Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

We were a little too late for large displays of  flowers  but we really enjoyed this garden with its meandering paths and themed gardens. The newly constructed Prairie Castle Playground is a big draw for families. A path leads through the woods to very creative play areas using natural materials such as hollow trees, bamboo, and stacked rocks. Colorful orchids and tropical plants fill the conservatory.

While most of the paths are paved and the path through the woods is hard packed the garden is not accessible without the help of a strong assistant due to the very hilly terrain.  

RVs will fit in the parking lot if backed up over the grass or parked lengthwise through the spaces.  Garden  35.16939, -81.05733

 

Charlotte Museum of History

The large impressive appearing museum building is surprisingly empty and short on history. The main exhibit is about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, a document from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, that may or may not predate the Declaration of Independence. Other exhibits feature portraits of Charlotte residents and two hundred years of political cartoons. There's also a relocated 1920 schoolhouse, the Siloam School, built for black children in the era when schools were segregated. It served as a house and then a garage before being rescued, restored, and placed on the museum grounds. 

The 1774 Alexander Homesite is part of the museum grounds. A paved walking trail loops past a two story springhouse, the stone Alexander house, a rebuilt kitchen building, and a relocated log barn. Interpretive signs are located along the trail.  

The museum is accessible. The schoolhouse has a ramp and is accessible. The trail is paved but very steep and requires backtracking due to steps in one section. Wheelchair users will need assistance. The Alexander house and the kitchen building are not accessible due to steps. 

 

RVs will fit in the lot if parked through the spaces. The trail can be accessed through the museum and there's also a connector trail on the left side of the parking lot. Visiting the grounds is free. 

Museum    35.23406, -80.76692

 

Toby Creek Greenway

 Both Toby Creek Greenway and Mallard Creek Greenway can be accessed from the Kirk Farms Fields parking lot. We tried Mallard Creek Greenway first but the asphalt soon ended and the trail became rough crushed rock so we backtracked and walked/rolled along Toby Creek Greenway until it ended too at University City Blvd. We covered about five miles total.  

 Even though the trail cuts through the college campus most of it is under forest cover. We came to one spot where the underpass was flooded but the trail has a bypass that crossed the street.

      

 

The trail is almost completely level and in excellent condition. The last section to University City Blvd is very steep and can be skipped. 

 

RVs will fit in the Kirk Farms Fields lot if backed up over the grass.  Trail  35.32098, -80.73215

Spartanburg Art Museum

 The exhibits focus exclusively on contemporary art and change four or five times a year so there's always something new to see. During our visit two galleries featured thought provoking sculptures and paintings by Winston A. Wingo. The paintings depict expressionist city scenes of black men with targets centered on them. The sculptures show Wingo's concerns about the advancement of technology and how it could affect humanity. 

Another gallery featured assemblage art that at first glance looked like a playful collection of puppets but was actually a memorial to victims of wars. 

There was also a exhibit of student art in the hallway, something we always enjoy. The amount of talent was wonderful. 

The museum is accessible.

RVs will fit in the lot if backed up over the grass or parked lengthwise across the spaces. The art museum is the west most building of the three buildings facing the Cultural Center Plaza. Museum  34.95342, -81.92954

 

Rowan Museum

The tough issues of slavery and the unfair treatment of  Native Americans, women. and other groups are explored in this small museum along with the general history of Rowan county. 

 

The accessible entrance is on the Council Street side of the building. Everything is accessible. The exhibits are on the first floor only but there's an elevator to the second floor which was the courtroom of the 1857 Rowan County courthouse and  can be rented for events. 

 

Parking is on the street. Museum  35.66852, -80.46896

 

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Salem was established in 1766 by the Moravian church.  All the land was owned by the church and all residents had to be members of the church until 1857 when the church divested control of the town. Many of the buildings and gardens of the original center city have been restored or reconstructed with eleven buildings featuring living history interpreters. 

Old Salem which resembles a small Colonial Williamsburg is part of a residential neighborhood and therefore open to the public. Since the Old Salem website has no information about building accessibility  we figured it would be essentially non-existent and not worth the price of the tickets but we could still go to the free visitor center and wander around on the streets. 

The visitor center has exhibits about the Moravian church and the founding of Salem. There's also a exhibit about the small community of Happy Hill where freed slaves were permitted to live. Most of the original buildings were razed to build a housing project and US Highway 52. 

The visitor center is accessible. A covered bridge crosses Old Salem Road and a long ADA compliant ramp goes down to street level. The sidewalks are brick and not in good condition. The terrain is hilly so even rolling/walking along the sidewalks for the six or so blocks of the historic district is difficult. A few of the buildings are designated as accessible but we did not notice any ramps. 

 

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Old Salem  36.08472, -80.24403