The French and Indian Wars were fought partly in North Carolina, as you will learn when you visit Fort Dobbs. Nothing remains of the original fort, but it is currently being rebuilt and meanwhile an excellent museum houses artifacts from the 1700s. Costumed soldiers are your guides, and there are frequent reenactments. Corn is one of North Carolina’s crops, and the Regal Corn Maze will give you and your kids as many corn-related activities as you can imagine. Ride a train through a corn field, shoot a corn cannon, play life-sized corn checkers, enjoy homemade farmhouse treats at the concession stand, climb a corn mountain and take home flowers or pumpkins from the produce stand. And do not forget to try your luck going through the maze. Many feel that the golf club of choice in the Carolina Piedmont is the River Oaks Golf Club. Rolling hills, sharp elevation changes, streams and trees all surround you with beauty as you tee off and continue your game. If you go online you can take advantage of the club’s ongoing “e-specials.” The Piedmont also offers a good grape-growing season, and the Davesté Vineyards take full advantage of it. Iredell County’s first vineyard, Davesté offers wine tastings, a vineyard tour, live music on the weekends and selected paintings by North Carolina artists in its tasting room. Your children will be far more impressed with Fun Station 2000, Statesville’s only family entertainment center. Play laser tag, go on indoor rides, play in the video arcade, try your luck in the batting cages, and recuperate at the family restaurant (its specials are pizza and wings).
The largest emerald found in North America came from the Hiddenite Gem Mines (in case you are curious, it weighed 1,686.3 karats). Take a tour of the mines and then visit the Historic Lucas Mansion, a three-story Victorian mansion with art galleries, exhibits and a toy and doll collection. Come stay at one of the Statesville hotels listed below while you explore the North Carolina Piedmont area. It is a great place to relax, to try a North Carolina wine, to see a battle reenactment or just to play a fast game of laser tag with your family. And while diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, emeralds are not all that bad either. Come and see it all with Choice Hotels!