Hiddenite on vacation!! need recomendations!! (Hickory, Statesville: hotel, live, safe)

[OhioT]

well as a vacation/mothers day present Im taking my mom and daughter to hiddenite to go search for emeralds and basically get OUT of ohio for a few days!! (is this winter EVER gonna end??)

my daughters 4 and LOVES to swim...so I always try to get a hotel that has an indoor pool...BUT...Im a very light sleeper...and need something thats either well soundproofed or not right on the main road...(or near the airport!!)

and relatively safe (like anyone recomends the hotel in the getto!!)...someplace I can sleep knowin my truck will be safe...


I also need recomendations on great places to eat...I hate going to the "chain" resturants and love the mom and pop kinda places!! anything from seafood-bbq and all inbetween!!


we plan on doing a sunday-monday-tuesday trip the weekend of may 9th...is there anything we need to know to see/avoid??


I'll be sure to post pictures of our adventure....the fourms really helped make our trip to knoxville/gatlinburg a real enjoyable time...great attractions that werent on the beaten path..and awsome food...(made this fat guy happy!!)


thanks!!

[OhioT]

also...where to go fishin?? wheres the best spot local to hiddenite?

[cooperwx]

I think you're going to be best off in a chain hotel in Statesville (closest), Conover (Holiday Inn Express looks nice, 20 miles from Hiddenite), or Hickory (even further). Closest fishing is probably Lake Hickory. There's a boat landing just above the dam just off Highway 16, about halfway between Conover and Hiddenite.

[vq1]

If you can make it down by 8:00PM on Saturday night, you could go to Sim's BBQ in the Dudley Shoals' area of Caldwell County (between Lenoir and Hickory.) They are only open on Friday and Saturday nights from 5:00 until 9:00 and the approximately $11.00 buffet style meal of BBQ Pork, Chicken and Beef includes a live entertainment show of a Bluegrass band and the Sim's Cloggers (introductory Clogging lessons are complimentary, but optional.)

From Taylorsville, go west on US64 and turn south on Morris Creek Road. At the second stop sign, turn left onto Petra Mills Road and then an immediate right at the gravel driveway. Follow the driveway down about a half of a mile to the rustic dining hall.

Many people come from Statesville and Taylorsville. On a slow night, you can expect to dine with from 300 - 500 diners.

Here is a link to their website: Sims Country BBQ

p.s.: Temperatures last week have been in the low range of 40's and highs in the 60's. This week, those temps are forecast to be 10 degrees higher. Cherry and Dogwoods are in bloom and the hardwoods started to leaf this weekend.