How to Spend an Adventurous Weekend in Hickory, North Carolina

Hikes. History. Delicious food. Art. ADVENTURE...

These are just some of the things that await you on your visit to the quaint little city of Hickory, North Carolina. With great restaurants, beautiful street art, dozens of local breweries, and access to epic hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor recreation opportunities, it’s safe to say that Hickory is one of the state’s best-kept secrets.

We were recently invited to spend a long weekend in this charming Western North Carolinian city by the Hickory Convention and Visitors Bureau and after just a few days here, we fell in love.

If you like visiting little cities that are filled with both culture and ample opportunities for adventure, you have to add this gem of a destination to your bucket list.

Getting There

Hickory, NC is either a quick and affordable flight or a six-hour drive from our home base in Washington, DC, making it the perfect long weekend getaway destination for Washingtonians. We, however, decided to take the scenic route and turn our journey into the ultimate fall foliage road trip. We drove through Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive and then along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This route provided us with access to dozens of beautiful hikes and overlooks along the way as well as some of the best opportunities for leaf peeping in the Eastern United States.

Places to Explore in Hickory, NC

Union Square: What started as a tavern under a Hickory tree, is now a vibrant downtown bustling with live music, festivals, local boutiques, restaurants, and beautiful murals. We listened to live music on Friday night after grabbing a local beer at Olde Hickory Tap Room, bopped around the Hickory Farmers Market (with a coffee from Tasteful Beans in hand) on Saturday morning, and brunched at Olde Hickory Station on Sunday. Needless to say, Hickory’s Downtown is an unmissable stop during your visit here.

Hickory Murals: One of our favorite ways to explore every city that we visit is to take ourselves on a mural/street art tour, and with almost a dozen murals within 10 minutes of the downtown area, our Hickory tour definitely did not disappoint.

Hart Square: This open-air museum is home to the largest collection of log cabins and other log structures in the nation and invites visitors to take a step back in time as they explore each one. We had the privilege of visiting Hart Square during their annual Living History Festival, and were greeted by hundreds of volunteer historians and demonstrators reenacting early-1800’s pioneer life. We watched women tend to beautifully curated gardens, gunsmiths making rifles, and even stumbled upon a miller’s hidden moonshine still.

Bakers Mountain Park: Home to almost six miles of trails, and the highest point in Catawba County, Bakers Mountain Park offers stunning views of the Catawba Valley. We recommend taking the 2.5 mile Bakers Mountain Loop Trail to the observation platform for the best vantage point.

Places to Adventure around Hickory, NC

Grandfather Mountain & Mile High Swinging Bridge We had been eyeing this hike for a long while and staying in Hickory put us right at its front door. Admission to Grandfather Mountain is $24 for adults and $10 for children (ages 4-12) and tickets must be booked online prior to your visit. A ticket grants you access to North America’s tallest pedestrian suspension bridge, the nature center and their animal habitats, and of course easy access to Grandfather Mountain itself, which is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Is a visit worth the price tag? We thought so. But to get your money’s worth, plan to spend a few hours at the park and take advantage of all of it’s attractions.

Grandfather Mountain State Park The other 2/3 of the mountain is free to visit and is rather undeveloped compared to its paid counter part. One of our favorite hikes within this region was Rough Ridge. We recommend parking at the the Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor’s Center and taking the Tanawha Trail out and back for a total of 5 miles, 850ft of elevation gain. You’ll share the view point with a good bit of other hikers as there is a shorter/easier access point from the road just below the lookout (0.5 miles), but the Tanawha Trail from the Visitor’s Center allows you to hike almost completely alone and even has a rock scramble section.

Linville Gorge Wilderness This wilderness area is within Pisgah National Forest and has some awesome opportunities for hiking. We hiked Babel Tower Trail and saw some of the most vibrant fall foliage that we’ve ever experienced in the valley below. The trail is an easy 2.5 mile, 850ft elevation gain, out and back hike that has an awesome natural rock tower overlook and a spectacular view of the Linville River below.

For an easier, more curated trail with some waterfall action, check out Linville Falls via Plunge Basin Trail. This 1.7 mile out and back trail has only 520 feet of elevation gain but beware, the parking lots fill up fast, and you will likely be sharing this hike with fellow hikers, as it is North Carolina’s most photographed waterfall.

