Statesville combines a historic downtown with locally roasted coffee and a variety of outdoor recreation. If you’d like to focus your trip on a particular theme, you can choose from the city’s cultural heritage, other historical topics, walking trails, parks, and food and drink.

History from Different Perspectives

The Statesville Historical Collection presents stories, artifacts, and exhibits about the history and cultural heritage of Statesville. Iredell Museums permanently displays a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy. Their perspectives differ significantly: the Collection focuses on the city’s heritage, while the mummy puts a single ancient Egyptian object at the center.

Fort Dobbs is the only state historic site in North Carolina associated with the era of the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years’ War, from 1754 to 1763. The focus here is a specific period of war. Alongside the history of Statesville and the Egyptian exhibit, this offers a choice based on historical interest: the city’s cultural heritage, a single object, or a clearly defined period.

At Gregory Creek Homestead, Iredell Museums hosts interactive, family-friendly exhibits and living history programs. Walking trails wind through a wooded area that provides habitat for native plants and animals. History and nature can be explored here as distinct themes on the same grounds: exhibits and programs bring living history to life, while the trails pass through wooded habitat.

Parks, Trails, and Outdoor Activities

The City of Statesville has more than 20 parks and facilities with hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, basketball courts, and an 18-hole disc golf course. The offerings include both trails and opportunities for play and sports. Disc golf has a specific 18-hole course, while the other details cover a range of additional park activities. If you’re looking for woodland walking trails, you’ll find them at Gregory Creek Homestead; the city parks add playgrounds and sports to the options.

Statesville also offers lake activities, bike rentals, and recommendations for parks and hiking trails in the surrounding area. These options offer something for different interests: activities on the water, bikes to rent, and recommendations for nearby parks or trails. If you’re planning outdoor recreation, you can choose based on the activity you have in mind.

Downtown and Good Food

Historic downtown Statesville offers locally roasted coffee. The Tasting Room at Southern Distilling Company offers tours, tastings of its own products, craft cocktails, and snacks. There are several ways to enjoy the local offerings: coffee in a historic downtown setting, or a Tasting Room with tours, tastings, and more. When planning your trip, you can decide whether to focus on history, nature and outdoor activities, or food and drink.

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Go to the main travel overview: Iredell.