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Destinations › Western North Carolina › Hickory
Hickory is the foothills city where I-40 meets US-321, on the way from Charlotte to Asheville or Boone. Below: Union Square and its year-round farmers market, the Hickory Museum of Art, historic houses, county parks, the Crawdads and dated holiday events, from Visit Hickory, the city and the downtown association.
- CountyCatawbaI-40 and US-321
- RegionAsheville & Foothillsone of our nine regions
- From Charlotte1 h 13 minestimate, no traffic
- From Asheville1 h 33 minestimate, no traffic
About Hickory
The City of Hickory says it began as Hickory Tavern, a log tavern of the 1850s, took the name Hickory in 1873 and became the City of Hickory in 1889. The city puts itself 50 miles northwest of Charlotte, 80 miles east of Asheville and 35 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Hickory Museum of Art, which Visit Hickory calls the second-oldest art museum in North Carolina, reopened in September 2026. Bakers Mountain Park sits on Catawba County’s highest point at 1,780 feet. The Hickory Crawdads, a High-A Texas Rangers affiliate, have played here since 1993. The downtown farmers market runs year-round under the Sails on Union Square.
Anything marked “Not confirmed” was not stated on an official page when we looked on November 3, 2026. Check with the town, park or organizer before you go.
Places to Go in Hickory
Downtown, Museums and History
| Place | Type | Address | Hours | Cost | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Museum of Art | museum | 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Second-oldest art museum in NC; reopened September 2026 after a year-long renovation; current exhibit The Women by Charles Harbison runs through… |
| Catawba Science Center & Millholland Planetarium | museum / science | 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Hands-on exhibits, saltwater and freshwater aquarium galleries and a digital planetarium; DINOSAURS! exhibit listed through 2026-12-06. |
| Maple Grove | historic house | 542 2nd St NE, Hickory, NC 28601 | Mon-Fri 9am-4pm; self-guided tours | Admission and parking free | Italianate farmhouse built 1883, former home of Hickory co-founder Adolphus 'Dolph' Shuford; restored house museum. |
| Harper House / Lyerly House | historic house | 310 N Center Street, Hickory, NC 28601 | Tours Thu-Sat at 10, 11, 1, 2 and 3; other times by appointment; closed January and holidays | Adults $10; ages 6-17 reduced (figure garbled on page);… | Queen Anne house built in 1887 by Daniel Webster; tours explain Hickory's 19th-century boom and bust economy. |
| History Museum of Catawba County | museum | 30 N College Ave, Newton, NC 28658 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | County history museum covering the Catawba River Valley settlers and the furniture and textile industries. |
| Southeastern Narrow Gauge & Shortline Museum | museum / railroad | Not confirmed (address not extracted) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Railroad museum on a 4-acre campus around a 1924 Southern Railway depot, with narrow gauge equipment and model railroads. |
| Hart Square Village | historic village | 5055 Hope Rd, Vale, NC 28168 | Open on event days only (not stated; Not confirmed) | Not confirmed | Largest collection of historic log structures in the US, 103 restored 1700s-1800s buildings; Christmas in the Village is listed 2026-12-05. |
| Murray's Mill | historic site | Catawba County, NC (street address not extracted) | Grounds open during daylight hours | Not confirmed | 1913 gristmill with a 28-foot waterwheel, general store and period house; National Register site with trails on the Carolina Thread Trail. |
| Union Square and Downtown Hickory | downtown | Union Square, Main Ave NW, Downtown Hickory, NC | Shop hours vary | Free to visit | Downtown core with Union Square, the Sails pavilion, shops, restaurants, theatre and cinema, and free parking per the downtown association. |
