Augustine and Sarah Clare
Things To Do
Downtown Hickory
Downtown Hickory has local movie theater, boutiques, a park, coffee shops, murals, and a cannon! During Fall Break 2022, Gus, Sarah, and Hana (Sarah’s maid of honor) took a trip to visit Sarah’s family and we spent an afternoon exploring downtown. Some recommendations: Tasteful Beans coffeeshop, Carolina movie theater, and Lowes’ Foods City Park.
Hickory Trail (River Walk)
We love the river walk around Hickory! We hiked it over one of Gus’ visits to Hickory and got to see lovely parts of the Catawba River. It is part of the larger Hickory Trail which connects the Riverwalk, City Walk, and more!
Catawba Science Center
Sarah worked here the first summer we were dating, so it’s full of memories for us. The visiting exhibit in Carpenter Hall was Gus’s favorite when we went, and Sarah loves the turtles & touch-tanks in the aquarium.
U.S. National Whitewater Center
The whitewater center is so fun & we got to go there together summer 2023 when Sarah’s family took Gus and Peter (Gus’ brother & best man). Gus asked for Mr. Kelty’s blessing shortly after! There’s whitewater rafting, paddle boarding, kayaking, rock climbing, & more.
Carowinds
Carowinds is in an amusement park on the border of North and South Carolina. We went there together at the end of Gus’s visit before going back to Steubenville in 2023.
Black Mountain
Lookout Trail: where we got engaged (about 1 hr 30 min from Hickory). The town of Black Mountain is also super cute—splash pad, little German restaurant, brewery, coffee shops, & more. Other NC hikes that Sarah loves & recommends: - Riverbend Park (15 min from Hickory) -Baker’s Mountain (30 min from Hickory) - South Mountain (50 min from Hickory) - Stone Mountain (1 hr 20 min from Hickory)