I have been to this museum several times through the years. They are constantly making…read moreimprovements, and expanding their collections. I brought my 7 year old goddaughter and her family recently. In honor of my dad, who was a huge train buff, I splurged for tickets to ride in the engine with the engineer for 2 of our party, and the rest rode in the caboose. There were interesting things to see for every member of our group. The 7 year old loved the interactive exhibits, so did her older brothers. I was pleasantly surprised by the prices in the gift shop. A lot of museums mark their merchandise up a lot. I found the prices very reasonable here. I was also glad to see that they had bathrooms at good intervals throughout the museum, with the newer ones including water fountains with a bottle filler. This museum is perfect for people of all ages.

The North Carolina Transportation Museum has been on my list to visit for a while now, and I…read morefinally made it to Spencer, NC, to check it out. I love museums and have been to a lot of them, and some are better than others. This one felt disjointed and not cohesive. It could be improved. Tickets are purchased near the building near the train tracks. You get a wristband and a map to go on your way. The museum is on 60 acres, so there is a lot of walking. The Southern Railway Spencer Shops were once located here. 3000 people worked at Spencer Shops to keep the steam engines working properly. Spencer was halfway between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA, and the steam engines needed to be serviced about every 150 miles. They could run for about two hours, but then needed an hour of service to keep everything operating properly. I started in the Back Shop (look for the BE CAREFUL sign), which was built in 1905 for steam locomotives that required more extensive maintenance. The building is the size of two football fields. The building now shows all forms of transportation, from bicycles to fire trucks to cars to airplanes to rail cars to boats and canoes. This was a large building, and it wasn't clear which path we were to walk through it, as there were two aisles with items on both sides, along with empty areas. Building F housed the Roundhouse, which was the best of the buildings. It is the largest remaining roundhouse in the country. This was like a garage with 37 stalls to repair the steam engines. Now, inside it, you will find steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars, and a full-size replica of the Wright Flyer. There is an area where you can see people working on the cars, and at the end of the building, there are some train cars that you can enter. The exhibits in this building are well done, and you can read the storyboards about the exhibits. I started in the orientation room to watch the video about the site's history, but it wasn't available to me. I was just handed another map. I'm not sure if he didn't want to start it for just one person, but I would have liked to see it as it would have provided background on the complex. The staff member wasn't friendly and didn't seem like he wanted to answer questions. Building G was the wheel balancing exhibit in a shed. The scales made sure the weight was correct for being on the train tracks. Buildings C, D and E felt like a waste. C was decorated for the Easter events, so it didn't seem the building was being properly utilized. There were some dining car exhibits in there. Building D had a model train layout and is used for storage. Building E had more classic cars. More signage would help to get from the buildings, if they made a path to follow. I didn't see any signage for getting from building G to E, so I had to backtrack through buildings F and B to get there, as I wasn't sure where I was allowed to walk on the gravel and tracks. This is where a guide would have been helpful to direct guests. Then, the inside buildings could use better descriptions, like those used in building F. It would have been nice to have helpful, friendly guides to better understand the complex. The trains weren't running on the day of my visit, so that may have provided the background information that was lacking during my visit. I'd remove buildings D and E from the tour and relocate the exhibits to fit everything into two main buildings for better flow. If I returned, I would just focus on building F and spend my time in the building, better curated.

Do I care much about cars? No. Did I love this place? Absolutely! This is a fantastic indoor…read moreactivity in downtown Kernersville that is family friendly and can take as little or as much time as you want. A couple of volunteers greeted us when we arrived, and let us know that the museum was free, that it was a nonprofit, and that donations were welcome. I was happy to see a Venmo option in addition to cash. Most of the cars belong to the owner of the museum. There are also some cars alone and even a few for sale! The day we went, there were about 45 cars. But, the number varies a bit it seems. I liked that there were informative plaques that gave the backstory of each vehicle, including personal stories from the owners background. It all had a fantastic personal touch, and it was just a very wholesome experience that can be absolutely free. If you are in the area, pop in. Definitely a positive experience!

Made a trip to this really cute Auto Museum. About 50 cars, many that you don't see in restored…read morecondition (or in museums or car shows at all!) Over half owned by the museum founder, Jim Taylor, who was there. He is pictured in front of the first car he restored, an Austin. Each car has a unique story and history. Jim personally shared stories with me as I toured the museum. Worth a detour if you're in North Carolina.