| Downtown Hickory Farmers Market | market | Union Square under the Sails, Downtown Hickory | Apr-Oct Wed 10am-1pm and Sat 8am-1pm; Nov-Apr Sat 10am-1pm (DDA pages differ on Nov-Mar vs Nov-Apr) | Free to browse | Year-round market with produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, plants and crafts; accepts SNAP/EBT. |
| City Walk Brewing & Distilling | brewery / distillery | 205 Main Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Urban brewery and distillery on Hickory's City Walk listed by Visit Hickory. |
| Hickory Community Theatre | theatre | 30 3rd St NW, Hickory, NC 28601 | Show times per production | Ticketed; price Not confirmed | Community theatre in downtown Hickory; 2026-27 season includes Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Head Over Heels. |
| Hickory Metro Convention Center and Visitors Bureau | visitor info | 1960-A 13th Avenue Drive SE, Hickory, NC 28602 | Not confirmed | Free | Official tourism office (phone 828-322-1335) and convention center hosting shows and conferences. |
Parks, Lakes and Trails
| Place | Type | Address | Hours | Cost | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Trail (City Walk, Riverwalk and others) | trail / greenway | City of Hickory; City Walk runs through downtown (office (828)… | Not confirmed | Free (public trail; cost not stated) | Planned 10-mile path; City Walk, Riverwalk, Aviation Walk and Historic Ridgeview Walk open, OLLE Art Walk under construction. |
| Ivey Arboretum at Sally Fox Park | park / arboretum | 125 3rd Street NE, Hickory, NC 28601 | Not confirmed | Free (public park; not stated) | Formerly Carolina Park, a 1870s mineral spring site; now has about 250 tree and plant species, public art benches and sculptures. |
| Bakers Mountain Park | county park | 6680 Bakers Mountain Road, Hickory, NC 28602 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 189-acre Catawba County park on the county's highest point (1,780 ft) with nearly 5 miles of trails and a mountaintop observation deck. |
| Riverbend Park | county park | 6700 Highway 16 North, Conover, NC 28613 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 690-acre Catawba River park with a 19.7-mile trail system, paddling access, dog park and observation deck. |
| Mountain Creek Park | county park / lake | 6554 Little Mountain Rd, Sherrills Ford, NC 28673 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 606-acre Catawba County park on Lake Norman's northwest tip with 19.5 miles of mountain bike trail, fishing pier and canoe/kayak launch. |
| Henry Fork River Park | park | 5655 Sweet Bay Lane, Hickory, NC 28602 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Park with 11 soccer fields, playgrounds, picnic shelter, paved walking trail and a canoe launch. |
Sports, Racing and Shopping
| Place | Type | Address | Hours | Cost | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Motor Speedway | racing | 3130 Highway 70 SE, Newton, NC 28658 | Race nights only; schedule Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Short track billed as the 'Birthplace of NASCAR Stars'; hosts NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and CARS Tour Late Model racing. |
| Hickory Crawdads (L.P. Frans Stadium) | sports | 2500 Clement Blvd NW, Hickory, NC 28601 | Home games spring-summer; 2027 schedule Not confirmed | Not confirmed | High-A baseball team affiliated with the Texas Rangers, in Hickory since 1993. |
| Hickory Furniture Mart | shopping / attraction | 2220 Hwy 70 SE, Hickory, NC 28602 | Not confirmed | Free to browse (not stated) | Large furniture showroom complex; tourism listing cites over 500,000 visitors a year; hosts After Market Sales in spring and fall. |
Dated Events in Hickory
Read from official calendars on November 3, 2026, starting from that date. Organizers change plans, so check the event link before you go. Every NC event we track is also on Asheville & Foothills events.
