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    Turtle Island Preserve

    5.0 (1 review)

    Turtle Island Preserve Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Turtle Island Preserve

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    4 years ago

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    Mystery Hill

    Mystery Hill

    3.9(66 reviews)
    4.1 mi

    We had such a great time and ended up picking up the base ticket that includes: Gravitational…read moreAnomaly, Hall of Mystery, Bubblerama, Native American Artifacts, 2903 Dougherty House & Farmyard, Rodeo Rampage Bull Ride Challenge. It is a really cool place to visit, walking in that gravitational anomaly room is the weirdest sensation I've ever felt, but it is something cool to experience. In the hall of mystery, we literally let our inner child just wander around. And sadly we weren't able to do the bull ride, because of timing. For sure it is a place where you can spend your day in there. They're very hospitable and our tour guide was very funny.

    A pretty fun straightforward diversion good for rounding out an afternoon in Blowing Rock. I ended…read moreup coming here on a day trip weekend getaway. I'm originally from Michigan and grew up pretty close to the Mystery Spot in the Upper Peninsula, so I was somewhat familiar with this sort of place. I ended up checking out the "gravitational anomaly" room along with the "Hall of Mysteries" but none of the other stuff. There was also Axe Throwing and some sort of Native American History Museum but didn't see those as I was somewhat pressed for time. There was also somewhat randomly a huge obscure soda collection which was kind of cool. And they also had Vernors which as a former Michigander I appreciated. The "gravitational anomaly " room was pretty cool and is obviously the main focus of this place. There were a few demonstrative tools like a water flow demonstration, a rubber ball on a track that apparently defies gravity and a swingset. The room itself isn't too large and those three things were the only "tools" in there but goofing around in the room on your own is plenty entertaining as you can see from the attached pictures. Beyond that the "Hall of Mysteries" was basically a small section of optical illusions and science demonstrations which was interesting enough but something probably more interesting to and suited to kids. Overall the place is cool but kind of feels like it doesn't know what it's trying to be beyond the "gravity room" and feels like it could use a little update and some more focused development/presentation. If you haven't been before it's probably worth experiencing at least once if you're going to be in the area and have time for it. They also have a Zoltar machine, which is always a plus in my book.

    Photos
    Mystery Hill - Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)

    Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)

    Mystery Hill
    Mystery Hill - Gem Mine

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    Gem Mine

    Center 45 - Lots of recycling options?

    Center 45

    3.8(4 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    Not kid friendly. It's more of a fitness workout gym for teens and adults. Wasted money to find…read morethis out after about 10 minutes.

    A heads up from the get-go, this is not a rope-based climbing gym. They're in a warehouse without…read morehigh ceilings so top rope and course setting including clip-in points is not a thing here. There is another place in Boone for that, though admittedly their hours are much shorter. I was happy to find this place open on a Saturday evening until 10pm. There's plenty of wall space if there are just a few climbers here but I bet it can easily get crowded. There is lots of other equipment for cross training, but most of it is quite dated. Like something your dad or uncle had in their garage in their teens and 20s. A rusted fan-bike and nylon wrapped, thin foam padded bench. There's a cool "moon board" on the opposite side of the gym at a 40 degree angle. I personally have a hard enough time climbing vertical walls though. There are some rings and balls suspended from the ceiling for you to impress your friends or yourself with some gymnastics level moves. And of course lots of fingerboard options. Normally a Saturday would be packed I bet but I came in during an event elsewhere in town that was specifically popular with the climbing types. So I basically had the gym to myself. At a price of $14 (I brought my own shoes and chalk, not sure if they rent them) it was in line with the gym back home in Charlotte. There's a waiver process that will take you a few minutes to complete. The bathrooms are large and there's a relatively limited amount of cubby space to put your stuff. The hand holds felt tight and I didn't find a single spinner. I was able to clear all of their V0s, most of their V1s and one of their V2s. As you can see I'm barely a bouldering beginner but I will say these seemed to fall in line with my expectation for difficulty. Lastly, the music choice for the evening I was there was not kid friendly and not really to my liking. I imagine it would be different on crowded days or if children were here. All considered though, I would definitely come back.

    Photos
    Center 45 - Moon wall to sync up to your phone

    Moon wall to sync up to your phone

    Center 45 - Lots of assorted seating

    Lots of assorted seating

    Center 45 - Finger boards and other torturous looking contraptions

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    Finger boards and other torturous looking contraptions

    Turtle Island Preserve - kids_activities - Updated May 2026

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