happily married for over 50 years.) Ervin described himself as "just a country lawyer," but he was a well-known and respected United States Senator, and he exposed the Nixon Administration's abuse of the Democratic process. Constitutional law was a subject matter he knew well. "Senator Sam" chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittees on Constitutional Rights, Revision and Codification of the Laws, and Separation of Powers. Defending the Constitution was important to the Senator. Ervin's desk is what you first see when you start your visit. It confused me at first, as there were file drawers on both sides, but it was explained to me that one side was for whoever he was working with at the time. There is a collection of Mark Twain items in a case behind the desk. You can see the gavel he used during the Select Committee Hearings on Watergate that was given to him by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. One of the rooms has political cartoons, awards, mementos, photos, even Watergate-based board games and a chess set. The replica of Ervin's home library and study is stunning. I was told they did everything exactly how it was, so if a book was tipped or backward, that is how it is here. His collection of books was preserved, along with the furniture, doors, windows, rugs, books and mementos. It makes you feel like you are inside his house. While exploring the museum, I kept wondering who will be the Sam J. Ervin, Jr. of our generation. Sadly, I'm not sure we have anyone today with the backbone to stand and protect our institutions and preserve American democracy the way "Senator Sam" stood up to Nixon. If you are deeply interested in our nation, how it was founded, and what it takes to defend it, this mighty little hidden gem belongs at the top of your North Carolina travel itinerary!

Fun vibe, love the speakeasy entrance and fun interior decor. Friendly, knowledgeable staff and…read moredrinks were amazing! Would consider membership!