Hidden gem! Great little diner with friendly service, good food, prices from the 1970's and a…read morevintage motorcycle museum upstairs. I had the Philly cheesesteak which was thinly sliced and very flavorful with onion rings plus homemade potato salad( very good) wife had chicken salad sandwich with fries - both very good - all that for $17 bucks -

This place is amazing! And they have a restaurant inside too which is affordable and delicious. I'm…read morein love with their coleslaw and our waitress, Charlotte, she was so sweet! :) I grew up around motorcycles, and was raised riding Harley's so this place was a walk down memory lane with my dad. The museum is free so we checked it out after lunch. The owner is so kind and is a true artist. All the paintings you see on display were done by the owner himself. There are some cool photos of him too from his racing days! I love all the vintage t-shirts hanging from the walls too. If you love motorcycles like me, then this place must be on your to do list. AND if you love breakfast then this place is also a must!! They have the best breakfast in town.

Since we are new to the area we have been taking time to explore our surroundings. I have always…read morebeen into cars, my wife also likes cars and we realized the Farmington Dragway is only about 20 minutes from where we now live, lucky us! This Dragway has a long history in racing dating back to the early 1960's. It started life known as the Sportsman Park Dragway but that name was changed to Farmington Dragway in the late 1960's. In the 1960's it was running under NHRA sanction but as of 1978 it was sanction by the IHRA. It is a an 1/8th mile track. We began to follow the Dragway on social media and knew the Southeast Gassers event was taking place on both Friday and Saturday in late June. Needless to say we wanted to check it out. We arrived shortly after 1pm and paid the $20 per person at the gate. We were able to find a parking spot fairly easily and made our way towards the track. The cars had already began to qualify and you could hear them speeding down the track, it was cool! There are plenty of options for seating, some people bring pop up tents to stay in the shade, some folks bring their own chairs and there are bleachers on both sides as well. We decided to simply walk around and observe the cars as they got into position and took off from the starting line. We were also able to walk through the area in which the cars line up before racing and get some close up looks at these awesome cars. There are concession stands and restrooms. We were also able to stop by the Southeast Gassers tent and pick up a shirt, sticker and poster. While it was really hot, we did have a good time and plan to keep any eye on their social media page to plan our next trip. We also felt this would be a fun outing for other car enthusiasts or when we have friends or family visit.

Went to the motto sports park for the bug bash. It is a car show for vw owners and lovers. We…read morejust walked around for a few hours looking at the cars and watched as some of them raced on the quarter mile track. They even had one old vw van that topped over 108 mph on one run.

How I managed to live in North Carolina this long and not know we had a Cheerwine Festival is mind…read moreboggling to me. This was my first year attending the event. It was advertised that you could take a train to Salisbury, NC and then the festival was in walking distance. If you drove, you'd have to look for parking in the area and walk to the event. My friend and I arrived around noon. This. Was a good time, but in the fire I'd ago In my opinion they spaced out the different vendors well so it wasn't too crowded. You were able to move through the areas easily. At times, you would have to wait for people to move, but this is expected with any festival. I liked that their website listed the vendor participating and if the vendor created a Cheerwine themed item/dish. I believe it would've ben helpful it their website also included a map of where each vendor was so you could head to the vendor you wanted immediately. There was a main location at the festival that sold Cheerwine merchandise such as: beach towels, stickers, hats, t-shirts, and displays. They had a cash and card line. Some vendors took cash, but not all so it is good to have both on you. There were live performances occurring in their center city park. I was not prepared well for the event as I literally decided to go day of. In the future I'll make sure to pack a lawn towel or small chair to sit in the park and come earlier in the day when the event first starts so it's not as hot outside.

Bottom line: The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury is a busy and popular street festival to celebrate…read morethe regional soft drink favorite. Saw lots of Cheerwine merch/logos everywhere but not Cheerwine itself. This festival is extremely crowded and there are long lines for absolutely everything, do know that going into this one. Bring cash, you'll need it. The Deets: My friends and I made plans to hit the The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury, NC this year. Cheerwine is a local/regional soft drink favorite, a black cherry flavored soda. Cheerwine has been made since 1917 and has been produced by the same family in North Carolina for all those years (big accomplishment in the food/beverage industry). I've been a Cheerwine fan since childhood so I was up for going to a festival bearing its name. We went down and back on Amtrak as there is a train station near to the downtown area the festival is held. I recommend going by train if possible as finding parking is not that easy for this event. Salisbury is not a huge town so you would expect that to be so. If you are not a fan of big crowds and long lines, then this festival is not for you. This festival is very "people-y" and there are long lines for EVERYTHING...food, beer/beverages, merchandise, craft/art/novelty items, cash machines (bring cash, most things here are not cheap)...everything. Of course the sound stage had a crowd around it as well. We even ducked into a local bottle shop to find some peace (see my prior review for this business) which we indeed found. My pics I took are from a pocket of peace I found outside of the crowded area. Of note, I did see that there were plenty of port-a-potties everywhere, even down alleys between buildings. While I saw Cheerwine logos and merchandise a-plenty at the festival, I really can't recall seeing any actual Cheerwine itself. Sad face. Lots of beer opportunities...not Cheerwine though. If you love those crowded street festivals, this event is your golden ticket. I found it was great to visit and experience but I'm not sure I would go out of my way to come back again.

