On a quiet Sunday morning, the Union-Market Passageway in Concord felt anything but spooky, which…read moreis always a pleasant surprise because some alleys can definitely give off that vibe. But here, the white painted brick and the bright artworks made it feel open and welcoming. The murals tell the story of Concord's industrial past and how those early mills and factories shaped the city. Knowing the installation was completed in 2013 by artist Sharon Dowell made me appreciate how intentional the space feels. One of the captions, "This image shows the original Cabarrus County Courthouse, built after the Town of Concord was laid out in 1796 on a 26 acre tract of land called 'Pea Ridge' near the old Indian Trading Path. It was a modest frame structure 30 feet wide and 30 feet long with a 15 foot hip roof. It was constructed in the intersection of Union and Corbin (now Corban) Streets." Walking through with no one else around, it was easy to slow down and take in the colors and the way the artwork is framed against the clean brick walls, and the passageway felt more like a small outdoor art gallery than a cut through. It is a simple spot but a charming one, and on a calm Sunday morning, it added a nice bit of character to my walk through downtown Concord. [Review 665 of 2026 - 4753 in North Carolina - 25846 overall]

Union-Market Passageway is not just another utilitarian alleyway in an historic downtown district…read more It's historical and artsy too! located between 48 and 46 South Union the pedestrian alley is currently adorned with works by Charlotte artist Sharon Dowell titled "Momentous- A Timeline of History Shaping Sites of Concord" it includes several large pieces installed on the wall depicting places and periods significant to life in the early days of the greater Concord metro. small plaques accompany the panels providing background and context for the illustrations.

As I was walking along Union Street super early on a quiet Sunday morning, making my way from the…read morehistoric courthouse towards my eventual stop for coffee, I came across "Dawn" by Sam Spiczka, one of the city's public arts commission installations, and it hit just right for that hour of the day. The piece rises in this organic, skeletal curve that feels both industrial and natural at the same time. Something about the upward reach immediately made me think of the Holocaust Memorial in Miami with its giant hand stretching toward the sky, not in a direct way but in that shared sense of striving and tenson. Standing here with no one else around, the street still waking up and most of the shops still closed, the sculpture felt like a quiet marker of transition, the kind of artwork that is a reward for being out before the world gets noisy. [Review 664 of 2026 - 4752 in North Carolina - 25845 overall]

My family and I drove from Waxhaw to Gold Hill on a Thursday only to be met with disappointment…read more Most of the shops in this little town are only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Dang, bad timing on our part. We still enjoyed walkin around town and seeing what we could see from the outside. I know my grandma really wanted to see the shops, though. All we were able to do is see the park which was open. That was pretty cool. There is an old jail there when you first drive in. And a bunch of old mining equipment. The coolest part of a crevice in the rock. There is a small set of stairs which goes down deep enough to see it. I don't know why that as so cool but it was. Since we wanted to see the shops and looked to see that they should be open on Sundays, we came back just a couple of days after we first came to Gold Hill. Struck out again! The shops still weren't open. It was a little early (11:00ish AM). We were hoping and expecting at least a couple of the shops to be open. What a bummer that they were not. Maybe the fall is off season and the summer would be better. I don't know. But we had just wasted another trip trying to see this place and ALL that is has to offer. So, 3 stars for now based on what we did see. Maybe if I can come back and go into some of the shops some time then I can reevaluate and increase the star rating.

In a world that's often hustle and bustle, the Village of Gold Hill is an oasis of serenity. From…read morethe quaint stores, to the welcoming shopkeepers, it was a superb experience. I'm so glad we went!

There's another neat statue we found while we were exploring downtown area. I really enjoy looking…read moreat all the statues and finding things to review and take photos of and this one was pretty cool. I would definitely say go check it out.

This is an interesting piece of artwork. I'm not really sure what the artist is trying to "say"…read morehere other than this is a clever bunch of welding. It was the first project by the Davidson Public Art Commission and is located in the post office plaza.. The plaque at its base has three parts, "Dedicated to Kate MacIntyre for her vision of public art in Davidson." and "A Bouquet for Davidson by Andrew Dunnill, April 25, 2009" and "This project was mad possible with funding by The Arts & Science Council, The North Carolina Arts Council, The National Endowment for the Arts and the Town of Davidson." [Review 12633 overall, 2425 of 2019.]