| Event | Date | Time | Venue | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall After Market Sale | 2026-11-06 to 2026-11-09 | Not confirmed | Hickory Furniture Mart | Not confirmed |
| 21st Annual Veterans Festival and Parade | 2026-11-07 | Not confirmed | Town of Catawba | Not confirmed |
| Downtown Hickory Farmers Market (winter Saturdays) | 2026-11-07 to 2027-03-27 | 10:00-13:00 Saturdays | Union Square under the Sails | Free to browse |
| Lowes Foods Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting | 2026-11-20 | 17:45 | Downtown Hickory, Union Square | Free (not stated) |
| A Very Murray Christmas | 2026-11-21 | Not confirmed | Murray's Mill | Not confirmed |
| Christmas Comes to Conover | 2026-11-21 | Not confirmed | Downtown Conover | Not confirmed |
| Holidaypalooza (Santa photos) | 2026-11-21 | Not confirmed | Union Square, Downtown Hickory | Not confirmed |
| Frozen (Hickory Community Theatre) | 2026-11-27 to 2026-12-12 | Not confirmed | Hickory Community Theatre | Ticketed; price Not confirmed |
| Foothills Pops: Holiday Spectacular | 2026-12-04 | Not confirmed | J.E. Broyhill Civic Center | Ticketed; price Not confirmed |
| Hickory Christmas Show | 2026-12-04 to 2026-12-06 | Not confirmed | Hickory Metro Convention Center | Not confirmed |
| Christmas in the Village | 2026-12-05 | Not confirmed | Hart Square Village | Not confirmed |
| Downtown Hickory Cookie Crawl | 2026-12-05 | Not confirmed | Union Square, Downtown Hickory | Not confirmed |
| Landmarks Christmas at Maple Grove & Propst House | 2026-12-05 | Not confirmed | Maple Grove & Propst House | Not confirmed |
| The Nutcracker – Hickory Ballet & Performing Arts | 2026-12-11 to 2026-12-13 | Not confirmed | The Green Room Community Theatre | Ticketed; price Not confirmed |
| Masterworks: American Roots (Western Piedmont Symphony) | 2027-02-13 | Not confirmed | P.E. Monroe Auditorium | Ticketed; price Not confirmed |
| Foothills Pops: The Texas Tenors | 2027-04-17 | Not confirmed | J.E. Broyhill Civic Center | Ticketed; price Not confirmed |
Annual Events in Hickory
These come back every year. The date shown is the last one an official page confirmed; the next edition’s date is not confirmed unless it says so.
| Event | Last Confirmed Date | Time | Venue | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Hops craft beer & music festival | 2026-04-11 | 13:00-18:00 | Union Square, Downtown Hickory | Ticketed (hickoryhops.com); price Not confirmed |
| Hickory Oktoberfest | 2026-10-09 to 2026-10-11 | Fri 17:00-23:00; Sat 10:00-23:00; Sun 12:00-17:00 | Downtown Hickory | Not confirmed |
Getting There
From Uptown Charlotte: about 1 h 13 min, 51 miles. From downtown Asheville: about 1 h 33 min, 76 miles. From Charlotte, I-77 north then I-40 west, or I-85 and US-321 north through Gastonia and Lincolnton.
Drive times are estimates, not official figures. We computed them on November 3, 2026 from OpenStreetMap road data (OSRM routing) with no traffic. Rush hour on I-77, I-85 and I-40, weekend lake and leaf traffic, weather and construction all add time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Hickory Christmas parade?
The Lowes Foods Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting is Friday, November 20, 2026 at 5:45 p.m. in downtown Hickory, per the Hickory Downtown Development Association.
Is the Hickory Museum of Art open?
Visit Hickory says it reopened in September 2026 after a year-long transformation. Hours and admission are not confirmed on the listing, so check the museum first.
How far is Hickory from Asheville?
About 1 h 33 min by our road estimate on I-40, with no traffic. The city itself says 80 miles.
Sources
- City of Hickory, about (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- City of Hickory, demographics (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Visit Hickory (Hickory Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau) (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Hickory Downtown Development Association, events (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Visit Hickory, Hickory Museum of Art (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Visit Hickory, Hickory Crawdads (checked Nov 3, 2026)
Checked November 3, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “Hickory”, itsnorthcarolina.com/destinations/hickory/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.