I came to Rural Hill for the Amazing Maize Maze. Rural Hill is a beautiful place tucked away in…read moreHuntersville. The Maze had a high production value! Not only are you trying to navigate through the large twisting and turning space, but you're also trying to find a series of clues that have a theme. This was definitely one of the more difficult mazes that I've ever done. I went on Halloween and was also pleasantly surprised by the buckets of candy placed throughout the maze During COVID, they did a good job at managing crowds by having people buy tickets for certain time slots. The staff was wearing masks and asked people to wear masks during the beginning and end of the maze.

Whether it's from the maddening crowds of an expansive metropolis, or the pressures of a career,…read moreRural Hill is a pleasant place in which to escape. It's a quaint, restored throwback to the era when the Scots and the Davidsons timbered forests, tilling them into fields and farms. Eventually, the area was established and is known by their name. The Davidson family cemetery is prominently lined with a beautiful stone wall and is open most days. Trails exists for walking but not many use them (which is why I like going). There is an old dirt road that eventaually dead ends at a small shelter overlooking a pond--I think it leaves many disappointed. There's not much to see once you arrive and ALL the land is a County preserve with trespassing not allowed (yep, they got trail cams so if fishing is your plan, you've been warned). The magic, really, is the road itself. It winds through the woodlands for a couple miles with little traffic. I often park and walk portions with my binoculars. I grew up on such a road in Upstate New York. Fond memories rekindle. I am reminded of how happy was my childhood. Sometimes I see turkeys, deer, ospreys, and coyotes. Looking for a leisurely way to spend some time away? I say "give it a whirl." Breath it all in!

This marker is located at the intersection of Gold Hill Road and North Carolina Route 73. It…read morerecalls an early clergyman in the area. It reads, "Samuel Suther. Early minister of German Reformed Church in N.C., 1768-1782. Preached at Coldwater Union Church which stood 500 yards north." Online, there is more information. "As with many of North Carolina's early immigrants, Samuel Suther arrived in the western piedmont with the tide of Germans moving southward along the Great Wagon Road. Born in Switzerland, Suther arrived in 1738 after a shipwreck off the coast of Virginia claimed the lives of his family members. He moved to Philadelphia where he taught German and then to Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he began serving as a German Reformed minister for Lutheran and Reformed congregations in both North and South Carolina. In 1768, he was ordered from his post at Coldwater Church in modern Cabarrus County by Governor William Tryon to preach to the Rowan and Mecklenburg militia during the War of the Regulation." "By 1771, Suther had moved to present-day Guilford County to preach to a combined congregation at Low's Lutheran Church. An outspoken proponent for the rights of colonists to protest English government, Suther, through his activism, forced a break in the congregation. The resulting split led to Suther and his followers leaving Low's to form their own church, Brick Church, near the site of the Battle of Alamance. Because of his patriotic fervor and his Revolutionary message, Suther and his congregation were targets for Loyalist attacks that eventually drove him from his home and destroyed his farm. After the war, Suther returned to Coldwater Church and others in that region before returning to South Carolina two years before his death in 1788." "Suther is credited by scholars as being the driving force for the survival of the German Reformed Church in North Carolina, owing to his efforts to seek support of northern Reformed congregations for their southern brethren who were struggling to keep the church alive in the face of war." [Review 14393 overall, 1718 of 2020, number 2718 in North Carolina.]

The Declaration of Independence is nice and all that but did you know that Mecklenburg, North…read moreCarolina declared independence over a year earlier? The marker reads, "Bold set of anti-British resolutions, adopted on May 31, 1775, in meeting 50 yards S.W. organized by Thomas Polk, fired spirit of independence." It is marker number L-115 and it was erected in 2015 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Aadopted here in Charlotte, North Carolina, just weeks after the battles of Lexington and Concord and drafted by the Mecklenburg County Committee of Safety, the Resolves declared that all laws and commissions originating from the British Crown or Parliament were null and void, effectively ending British authority in the region. While not a formal declaration of independence, the Resolves laid out a framework for self-governance, including the establishment of local judicial and military structures. They also called on other colonies to form their own governments, signaling a significant shift toward autonomy. Though they left open the possibility of reconciliation if Britain rescinded its oppressive policies, the Resolves marked one of the earliest organized rejections of British rule in the colonies and helped ignite the spirit of independence in the American South. [Review 1425 of 2025 - 4496 in North Carolina - 24976 overall]

