It's been close to 2 years since my last visit here and my 4 star review remains the same. New…read morehighlights I've noticed since I have two small kiddos is the various bench seating options which make having a snack easy and the multiple bathroom locations throughout museum. Both of these things make it more enjoyable for kids and adults. It is not crowded during the week. My kids especially liked the Dino exhibit and live animals (snapping turtle, ground hog, owl). I just wish for a city the size of Charlotte (and surrounding area) that the museum was a little bigger. We were done in about 1-1.5hours

Enjoyed my recently visit to Schiele Museum of Natural History. The staff were friendly and…read morehelpful. The displays were creative and well maintained. Particularly enjoyed the dinosaur exhibit with all of the life size dinosaurs exhibits. Parking was easy. My only suggestion would be updating the outdoor area as it seemed quite run down and showing alot of wear, which was totally not the case with the indoor areas

I want to say this has been one of the highlights of my family trip. When your 16 yo his 17 yo best…read morefriend and wife all agree on this fact it says something. As adults we have this tendency to say "if I knew then what I knew now, I'd have paid more attention in school!" Well here's your chance. This tiny aquarium will impart more knowledge in a short visit than you probably take in most months if you take advantage of it. The interns and owner (a former teacher) are committed to answering questions. The things they are studying and sharing are amazing. If you go in and you want to learn and ask questions this will be an experience you won't forget. Think of the best science teacher you ever had, having an opportunity to show the world what she loves to talk about... and that is what you have here. Do yourself a favor, go, enjoy and learn!!

We went awhile back to see Charlotte and were sorely disappointed. Hearing of her death today…read morereminded me I had forgotten to write a review. This location is privately run and not for educational purposes. More like going to a friends house to see their pets. Please consider going to an aquarium run by scientists for educational purposes.

I have gone back and forth about making this review but after watching our wedding video, I felt it…read morewas necessary. I had 3 songs requested for our ceremony, one song for the parents walk, one for the bridal party walk, and then one for me. The song for the parents did not get played, they played the same song for the bridal party as well as the parents. Then when it was my turn to walk our coordinator kept trying to wave at them to switch the song. There was an extremely long pause because they were not paying attention, they only ended up playing a small snippet of my song because of it. I was so upset because my song especially was important to us and we paid extra since it was not one of the song options on their website. The music overall was beautiful but if you have a specific vision in mind I would skip this vendor.

We are so lucky to have had Dean's Duets on our wedding day! We booked a violin, cello, harp trio…read morefor our ceremony and cocktail hour. The communication leading up to the wedding was absolutely amazing. We had to push our wedding a couple times due to COVID and the team was beyond patient and accommodating. The music played during both the ceremony and cocktail hour was beautiful and made those moments that much more special! It was so nice being able to customize the playlist exactly how we wanted.Thank you Dean's Duets for adding to the magic of our day!

Had my daughter's birthday party here. So fun! She said it the best birthday yet! Definitely it out!read more

They just had my detailed, FACTUAL original review (and one owners unprofessional, snooty…read moreresponses) removed for being too truthful I guess. Here's a shorter version... cute photo opps, but do NOT waste your money on their birthday packages. It's average at best, contrary to one of the owners being an "event planner". Go take your pics and celebrate your event elsewhere as it is not worth the money they charge for what you get. Is that better?

It has been so long that we've been able to walk into a library, coming to this one felt like such…read morea privilege. We were a little lost finding a parking space since we came in through the staff parking side, and there are no "main doors." But the library is so large, having little doors all around I suppose is most suitable. So that's another thing, it's large! And I love it! It's a two story library (from what I saw), with clearly marked sections and a wonderful children's area. We immediately got ourselves library cards and began toward the children's section. My son was excited to choose new books to read (all dinosaurs and trucks of course), my daughter had a blast exploring a new open space, and neither of them wanted to leave at the end. They offer plenty of reading areas, small tables with activities, and a little computer area for children as well. The staff were extremely friendly and gave us some flyers on family events. I LOVE when libraries have tons of community events. Movie nights, crafts, toddler reading times, and bingo are all offered. They apparently have a separate auditorium for it all, which we didn't get to see, but sounds really exciting. We are excited to come again when we go for a new round of books.

Lovely clean big building Well organized with very helpful…read morestaff There is a decent audible book section that I use the most. The children section is wonderful. There is a quiet seating section just for them where they can sit and read for as long as they want. There is someone to help the kids find books they might like. Several computer stations upstairs so you won't have to wait They also have a copy machine. The best sellers go fast any you usually have to be put on a wait list. You still need to get a card to check anything out but that only takes a few minutes to get

Lowell Branch is the "craft center" branch in Gastonia. It's a small library with a variety of odds…read moreand ends inside, including lots of kid-friendly stations. You'll find everything from your basic: book, DVD, computers and electronic resources. But, if you walk to the back of the library, you'll also discover a light board along with craft books, art supplies and even a handful of children's toys. Lowell branch also offers an multimedia room where they host activities for all ages, this summer I stuck around to watch kiddos making ice cream with cream, sugar, vanilla, ice and rock salt. However, as far a libraries go, Lowell is a very low-key, country branch. The librarians are friendly but it's very basic. You won't find a lot of space to study, but they do offer 2-3 round tables that might sit two if you don't both have a lot of things and outlets can be round in the floor. Hours are also limited for this local branch but if you have an electronic vehicle, you'll be in luck. They offer a electronic wifi charing station and of course free wifi.

