●The Honey Hog 4629 Fallston Rd. Lawndale, NC Delicious farm to table BBQ and burgers. ●GoodWood Pizzeria 209 N Aspen St. Lincolnton, NC Wood fired pizza in brick ovens that are also built by the owner. Anna's long time friend, Leah's, family owns this restaurant and if you go in you'll likely see Leah's bright smile behind the counter. https://www.goodwoodpizza.com/ ●Court Street Grille 113 Court Square Lincolnton, NC An American & Italian grille and is often a happening spot right on the court square. ●Mitchem's Kitchen 6679 NC-27 Vale, NC Mitchem's has true, country comfort food and some real good BBQ.
A local farm and creamery, Knob Creek is a mandatory stop when we visit Anna's family. The BEST homemade ice cream!
Homemade muscadine and scuppernong wine is popular here in Western NC. Woodmill offers tastings and also a great selection of local pottery that Vale, NC is known for.
Lake Norman is the largest man made lake in North Carolina. There are two public access beaches and the closest is probably Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius.
This is conveniently located in Mount Holly which is between Fallston and Charlotte. You can white water, hike, mountain bike and more.
Boone is the town where Anna and Caleb met for the first time and where Anna went to college at Appalachian State University. (For any UL fans, you can see winners in their natural habitat in Boone.) This is a trip you can make if you want to get up early and be back same day. It is about an hour and a half from Fallston. Boone is a true, small, mountain town nestled in the Appalachian Blue Ridge mountains. A couple of our favorite Boone sights: ●King Street - Boone's main street where you can shop and dine local right next to campus. We recommend a trip to the Mast General Store and where we had our official second date, Our Daily Bread Cafe. https://www.visitnc.com/listing/jeHR/downtown-boone ●Grandfather Mountain - Catch a view of Grandfather Mountain from the mile high swinging bridge or hike the many hiking trails in the area. https://grandfather.com/ ●Edge of the World - Located in downtown Banner Elk, NC. Our favorite outfit to spend the day white water kayaking on the Watauga River. They also offer white water rafting and rock climbing depending on the time of year. https://edgeoworld.com/summer/
Asheville is about 1.5-2 hours away and can also be done in a day, depending on how much you want to see. A few suggestions: ●The Biltmore House - Built by George Vanderbilt in the 1800's, this 250 room French chateau is America's largest home and is nestled in the Blue Ridge. The Biltmore offers tours of the home and grounds. ●Tubing the French Broad River - This is a popular summer past time in Asheville. It is something that you could do on your own or go with one of the many outfits that offer the excursion. There are a few businesses that offer and encourage riverfront access such as 12 Bones BBQ (weekdays only), The Wedge Brewery and the Bywater Bar. https://rootsrated.com/stories/tubing-french-broad-locals-guide ●The French Broad Chocolate Lounge - If you are in Asheville and like dessert, this place is a must! There is always an insane line but it is always worth the wait. They craft bean-to-bar chocolate all directly from farmers. https://www.frenchbroadchocolates.com/ ●The Blue Ridge Parkway - Great if you want to quickly see some mountain scenery without hiking for it. There's also lots of hiking right off the Parkway. Accessible in many other spots than just Asheville. https://www.blueridgeparkway.org
●Charleston, SC Charleston is about 4 hours away and has always been one of Anna and Caleb's favorite places to visit. Go hang out on the beach and spend a day taking in all of the rich history and amazing food in downtown Charleston. ●Oak Island, NC Oak Island is Anna's family's chosen beach to visit and is also about 4ish hours away. It is very family oriented and you won't see a franchise on the island, as it is all local. If you want to just relax and spend a couple of days on the beach and water, this is the spot.