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 wish we had never paid to come here. What was supposed to be an enjoyable visit turned into an…read moreexperience that left us feeling genuinely sad for the animals. Several of the enclosures seemed much too small, the facility was run down, and the entire place felt neglected. We also saw very little visible staff presence actually checking on or caring for the animals. Walking through the facility, it was hard to ignore the condition of the enclosures and the overall lack of upkeep. I understand that no facility is going to be perfect, but when you are responsible for the care of animals, there should be a much higher standard. What we personally saw was concerning enough that we would never return or recommend this place to anyone. We left feeling terrible for the animals and regretting that our admission money went toward supporting this facility. In my opinion, the conditions we witnessed deserve serious scrutiny from the appropriate animal welfare authorities. This place needs major improvements.

Wonderful staff and the gallery is lovely. I enjoyed my time there today. This art was a real treat…read moreto see!

Cute little art museum with a bunch of art. It's free to enter, and the day we went they were also…read moreselling pottery (on a Saturday). The art is extremely expensive though, so wouldn't be buying anything that day! Good place to pass some time though.

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!

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.

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!!

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!

We visited Key to Escape as a date day and it was an awesome experience! The puzzle to get in the…read moredoor was fun and just the right challenge to kick things off. Once inside Addison was very welcoming. We are relatively inexperienced with escape rooms so he gave us some basic tips to set us up for success. We did the Under Pressure room which is themed around a distillery. The room was fun and had some unique puzzles unlike others I had encountered in escape rooms. We definitely had a great time and are already talking about plans to come back!

I've played 70 escape rooms and this place is really top tier. The owner Roger has so much passion…read morefor his work and it really shines through. My group played all three back to back and they're all strong. If you can only play one, I recommend the distillery. Because it's in a historical building, everything has a unique feel. They really made the most of the space. I cannot recommend key to escape enough. Such an amazing hidden gem

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!