Where to Stay in Hickory, NC

Unique Accommodation – 2nd Street Inn: We were lucky enough to stay at the 2nd Street Inn, a once hosiery mill turned inn with an upscale hostel-esque feel. While each unit is fully functional (complete with a private bathroom, coffee-maker, mini-fridge, and microwave) there are also two fully equipped communal kitchens that provide a community-centered atmosphere.

2nd Street Inn’s prime location allowed us to easily access all of the shops and restaurants downtown with a quick walk from our room. We also loved that we were provided with a personalized door code prior to arriving, so after our long drive, we could just punch in our code and rest easy.

Budget/Outdoorsy Accommodations: If you are planning to visit in your van or RV, Indian Springs Campground is located within Hickory’s city limits and offers sites with water, sewer, electric and free WiFi for affordable rates.

On our way through Linville Gorge Wilderness, we also passed an abundance of pull-off campsites along Old North Carolina 105 (S.R. 1238). So if tent camping is your jam, this is the perfect place to enjoy a primitive campsite in preparation for your morning hike. You are expected to obtain a free first-come, first-serve permit for dispersed camping and they are required on weekends and holidays May-October.

Where to Dine and Drink in Hickory, NC

There is no shortage of restaurants serving up delicious dishes in Hickory. Here are a few of our favorites:

Taste Full Beans This café not only has phenomenal caffeinated beverages, but boasts delicious food and doubles as an art gallery. We enjoyed breakfast here one morning and let us just say, both the avocado toast and the breakfast bowl were chef’s kiss. This trendy café has both indoor and outdoor seating and is beautifully designed (read: Instagram goals) picture art gallery meets botanic garden.

Olde Hickory Station Tap Room After our first hike in the area (in typical Seth and Aleah fashion) we visited a local brewery. Olde Hickory Tap Room is actually a full blown restaurant but they feature their own beer on tap so we’re chalking that up to brewery. Not only do they have awesome brews but the food was on point- we highly recommend the fish and chips!

Olde Hickory Station This retired train station is now a hive of activity in downtown Hickory for brunch, lunch, and dinner. This restaurant is owned and operated by the Olde Hickory Brewery. We went for brunch, and if you’re not a breakfast person, just make sure you try their cheesy grits and you’ll become a believer.

Charolais Steak House A Hickory staple since 1969, this steakhouse hand cuts your choice at the table before sending it off to the open kitchen to be cooked to your liking. Be sure to check out their new wine cellar holds hundreds of bottles of delicious rare and vintage wines.

Mas Amor Cantina is Hickory’s go-to Tex-Mex spot for good reason. They make their tortillas in house and their sauces from scratch – two touches that definitely add to the dinning experience and leave you feeling like you’re on the streets of Mexico city.

Duke’s Restaurant and Wine Bar Not going to lie, while searching for places to eat we stumbled upon Duke’s and saw an escargot empanada on the menu. To say our interest was piqued is an understatement. Y’all… that dish is something else. Trying it was worth the trip alone never mind their excellent selection of wine. Don’t sleep on this wild European cuisine fever dream come to life, it’s impeccable. The rest of dinner was also incredible. All around – 5 stars.

Café Rule & Wine Bar We stopped by Café Rule for a night cap and a little dessert. Once again, a culinary mystery that has evaded us well into adulthood introduced itself: popcorn ice cream aka ice cream that tastes just like visiting the box office in the best way possible. They soak their cream in smooth, buttery popcorn before straining it and turning into this unique frozen delight. Needless to say, it is a must-try when visiting Hickory.

Catawba Valley Ale Trail Okay, completing this trail takes both commitment and a DD, which we had neither of, but the small portion that we did do has us thinking we need a return trip sooner rather than later. This expansive bar crawl features breweries throughout the Catawba Valley and the 5 out of 11 that we did hit has assured us the remaining 6 are just as worthy of a visit.

Truth be told, neither of us had ever heard of Hickory before this trip. It was only when we started researching and planning this getaway that we realized that places that have been on our bucket list for years were all within a just short drive of Hickory. This little city is truly a hidden gem of a destination in-and-of itself, but it also made the best home base for exploring Western North Carolina.