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!

Murray's Mill is easy to find from I-40. The gristmill was built in 1913 and the Murray & Minges…read morestore from the 1890s is also open. When you arrive, find a spot to park on either side of the street. Then go into the Murray & Minges General Store to pay for your self-guided tour. You will receive a binder to read through of the history and photos of the equipment and what it does. You can tour all three levels of the mill as there are stairs to the top floor and stairs to the basement. The mill used the barter system to grind wheat and corn. The water wheel is 28 foot high and 4 foot wide. the buckets on it have rusted so they are raising money for the needed repairs. The water wheel is attached by a shaft to a gear on the wall and powers everything in the mill except the lights. The mill is still operational and grinds on the 3rd Sunday of the month when it is warm enough. The stones weigh 2400 pounds and were used to cut corn and wheat. Leather belts were used and were pieced together to make them long enough. They could make 300 pounds of flour an hour which was much less than what modern mills could produce. 10 sets of pins are needed to make flour and roller mills are used to crush the wheat. Each screen has an elevator and each set basically sifts the flour to get it to where it needs to be. Making flour creates a white dust and that dust is explosive. If you are looking for a historic mill to visit this one is a great one to visit and learn how the mill operated.

A fun historical site, preserved so well & well worth the $7. Remarkable how industrious & sharp…read morethis family was. From a time when attention to detail was valued, all the chutes are made of wood with beveled edges & beadwork because...some of it is furniture quality. Pay your way & get the 3-ring binder of pics/info & step back in time. This is the heartbeat of America. "1965-1966 - Lloyd & brother Ernest run the milling operation by themselves to cut cost. In 1966 Lloyd let Ernest go & ran the whole mill on his own. Ernest went to work for Southern Furniture. 1967 - The mill closes due to government taxing. In 1964, the federal government levied a grain tariff that heavily taxed corn & wheat. Small mills were put out of business by larger industrial mills. Lloyd Murray had been working by himself for the last year, he locked up the mill & went home for the last time. He goes to work for Pinnacle Furniture Company. 1980/81 - With help from NC Preservation Fund & Stewart Family, the Catawba County Historical Assoc. purchases Murray's Mill, the General Store, & the Wheathouse for $68,000. 1982 - John Murray dies one month shy of his 105* birthday. At the time he had 10 children, 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, & 3 great-great-grandchildren. 1986 - Murray & Minges General Store reopens to the public. 1988, April 30 - Murray's Mill reopens to the public after a $2M restoration". That's just a taste of the recent info, go get a history lesson...wheel is still in the process of being replaced

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.

Great venue, organizers did a fantastic job reenactor did a great job portraying local militia and…read morethe burning of the baggage shows how desperate the British were.

Revolutionary War battle site featuring original cabins, a mass grave and a beautiful .3 mile loop…read morewalking trail. Very peaceful and educational.

I noticed the historical marker before I spotted this classic historic house and pulled in…read more Unfortunately, the museum was closed today but I did manage to examine the house from a few angles and it is pretty cool. I will need to come back when I can tour the museum properly. The marker reads, "Mundy House. Built between 1850 and 1870 by descendants of a Revolutionary War soldier and Methodist minister Jeremiah Mundy (1760-1835); One of the founding families of the Rock Springs Methodist Camp Meeting grounds in Denver; The R.O. Mundy family owned the property until the 1990s; Gravesites at the Denver Community Cemetery and Bethel United Methodist Church." The Mundy House is one of the few remaining historic houses in eastern Lincoln County, and it stands a local landmark that documents the history of the Mundy family and the development of Denver during the nineteenth century. The Mundy House is a central-hall house that maintains much of its original architectural integrity. It represents a house form that was ubiquitous in the county during the last half of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth century, but nearly all of these houses have fallen into disrepair by abandonment and neglect or have been substantially altered with artificial siding, replacement windows, and unsympathetic modern additions. Preservation of the Mundy House is necessary for educating people about local history, historic preservation, and architecture. [Review 15905 overall - 3121 in North Carolina - 1410 of 2021.]

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!

I am a parent/chaperone of high school kids. We traveled from SC to NYC in March. The trip was…read moregreat. However, I want to focus on Bob Benfield, the greatest bus driver and quite possibly human being I have ever met. He drove for Bob Rogers Travel and I will put this review there as well. Bob puts his entire heart and soul in everything he does. He travels with mints in a basket, cold water and soda, which he wraps in paper towels for cold hands. He brought all the equipment needed to clean the whole bus. He travels with it. He has dad jokes a plenty but also vast knowledge of every place we passed. He drove through a terrifying snowstorm and we barely noticed. He's steady and pleasant no matter what, and this includes some creative city drivers. I was in the front seat and this man would see me take off my sweater and turn the temperature down. His life resumé is amazing and I could have listened to his life for hours. Simply the best person I have met. For Bob Benfield alone I give all his associated employers 5 stars.

Worst travel experience ever. Largely due to the guide. Gary began by telling us all about his…read moregreat reviews and how people say he is "so funny". He thinks he is funny. He is not, he is extremely annoying. he talked much too much, even during the so-called quiet time. He played to the women near the front who laugheed at everything he said. One day he was chit chatting with the driver, while our great driver was in control of a large vehicle with 35 people aboard! Do not distract our driver with pointless conversation. He shoved his religion in our faces, a captive audience, for three days. Yes, the website says that each day is started with a devotion. But he started with a prayer, added a "devotion" that sounded like a sermon later, grace before each stop where a meal was involved, played gospel music on Sunday morning, followed by a religious movie that no one was watching, The people around me talked a lot and simply raised their voices to talk over the movie. The noise level was stressful. To top it off, after a stupid bingo game where everyone was getting a prize, I did not get a prize. (I did not care, for the record). So he gives me a plastic Jesus and tells me I can be saved. Does he know what my religious beliefs are? Arrogant, presumptuous, insulting. He persisted in grilling a young boy - the only youth on our trip- about the denomination of his church. The boy was not answering and Gary did not let up. We were told to "read the itinerary" if we asked questions about times. He called me out by name over the mic when I asked. And then changed the departure time once he thought about it. When he was using the mic, he would stand facing the back, and often stand at my row, taking a half step into my already very tight leg space. When his leg was against mine, I moved as best I could. So did he. I regret not grabbing that mic and calling him out on his obnoxious behavior. Too many silly games, too much talking, too many stand up comedian attempts. I just wanted to talk to my friend and read my book. The bus, despite being new - the guide has us guessing how much it cost. seriously? - has bare bones amenities. The seats are equivalent to economy plane seats, no back support, tight leg room, no WiFi. I unfortunately had a front seat but the people in the back said they could not hear most of what the guide was saying. The food was abysmal - truck stops, food trucks, and Crackerbarrel where I had the worst meal of the three days. The itinerary was fine; I don't expect to love every stop on a set itinerary tour. Our driver was great - Darren was efficient, professional, and very pleasant. CT will never see me again.

This black historical marker stands in front of the elementary school but it points out what was…read morehere before it was that. The marker reads, "Startown School. Founded 1904. First graded school in what is now City of Newton. From 1914 to 1931 was site of Startown Farm Life School, an innovative state-supported high school integrating agriculture and home economics in curriculum. Continues as an elementary school." There is plenty of information on the current elementary school. There is very little information on the old Startown school. [Review 15925 overall - 3140 in North Carolina - 1430 of 2021.]