Delightful little museum. Verify their hours before heading over since they are limited. Give…read moreyourself an hour to poke around - it is bigger than it looks from the outside. We lucked out and a couple volunteers were there when we stopped in so we got a lot of information about the various exhibits and the history of the museum. An amazing amount of local history in one place. Admission is free. Free parking is available off the side street behind the building.

Great time with the family on Father's Day with the one-on-one primate experience. Brought my sons…read moreand hubby and the staff was so prepared and welcoming. We sat in the concession building for a bit exploring before our session started. Once they scooped us up we were escorted to a private indoor area and got to meet and connect with red leemers, an armadillo, a sweet baby spider monkey and one more primate I can't recall the ame. Our trainers were very knowledgeable and so good with the animals and us. We spent about an hour with the animals and then walked the property to checkout the giraffes (we were warned not to get to close), sleuths, kangaroos, tigers and so many more animals. Highly recco if you have an animal lover amongst you.

I have been here twice, several years apart and both experiences were fantastic. Fun and something…read morefor everyone all ages. Value is absolutely amazing for the experiences you get. Wagon ride is a must do! You can tell that the animals are well cared for and enjoy life here. I will continue to support and frequent Zootastic for the fun of the park and the care put into both the park and animals. Highly recommend!

My first haunted trail/haunted house experience and it was a scream!…read more !!Spoilers!! You aren't allowed to touch the scare actors and they're not allowed to touch you. (Rejoice!) Concessions are available but you need to get there pretty early to finish your food and drink. The event itself was great! A slide, 3D glasses and a bridge through a swirling tunnel of light, a white out room, many jump scares, chain saws galore, all culminating in a short corn maze. Amazing use of disorientation.

My sisters, niece, brother and I went to Scarrigan Farms on Halloween evening. I was visiting with…read morefamily in Davidson and saw good reviews for this specific haunted trail, so I convinced my family members to give it a try. I enjoy Halloween themed haunted houses and trails immensely and attend those types of events annually. My family and I were impressed as soon as we arrived at the location, which is both scenic and colorful with the lighted quarry accompanied along with a running waterfall. Everything is extremely well organized from the ticketing, snack bar, restrooms, and trail. I had the pleasure of speaking with a scare actor dressed as a witch while waiting to enter the trail and this person did a phenomenal job. Once my family members and I embarked on our journey via the haunted trail we were startled by all kinds of scare actors in various sets from houses, slides, psychedelic tunnels, busses, cornfields, and plenty of scare actors chasing us with chain saws. It was incredible. I can't wait to take my son with me next year!

Literally the Best Escape Room Experience Ever! Okay... we're still talking about this days later…read more My family and I went to Nocturne Adventures not knowing what to expect, and WOW--this place blew our minds. It felt like we walked right into a full-blown horror movie. The vibe? Intense. The acting? On point. The storyline? Wild. And YES... you're actually being chased which somehow makes the puzzles feel even more real and urgent. Pure adrenaline from start to finish! But here's what really made it special: My mom is Deaf, and a lot of times she's left out of experiences like this (escape rooms can be SO fast-paced). I told her I'd interpret for her, but then one of the actors started signing in ASL. We were all stunned in the best way. It turned the night from fun to unforgettable. My mom felt seen and included, and we all got to experience it together. It's rare to find something this immersive and inclusive. Nocturne Adventures nailed it on every level. I can't believe all of this happens in their basement--it's truly next level. If you're even thinking about booking... just do it. You won't regret it. Thank you for creating a family memory we'll never forget!

Absolutely LOVE this escape room and the entire experience! I can't say enough good things... the…read moreowners are very personable and my husband and I enjoy talking to them every time we go. We've already played both rooms, but we will definitely be going back to play them again... and to take our kids to meet 'The Ripper'. They have put SO much thought and work into both rooms... it's hard to say which is my favorite bc they're both awesome rooms. Hands down in our top 3 and we've done hundreds of escape rooms. Check them out... you won't regret it!!

This facility is amazing and the staff are extremely helpful, kind, willing to go out of their way…read moreto help you out! I highly recommend visiting this amazing museum and tribute to the Great Terminator!

