illiane

Prime Outlets used to be the only outlet mall accessible to Charlotte, before Concord Mills Mall opened in Concord, NC. There are a wide variety of stores here, not too bad for shopping.

The Peachoid is the water tower in Gaffney that is shaped like a peach. If you’re driving by Gaffney on Interstate 85, you cannot miss it.

It used be that it didn’t have that great a paint job. That led to its being nicknamed something along the lines of the Big Moon, and no, it wasn’t a reference to the moon in the sky either!

But now it has much better paint, and actually looks like a peach!

..but usually listed among Charlotte sites of interest.

“This park marks the site where gold was found in the state. Start the tour with a film and learn important historical information about the North Carolina gold rush. Visitors will particularly enjoy panning for gold in “them thar hills” for a small charge. Fun!”

The tour is free, as far as I can remember, but it helps if visitors will donate in thanks :) Panning is $2 per pan.

More information at http://www.mintmuseum.org/general_info.php

Note: Admission to the Mint Museum of Art is free on Tuesday from 5pm-10pm

More information at http://www.mintmuseum.org/general_info.php

Note: Admission to the Mint Museum of Craft + Design is free on Tuesday from 10am-2pm and the third Thursday of the month from 5-8pm.

Come to jousts, rowdy performances, eat, and shop to your heart’s content at the Carolina Renaissance Festival.

No, I don’t work for them :) I just enjoy it every year!

Go to their website for more information.

This has got to be NASCAR central.. otherwise, it’s smalltown USA for anything else.

From their website:
The Lazy 5 Ranch is a privately owned exotic animal drive-thru park that offers a 3.5 mile safari through the gently sloping pasturelands of Piedmont, North Carolina. While visiting at the Lazy 5 Ranch you will have the opportunity to view over 750 animals from six different continents. You can see these animals from the safety of your own car or call for reservations on our horse drawn wagons. And be sure to bring your camera. This is a drive-thru experience unique in North Carolina. There is no other collection of animals like this in the Southeast.

Other areas of interest at the Lazy 5 Ranch include petting areas, a black smith shop, gift store, horse barn, play ground and picnic areas.

We had fun, it’s very enjoyable. Pot-bellied pigs, peacocks, goats, longhorns, giraffes, zebras, deer, etc etc. Beware of the camels and llamas though. They have a penchant for sneezing on you. Eww!

During the summer months, it can be a great place to hold children’s birthday parties.

What an amusing place. The Tilted Kilt pub apparently has only three locations in the US so far. The waitstaff’s uniform is definitely cheekier (I think) than Hooters girls’ :) Good menu, good drinks, good ambience. Need more merchandise!

I don’t know what I expected of the floats they had going overhead for their ‘Mardi Gras’ type celebrations each day but I somehow expected more.. I wasn’t there to witness one but I did see the tracks where the floats ran and where it was seemed kind of a subdued area for it to be! Didn’t get to see much of the rest of the area or the crowd to tell if I really liked it. We were headed for one of the restaurants and we were on a Mission!