Crafting Hickory

It only takes a short drive through Hickory for someone to see a city that has been revitalized — one full of charm, new amenities and features, and a spirit of craftsmanship all around. But to really get to know Hickory, we invite you to take a walk.

The new Hickory Trail, which is partially completed, is an innovative 10-mile multi-use pathway that manifests itself as the gem of the Hickory Metro. The Trail combines five distinctive walks throughout the city — City Walk, Riverwalk at Lake Hickory, Historic Ridgeview Walk, OLLE Art Walk, and Aviation Walk — to create a regional destination that spans from Lenoir-Rhyne University to downtown to Lake Hickory, continuing to LP Frans Stadium, home of Hickory Crawdads baseball, and all the way to the Hickory Regional Airport.

CITY WALK BIKING

The newly-opened City Walk, the Trail’s first completed section, is an urban greenway that winds through the heart of Hickory. With wide paved pathways dotted with pocket parks and a variety of destinations, people can walk or bike (and eat, drink, and shop) their way through the city’s downtown business district and beyond.

Downtown Hickory is a City Walk destination of its own, with restaurants, shops and gathering spaces that draw crowds most nights. This includes The Sails Stage, where

the city hosts The Sails Original Music Series downtown every spring and fall, bringing diverse bands from all over the world to perform — earning Hickory a spot on ConventionSouth Magazine’s 2019 list of “The South’s Top 8 Hidden Tracks of the Southern Music Scene.”

Other attractions along City Walk include the renowned Hickory Museum of Art, which hosts nationally-acclaimed exhibitions and an extensive folk art collection, and Catawba Science Center, home to both a planetarium and aquarium.

While the entire Hickory Trail won’t be completed for a few years, City Walk is ready for you to explore now.

For more information, visit www. MyHKY.com.

WYATT BRIDGE.

RUDY WRIGHT BRIDGE. CREDIT CHAD AUSTIN, INC. HickoryNC.gov ~ MyHKY.com