The offerings of Dale Earnhardt Inc. are definitely well-kept secrets in Mooresville, NC…read more Visitors can visit the facility: - Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. From the company's website: "DEI has a retail store and showroom open Monday through Friday (9 - 5) and Saturdays (10 - 4) that are both free of charge for visitors. They are also open some special hours during race time, so be sure to call ahead before visiting. The showroom contains one of a kind items that are a must see for Dale Earnhardt Fans. Some of these items include all 7 championship trophies, some of Dale's old fire suits, some of Dale's old race cars, and much more!" Right now (December 2012), the building is decorated in a vibrant shade of red for the holidays! Also on the DEI campus are the offices of the technology group and The Dale Earnhardt Foundation. Though these are not open to the public to visit, these offices are a wonderful testament to the work still being down around the NASCAR industry. For more information about The Dale Earnhardt Foundation, visit: www.dalearnhardtinc.com/foundation

Having grown up in Statesville and moved away 20 years ago, I still keep my pulse on some…read morehappenings since my family and friends are still here. I was delighted to see that this wonderful bookshop was opening in downtown Statesville! I started following the journey on FB, and I was so happy to walk in the doors today while visiting from Colorado. This type of shop is exactly what Statesville needs. They have done an absolutely incredible job of making it so open and inviting while having a wonderful selection of genres. They also host a plethora of book clubs to suit any reader's fancy. Come check them out!

This thriving community bookstore just moved down the block to a new location and it is absolutely…read moregorgeous! I cannot get over the beautiful the decoration spread throughout the shop. The layout is more spacious, there are a variety of cozy seating options to enjoy your new finds, and they have expanded their selection even more than the previous location. I'm happy they now have records available for purchase. The store has a cool vibe and the employees are very friendly, happy, and helpful. I adore this bookstore and recommend it to all my friends and family.

Really, really cute place and I love that they have a complimentary coffee bar!!…read more However we stopped in at a very busy time and it's such a tight space that I couldn't navigate through at all. I had a specific book in mind that I wanted to look for, but I had to give up because I couldn't get into the section due to there being no space to walk around people. I didn't even get a chance to see what their prices are like, so I can't really comment on much aside from how adorable it looks on the inside and I wish I could have walked around freely!

The Catawba County Firefighters Museum is a hidden gem in Conover, NC. It is just open on…read moreSaturdays and Sundays as it is run by volunteers. Admission is free but they do take donations. I was warmly greeted when I arrived at the stone building and informed that the museum is the largest firefighters museum in the state. I have been to most of them so I would agree with that. I was given a guided tour of the museum but did have the option to go around on my own and did do that after my tour. But I wasn't going to turn down a guided tour by a retired firefighter 30 years experience. The museum pays tribute to those who lost their lives in service. The bell in the lobby has part of a pole from a fire station in the county. The wood work around it is amazing and the attention to detail is there. The museum is very organized into sections so you can see how each has changed and improved through time. I didn't count how many fire trucks were on display but there are a bunch of older ones that were donated. The museum covers everything about firefighting though from the the ways fires were discovered before the current technology. Alarms used to be on the streets and if pulled it would print out a punch tape with so many holes and they could look up which box it was coming from. Then there were pagers and walkie talkies to phones and there are phones from different times in history. Then there was the setup for what was used like 911 is today. Alarms, sirens and lights that were used are on display. Uniforms used to be like a rain jacket but have come along way since so they are lighter and keep the firefighters cooler. To dress a firefighter with everything needed runs about $4500 from boots to the helmet to pants to a vest to breathing equipment. The first breathing equipment was turned by hand to pump in fresh air so thankfully the machines are more efficient now. A large life net is on display where someone would need to jump into it. There are many ladders on display and the first ones were made of wood. The newer ladders are lighter and easier to maneuver. Fire extinguishers are on display as well as heat detectors and smoke detectors. Sprinklers would start when a part of the mechanism melted. Then various tools used from axes to wrenches ton alarm that would buckets when they used to put fires out by passing the bucket. The arson area of the museum was interesting as each fire is investigated to see where and how it started. So there is evidence of illegal fireworks to bombs made. The classroom area had scrapbooks with articles and photos and then some objects that burned from landline phones to a box of crayons to an alarm that would have melted on the wall. I'm not sure if I was allowed to touch these items but I couldn't resist. There are robots used to teach children fire safety and they will talk to them and explain what to do. I highly recommend a visit to the museum if near Conover.