Industrial Oaf: Delicate Dump by Kevin Vanek sits in the parking lot of the F&M Trolley Barn in…read moreSalisbury like a big steel question you weren't expecting to find, this rough welded figure that looks both awkward and strangely random at the same time. Having read up on the artist for this review, I've learned that it is his design to reinvent industrial forms with a child-like curiosity and celebrating the history of labor through reclaimed materials. You can see that here in the way the metal still carries the marks of its past life while becoming something almost humorous and expressive. What really works is how the piece transforms this corner of the parking lot into a small moment of discovery, because as you walk around it the posture shifts and the welds reveal little decisions that make the figure seem more alive. Vanek's approach to material and form comes through clearly here, a blend of industrial grit and emotional softness that he aims for. The result is a sculpture that feels both heavy and oddly endearing, like it's carrying the memory of the work that shaped it. It's the kind of artwork that rewards a second look and adds a small spark of curiosity to a place you wouldn't normally think of as an art stop. [Review 656 of 2026 - 4744 in North Carolina - 25837 overall]

Concord was founded in 1796 after local leaders finally reached, well, concord over where the…read morecounty seat should go, and the name stuck from the very beginning. The town grew around its courthouse square, and the historic Cabarrus County Courthouse that stands today dates to 1876 after an earlier building was lost to fire. Designed by GSH Appleget, it is a Victorian era mix of Second Empire and Italianate details with a tall clock tower that still anchors downtown even though it no longer handles court business. Downtown itself is quaint and on a quiet Sunday morning, it feels almost paused in time. I was passing through to visit the courthouse and ended up staying for coffee and a slow walk along Union Street where there are sculptures tucked along the sidewalks that make the whole stretch feel playful and welcoming. Too early for most of the restaurants, which do have streetside seating set up. It is all adorable and fun and i really enjoyed my time here. [Review 668 of 2026 - 4755 in North Carolina - 25849 overall]

Located in front of the Old Rowan County Courthouse which is now the Rowan Museum, this interesting…read moresculpture commemorates the visit of George Washington who visited Salisbury on his Southern Tour in 1791. Washington greeted colonial citizens and attended a ball 225 years ago. The Public Art Committee commissioned Black Mountain sculptors Tekla and Dan Howachyn to design and fabricate the piece. Well-known in western North Carolina and beyond, the Howachyns own and operate Black Mountain Iron Works. The sculpture was unveiled in 2016. [Review 1129 of 2024 - 3624 in North Carolina - 22153 overall]

The George Clinton Mural is located in Kannapolis, NC, aka Towel City. The city got its name as it…read morewas the leading manufacturer of textiles, particularly towels. Clinton was born in an outhouse in a segregated, poverty-stricken area in Kannapolis. This mural is #28 in the series that Scott Nurkin has been painting for the North Carolina Musicians Mural Trail. It was completed in October/November 2025. Nurkin captures Clinton in a massive close-up with such detail that his eyes follow you. It feels as if George Clinton is looking right at you, with a psychedelic, cosmic energy. It is located on the side of Towel City Tavern in the West Avenue District. There was plenty of parking the day I was there, but I wasn't there near game time at the baseball stadium. The location of the mural is symbolic and fitting, as Clinton's dad worked at Cannon Mills, not too far from the mural, removing cotton from 500-lb bales. The Opening Room was the only place where Black people could work at the company. The job was physically demanding under the harsh conditions of the heat and suffocating dust. George Clinton was born in Kannapolis, NC, although he grew up in Plainfield, NJ. George Jr. was the oldest of nine children. George's mother, Julia, was a house cleaner and babysitter and helped spark Clinton's creative side. His upbringing came out in his songs. She inspired his funk with her "funky faces" from being part of Louis Jordan's music. She also sang to him. He witnessed her resilience in the face of segregation in the South. George Sr. was a gospel singer whose music and harmonies inspired George Jr., and Sr.'s work ethic gave Jr. the drive to work just as hard. George Clinton ran a barber shop for 10 years and started a doo wop group called the Parliaments. The group moved to Detroit to audition for Motown. Clinton was a songwriter and wrote songs for the Jackson 5 and the Supremes. His biggest hit for the Parliament was "(I wanna) Testify". After the label that had the Parliament went under, Clinton created a new group called Funkadelic. Both bands overlapped for a time, sharing members and becoming known as Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk). The sound was a mix of psychedelic rock and R&B, marking the start of the funk sound. He later started a solo career and has collaborated with Bootsy Collins, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2019, he and Parliament-Funkadelic received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024. In 2025 was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The mural serves as a reminder that the "Godfather of Funk" began his journey in Towel City.