Hickory

Hickory is a city in the foothills of North Carolina. Hickory is something of a regional shopping hub and a significant center for furniture manufacturing. As a result, it's an excellent place for buying furniture.

By plane


The closest commercial service airports are Charlotte and Greensboro. Hickory Hop offers shuttle service from Charlotte Airport.

By car

 * I-40 - Exit 125 or 126 will take you to the commercial district for shopping and most chain restaurants.
 * US-321 - Intersects with I-40 at mile marker 123.
 * US-70 - Runs nearly parallel with I-40 East-West through town. Most shopping, restaurants, and hotels are along the US-70 corridor.
 * NC-127 - Divides the town roughly between East and West. Head north until 127 ends to find US-64.

By bus
Greyhound buses offer direct service from several major North Carolina cities: Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Asheville; connections are available to numerous other destinations. The buses stop at the at 3361 Hwy 70 SE in Newton. This is quite a ways outside of town, so you'll need to either have someone pick you up, call a taxi or rideshare, or take a local bus into town.

By train
Hickory no longer has passenger rail service. The nearest Amtrak stations are in Charlotte and Salisbury.

By car
Driving in Hickory is quite easy, although the remaining one-way streets and eclectic street naming conventions can be somewhat bewildering. If you get lost, just ask a local and say you're from out of town. They'll refrain from an age-old Hickory tradition of giving directions based on where things "used to be".

The main thoroughfares in Hickory are Interstate 40, U.S. 70, and U.S. 321.

By bus
Greenway bus service is available in and around Hickory. Buses run Monday–Friday early morning to late afternoon and Saturday with a more limited schedule. The fare is $1.25 per ride, with one free transfer. $3 for a one-day pass. Children under 5 are free.

Furniture
Take I-85S to US-321N for excellent furniture shopping at a host of furniture outlets as well as:



Malls
Hickory has two malls next to each other off US Highway 70 SE.

Drink
If you want to buy liquor by the bottle you must do it at state-run ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Commission) stores rather than at a traditional liquor store. Beer and wine are available for purchase at most markets, grocery stores and gas stations. The alcohol laws of North Carolina prohibit the sale of alcohol after 2AM Monday through Saturday, and from 2AM until noon on Sundays.

Given Hickory's German heritage and heavy Lutheran influences, it's no surprise that beer is easy to find and fun to ingest among friends in Hickory: see McGuire's Pub, Backstreets, Olde Hickory Taproom, and Hickory Tavern above.

Sleep
Hotels are mostly clustered in an area near the (1960 13th Av Drive SE) and the malls.



Stay safe
Stay away from South Center Street. Everywhere else is relatively safe. Avoid the intersection of Highway 70 and Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard at rush hour.


 * Emergencies: 911
 * Hickory Police. +1 828-328-5551 (Non-emergency).

Connect


The area code is 828.

Go next

 * Blowing Rock, NC. Beautiful town in the mountains. Great park downtown. Get some ice cream across the street, enjoy the breeze, and read a book. US-321N.
 * Blue Ridge Parkway. Junction is just north of Blowing Rock. US-321N.
 * Charlotte, NC. Largest city in NC with lots of things to do. Take US-321S to I-85N.
 * Linville Gorge Wilderness. Serious hikers only. Pristine wilderness in the rugged, untamed Linville Gorge. I-40W to NC-18N/W to NC-181 to NC-183. Permits required for overnights during the peak months. Stay away from Cabin Trail and Rock Jock.