The Ben Long Fresco is located inside the CoMMA Performing Arts Center lobby. You can visit when…read morethe box office is open. There is plenty of parking in the free lot. The title is "Sacred Dance & the Muses". It was completed in April 2004 and is 24 by 33 feet. It is the largest single-panel ceiling fresco in the United States. The fresco uses the nine figures of the Greek muses. This one celebrates theatre, music and comedy with dancing tying it all together. You won't miss the two theatrical masks that represent comedy and tragedy. Long used real-life residents of Morganton, family, friends and his dogs for models. Long paid tribute to his mentor Pietro Annigoni, whom he apprenticed with for eight years in Florence, Italy. He even has a self-portrait with him holding his paintbrushes. It is an absolute must-see stop on the North Carolina fresco trail!

Family is so friendly and they took our picture for us with the tree and even posted it on their FB…read morepage. Very very nice people and glad we found this place. Most other places in the area say they are open but when you drive 20 miles you find out they are closed. Will be back next year. Thanks for a nice memory. The only other thing we would like is some other varieties of tress but NC only seems to have the Fraser furs. IN CT we had a huge selection of varieties . LOve that we can bring our dog next year

Installed in 2019, this whimsical art piece stands on a traffic circle at the entrance to Hickory…read moreCity Park. The nearly 9-foot-tall metal sculpture depicts a catlike figure riding a vintage bicycle. According to the city's website, "Several members of the Public Art Commission first experienced the sculpture, described as a "children's book come to life," while on display at the 2018 Caldwell Arts Council Sculpture Celebration and later presented it to the commission for consideration in September 2018. The sculpture was selected for its whimsical nature and connection to Hickory's growing bicycle community." New York-based metal sculptor Corky Corrado created the work of art. Corrado's sculptures have been featured in Plattsburgh, New York's prestigious Museum Garden Tour and at the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts. [Review 15418 overall, 921 of 2021, number 2968 in North Carolina.]

Drove to Old Fort to get access to the Point Lookout trail on old highway 70. The town is mostly…read morehome to the Ethan Allen furniture factory... Really strong odor of varnish and adhesives near there. Honestly not much more to the town. There was a Hardee's and there were a couple other fast food places and gas stations. They do have some nice old brick buildings as you enter town coming from Asheville. The freight train tracks run right through the middle of town. It would probably be nice to visit on a Friday when the town hosts a weekly music festival that draws performers from the local area. It was a several mile long winding mountain road drive to get to the trail head. The trail is a nice hike or bike ride on paved road, about 3.5 mi long one-way.

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.]

This striking art sculpture is located along west 6th Street next to the Newton-Conneover…read moreAuditorium. An appropriate place for a piece titled "Symphonic Gate". The artwork is by Greensboro sculptor Jim Gallucci and is made of galvanized and powder coated steel pipe. The central gate is on a pivot making the red gate spin 360 degrees. [Review 15421 overall, 925 of 2021, number 2971 in North Carolina.]

We were running a bit early for our motel check-in in Morganton, so we decided to dive off…read moreInterstate 40, and see what the little town Valdese was all about. It is located in Burke County, less than 10 miles East of Morganton, and has a total population of less than 5,000. One of the largest Waldensian congregations in the United States founded the town in 1893. The town was settled by immigrants from the Cottian Alps in the Piedmont region of Italy. The small, historic downtown section could be a poster child for quaint - it is clean, loaded with charm (almost all the "store fronts" were decorated for Halloween, flowers, etc), a beautiful church with a side garden and fountain, the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread emanating from a family owned bakery on the hill, and a feeling of 1950's serenity was all around. We walked around the three or four blocks (both sides), sat on a bench in the sun, wandered into a retro '50s diner called Myra's, had a great soft serve ice cream cone, and one bite of a bad hot dog - good times x2!

Went to the Children's Park today October 25. Had a large group and was so disappointed that the…read morerestrooms were locked. Why would they be locked during nice weather? No one could enjoy the park under those circumstances. Why would a park be open if the bathrooms were locked. Unbelievable and no excuse for that. As a tax payer and resident of Valdese I am very disappointed. Valdese do a better job!!

Union Square is an amazing part of Downtown Hickory. The German cannon is what I first spotted from…read more1918 to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers from WWI. Union Square is basically a pedestrian mall with historic buildings containing shops; restaurants; a community theatre; City Walk and a park. During my walk around, I noticed an amphitheater so it appears they have live music here on occasion. Saturday morning they were setting up a Farmers Market. There are plenty of parking lots but it is a busy place so still might be difficult to snag a spot. Although I've just been there three times so there is likely more parking areas I don't know about. I need to go back and explore more!

A great place to go and spend time. Plenty of restaurants/coffee shops and neat little shops. City…read moreWalk runs along the railroad tracks and overall, I love Union Square!