Not a review of the Mint Museum, which I did not have time to visit today (I've lived in Charlotte…read morefor 13 years, I need to make the time) but the state's historical marker that is posted at the entrance to the parking area. It reads, "Operated as Branch U.S. Mint, 1837-61. Relocated to present site as art museum, 1936. Building expanded, 1968 and 1985." There is more information online. Gold was discovered in Cabarrus County in 1799 that caused a gold rush in North Carolina by 1825. As it was difficult to ship the gold to the Philadelphia Mint, laws were passed to build branch mints in the South including here in Charlotte, Dahlonega GA and New Orleans LA. The Charlotte Mint operated until North Carolina seceded from the Union in 1861. During its operation, it count about five million dollars in half eagles ($5), quarter eagles ($2.50) and gold dollars. The Mint was moved from its original location on West Trade Street (wondered why there's a Mint Street in Uptown?), piece-by-piece to this location and reconstructed during 1934-1936. Do visit the actual Mint Museum nearby and the one in Uptown. [Review 12303 overall, 2087 of 2019.]

My favorite state for hiking, fishing and skiing. There are five cities that bare the true North…read moreCarolina local flavor which include Maggie Valley, Blowing Rock, Boone, Charlotte and Asheville. So many family trips to NC. There are so many historic landmarks but never really visited any. Most of the flights out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami go directly into Asheville airport hub. If you are scared to fly, the drive will be a brutal thirteen hours trek although once you get into the Smokey Mountains you may never want to leave after witnessing the view. There are three major colleges in North Carolina: North Carolina Sate Univ, UNC Charlotte and University of NC Chapel Hill.

Located at the entrance of Elizabeth Park, this bronze statue is dedicated to a local hero that…read moremost Americans will not be familiar with. That person is Captain James Jack. He delivered the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence to Congress in Philadephia. This document declaring independence from Great Britain was signed by citizens of Mecklenburg County (a county that includes Charlotte and nearby cities) on May 20, 1775. Notice that this predates the more well known 1776 Declaration of Independence signed by the 13 colonies. It's a nice statue and I learned an interesting bit of history by stumbling upon it.

No, it's not Paul Revere. It's Captain James Jack!…read more According to local legend, a band of local patriots met on May 19, 1775 and drafted a set of Resolves that outlined the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The documents declared that the actions of the British government were intolerable and that Mecklenburg County was no longer under British rule. You'll note that this was BEFORE July 4, 1776. At the time, he was a tavern owner but Captain Jack courageously volunteered to take these powerful documents on the journey from Charlotte to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. His actions were a risk to everything, all for the rights and protections that we take for granted today. If he'd been captured, the documents would certainly have led to his death as a traitor. But he made it and this was no doubt a part of the impetus towards the famous Declaration of Independence that all those other people signed. This statue is in Elizabeth Park, at the corner of Kings Drive and 4th Street, not far from Uptown Charlotte. And the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery on South Tryon has a beer named in his honor. Try it, it's tasty stuff! Round number review! #6400!

Dead-center Charlotte, where Trade Street meets Tryon Street. Where North meets South and East…read moremeets West. Independence Square is the "Uptown" of Uptown Charlotte. It is the very center, the core of the Queen City. The Sculpture on each of the four corners are dedicated to Transportation, Future, Commerce and Industry. Try and see if you can recognize the face of the banker in Commerce - it's supposedly retired Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, but I don't see it. It's worth a stop if you're exploring Charlotte.

This is one of Charlotte's most idiosyncratic spots. Charlotteans claim that Mecklenburg county…read moredeclared independence from Britain in 1775, one year before them Yanks at the Continental Congress stole the idea. This original and 100% not-made-up declaration was lost in a house fire 25 years later. Honest. And we commemorate this with The Sculptures at Independence Square, a quartet of vaguely bigoted statues, one of which bares its magnificent bosom to the bustling city below. I cannot explain how her breasts are related to the rampant historical revisionism capitalizing on the success of the American Revolution, but it does make me smile to see such a statue thrust upon our conservative city.

This marker by the side of the road next to a condo development reminds us of North Carolina's…read moreslave days. The marker is in good condition but there isn't much space here to stop and read. It says, "W.T. Alexander Plantation (1824-1865) Slave Cemetery. Mecklenburg County's largest known surviving slave cemetery including the graves of Solomon and Violet Alexander who lived and worked on Alexander's 19th century cotton plantation. Located approximately 800 feet south." I'm not sure where the referenced cemetery is located - it's all houses around here. [Review 12975 overall, 291 of 2020.]

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