1. Get to know the city by walking around Union Square. The city’s doorstep is home to a collection of shops, restaurants, and pubs. A farmers market runs two days a week, April through November, and the brick-paved square hosts events throughout the year.
2. Join an estimated 500,000 visitors from the United States and other countries who flock annually to the Hickory Furniture Mart, a sprawling complex of factory outlets, custom showrooms, and private galleries. Find furniture of any style for any room in the house. Just make sure to bring your walking shoes.
3. Looking to stay indoors for a bit? Housed in the city’s cultural arts complex near downtown, the Catawba Science Center and the Hickory Museum of Art offer a wealth of exhibitions, educational programs for adults and children, and a planetarium and aquarium.
4. When it’s time to eat, check out the local favorite Windy City Grill, or try breakfast classics like omelets, eggs Benedict, and specialty French toast at Hart and Soul Café.
5. Finish the day cheering on the Hickory Crawdads. Baseball’s roots are deep in Catawba County, dating back to the competition between mill teams around the turn of the century. Since 1993, the Class A Crawdads have been a mainstay each April through September. If you’re looking for a thrill, you can also check out the schedule at Hickory Motor Speedway.
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
