Hickory is a cute little town 1 hour from Charlotte, 1 hour from Asheville, and 1 hour from Boone. It is truly “small town America” with a Main Street of bustling shops and restaurants alongside incredibly nice folks.
The staff (almost) everywhere were incredibly kind and exuded southern hospitality. Downtown is very cute with lots of outdoor seating and green space. Hickory also has a Downtown Social District where you can grab to-go drinks from any business in the downtown radius.
Check out all of my recommendations for both downtown Hickory and the greater Hickory area below!
Standard Oyster
Downtown Hickory:
Stay at 2nd Street Inn: This is a great loft-style space with individual apartments. It is walkable to everything downtown and very convenient.
Hickory Wine Shoppe: A lovely spot that is cheese and wine focused with other menu options available as well. They have a great front patio with heaters that is dog-friendly. The team here is also super nice.
Barley Market: A beer bar and bottle shop with a great selection of taps, cans and bottles. They are dog-friendly with a friendly team and chill vibes.
Battle Axe Mead House: A bar with local North Carolina meads available in bottles, flights or pours. They are dog-friendly and just behind the main hustle and bustle of downtown. They have frequent live music and occasional food trucks.
Cowa-Saké: A trendy spot for sushi, sliders, and cocktails. This is a delicious spot for dinner that I definitely recommend. If it is a busy evening you can get on the waitlist via their website in advance.
Plant Based Boss: A delicious spot for vegan eats downtown. They have weekend brunch, tacos, burritos, cookies and more in a beautiful space.
City Walk Brewery & Distilling: A fun spot for drinks—the brewery is on one side and distillery (coming soon) is on the other. There is a cool back patio space with games. They have a small snack menu for eats.
Hickory Museum of Art: A free art museum connected to the Catawba Science Center. It is pretty small but there are a good variety of displays.
Olde Hickory Tap Room: A restaurant-style brewery with pub vibes. The beers here are average.
The Coffee Nook: A nice spot downtown with for coffee, tea and pastries. They also have a plant exchange which is fun!
Olde Hickory Station: A popular spot for brunch from Olde Hickory Brewery. It is housed in an old train station with a nice patio space.
Hickory Aviation Museum
GReater Hickory Area:
Warehouse Distillery: A woman owned and operated distillery in nearby Newton. They have a nice cocktail lounge with great drinks. They are also super dog-friendly!
Blowing Rock Draft House: A solid brewery in town with a full food menu. They have a nice covered and heated patio space that is dog-friendly. They are housed in an old mill with several other businesses.
Palm Berries: A cute spot for açaí bowls and smoothies. They are just outside of downtown and have a nice interior space along with tasty eats.
Taproot Coffee: An adorable coffee bus that moves around town. There is seating inside the bus and it is a total vibe. They have coffee and tea, no food.
Riverwalk: This is a nice area at Geitner Park on Lake Hickory. The Loop Trail takes about 50 minutes for 2.5 miles. It is a combination of paved greenway and woodsy trail that is mostly flat. There are also a lot of bike trails here.
Standard Oyster: A fantastic spot for delicious oysters. They also have other seafood dishes and small plates. On the drink side their Bloody Mary is large and delicious and they also offer bottomless mimosas. They have a heated, dog-friendly patio in the back.
Hickory Aviation Museum: A fun museum with an inside “typical museum set-up” and outside you can actually explore the old planes! This museum is free and dog-friendly. It is housed at the Hickory Regional Airport.
Bakers Mountain Trail: A 2.5 mile long trail with 633ft of elevation gain up to the highest point in Catawba County. The trailhead is just 15 minutes from downtown and the trail takes just shy of 1.5 hours. The overlook at the top has nice views.