true Rodeo Family fun experience. If you're within 45 minute drive, you should make it!read more

I cannot believe this has not been reviewed a single time yet. A fantastic family friendly…read moreactivity during the summer! Davis Rodeo Ranch is a bit outside of Archdale, super close to High Point and amazingly easy to get to from really anywhere in the triad, not far off the highway. During the summer they host "Boot Barn Wild West Wednesday" rodeo events every other Wednesday night! You can check their website for the schedule of those as well as other events they have. The location is literally in the front yard of legendary bull rider Jerome Davis' house and he and his wife are very active in the event. We attended a couple times this past summer and had a great time each time! There are a lot of events and the MC (typically Jerome himself) did a great job describing the events and how the riders would be judged which was very helpful for the less experienced like us. This would be a great place for kids as well, and they even have a candy event where kids can go hunt for candy in between events. Parking is free, and they have very reasonable concessions, but you can also bring in some take out food if you preferred, we saw plenty doing this. If you want to try something a little different happening right in the triad, this is a great idea and is a great event to support!

Such an amazing and magical place. I wish we had much more time to spend there. It is well loved…read moreand cared for. Shaun Rogers knows his stuff and is clearly very passionate about the property. I got a sense for some ghosties, if that's your thing. There's a room with a daybed and a lady's desk, perhaps there's still someone writing some letters ;)

My 500th review. It really seemed like this should be a review of something special, so this is my…read morechoice. I really can't believe that no one has reviewed this lovely and interesting attraction in downtown Jamestown. This is the plantation that was owned by James Mendenhall, after whom Jamestown was named. He was part of a Quaker community, made up of people who actively opposed slavery and promoted education. The doctors office on this site was actually home to the first medical school in NC. The school was supervised by Dr. Shubal Coffin (I kid you not, that was his name) and the artifacts housed within are something to behold. If you're there during one of the events, you may be lucky enough to meet the local man who plays the part of Dr. Coffin and he will give you some real insight into medical practices of the time. There are several buildings, including (but not limited to) the main house, the medical office, the bankers barn and the spring house. There are herb gardens and beautiful grounds. Inside the bankers barn are several wagons, including one with a false bottom that was used to hide slaves and transport them to the north. We haven't taken an "official" tour yet, but were there for the Village Fair a few weeks ago and were able to pick up a lot of history. There are a couple of important events during the year. At the fair, we saw a real blacksmith at work and several women spinning both wool and silk into yarns. We really enjoyed the presentation by "Dr. Coffin," as well as the booths, activities for the kids and more. During the holidays, there will be a candlelight tour with music and tours of the traditionally decorated rooms. If you haven't been here, it's well worth the trip and the nominal fee for the tour. You'll be very impressed.

We had such a great time at the Dash! It was such a fun experience, and the food was amazing. I…read moreloved getting to try the deep fried ravioli, the cheesy pig dog, and the apple empanadas -- everything was so good! The atmosphere was fun, the food was delicious, and it made for such a great outing. Definitely a place we'd love to come back to!

We were invited by the in-laws to attend the Fourth of July game, more so for the fireworks than…read moreanything else. Being so hot, we arrived later than normal, caught the last few innings, and stayed for the "big show". Parking was a bit more difficult on this visit, one because we arrived later than normal, but also because people were parked all over the general area, sitting on their hoods, and waiting to was the post fireworks show from outside the park. We eventually found some free on street parking, and just had to walk a couple of blocks. The last few innings went quickly, they had fun events between innings to keep people entertained, and the the Dash and the pepper mascots were roaming around the park to take pictures with guests. All in all, we had a good time. Pricing in the park for food and drink isn't great, but it's not the worst either, but $5 for a small bottle of water seems a bit excessive, especially when it's so hot out, they hold you hostage, I don't agree with that. Fortunately we had eaten before arriving, so we didn't need food, juts overpriced water. The post game fireworks, started up relatively soon after the game. They rolled the "launch" cart onto the field dimmed the lights, and began setting them off. They had a solid 20 minute show with nonstop fireworks. Definitely a good display, but also probably bigger than the normal Friday/Saturday show due to it being the 4th of July. All in all, it was a good time, if you can avoid buying food and drink at the park, you'll save a bunch of money, but I suppose sometimes that's part of the fun.