Cool library/tech center for kids. I know it doesn't make sense to most but this place has a bunch…read moreof tech gadgets and creative centers for kids to explore and create artwork to take home. Very cool twist on a normal library.

I witnessed a rollover accident yesterday and for the second time in the last few months, called…read more911 to report it. The car was still rolling when I started dialing. The dispatcher I spoke to was calm, cool and collected. She asked a number of pointed questions about where the incident took place, the people involved (is one of the vehicles on fire? is anyone seriously injured? is anyone bleeding?), provided instructions (don't move anyone unless its an emergency) and then took my contact information. Two minutes and ten seconds later, the first Gastonia police officer was on the scene. That's a fast response and for that, five stars for the Gastonia police department. [Review 13713 overall, 1033 of 2020, number 2491 in North Carolina.]

In front of the Gaston County courthouse, there is a monument that says "In Honor Of All Veterans",…read morebut at least one Gastonia veteran has been seriously dishonored by his local government. You may have already heard the story: Joshua Rohrer is a homeless army veteran who served from 2002 to 2008 and did one tour overseas. He suffers from PTSD, which he is actively getting help from the VA, but still requires a service dog to function in society. By all accounts, Joshua is a nice and friendly man, and hasn't bothered anyone. Back in October, a woman called 911 to report that Joshua was "using his dog to get money...to make people feel sorry for them." Joshua said later that he never begs for food or money, that he only walks down the walkways with his service dog, Sunshine, and talks with folks as they pass by. This is, of course, perfectly legal, and he has every right to walk on public property with his dog. When a Gastonia Police officer arrived, Joshua was told that he was breaking the law, which he denied. The officer requested backup and insisted that Joshua show a state ID. Joshua doesn't have one, but as he was pulling out his VA card, the officer slammed him up against the police cruiser, cuffed him, and arrested him for solicitation and resisting arrest. The officer then shot Sunshine, the service dog, with a taser, as bystanders yelled for the officer to leave her alone. Sunshine ran to a nearby store with one of the taser prongs still attached to her. Joshua asked someone to please retrieve Sunshine, and Gastonia officers responded by laughing at him and shoving him into the cruiser. While Joshua was in police custody, Sunshine was retrieved and released to one of Joshua's friends, where she ended up running away and was hit by a car, where she died. Joshua believes she was scared and looking for him. Officers claim that Joshua resisted arrest and Sunshine bit the officer who tased her. Joshua, and at least 4 eyewitnesses, says that he didn't resist and Sunshine was several feet away and facing away from the officer when she was tased. There is a very simple way to solve this case of conflicting stories: release the body cam footage. And Gastonia Police are refusing to do that. Joshua has seen the nearly 2 hours of footage himself, and he says it shows that neither he nor Sunshine did anything wrong, and that the officer brutalized both of them. Joshua and local media have even petitioned for the footage to be released to the public, but that request was denied by a judge. From 1987 until at least 1990, Gastonia Police had a team of officers called the "Eagle Team", whose mission was to harass Gastonia's homeless population. They used CB radios so they could communicate and plan their violent crimes without using police channels. The "Eagle Team" would take cooling oil, coffee, and even urine and douse the homeless in these liquids. They would often brutally assault their victims as well, which they referred to as "taking them for a ride on Space Mountain". They found their violent behavior to be so funny that they even had t-shirts printed up that said "Space Mountain Boys" for their bowling league. One of their victims, a man named Norman "Ben" Hannah talked about being assaulted to a friend of his. The friend, a bail bondsman named Ronnie Biddix, called the police and the ACLU, who had represented Hannah and other victims in the lawsuit. Later, criminal charges were filed against the "Eagle Team". Sadly, Ben would never see justice prevail. On December of 1990, he was found shot to death at his mother's home, in an alleged suicide. Authorities claimed that Ben pointed a .22-caliber rifle at his chest and pushed the trigger with a stick. And even though Norman was illiterate, he apparently had learned to write just in time to pen a suicide note. As a result of his death, charges against former "Eagle Team" officers David Neil McKinney and Timothy Andrew Bass were dropped. Thankfully, three of the officers pleaded guilty to their various crimes, and all seven of them either resigned or were fired. But it appears that the legacy of the "Eagle Team" continues to live on.