Travel NC With Kids: Outdoor Activities

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Lake Norman State Park - Extensive Trails and a Ton of Ways to Ride the Waves

Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Lake Norman State Park, located in Iredell County about 40 miles north of Charlotte, lies on part of North Carolina's largest man-made lake. The park includes about 17 miles along the northern shore of Lake Norman. There is no fee to enter the park, but some activities like camping, boat rentals, and swimming do have fees.

Lake Norman State Park Visitor Center © Katrena

When some people think of Lake Norman, they might automatically think of all the houses along the shore and multiple piers and docks as seen from the interstate. The state park celebrates the natural beauty of the lake and wooded areas with hiking trails, biking trails, camping, boating, swimming, and other activities.

State Park Near Troutman NC © Katrena

We visited Lake Norman State Park in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The welcome center, swimming, and boat rentals were closed, but the trails were open and well-maintained. The larger bathrooms were closed, but two single-stall bathrooms on the side were open and clean. Visitors were free to walk onto the back deck of the welcome center and enjoy the view and rocking chairs as well.

Beautiful Hiking Trails in NC © Katrena

North Carolina State Park - Lake Norman © Katrena

Enjoy Nature with the Family © Katrena

The park has a lot of picnic areas. Many are right by the lake and have pretty views. Most picnic tables are shaded while a few eating and sitting areas are sunnier.

Hiking Trails Near Water in NC © Katrena

Hiking Trail at Lake Norman © Katrena

A park ranger happened to be walking by and stopped to talk from a distance. Many of the rangers provide regular programs at the state parks and share their knowledge of the park, animals, and plants in the area. I always enjoy having a chance to ask a ranger about the park and get tips for things to do and see!

Dragonfly Trail at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Paved TRACK Trail that is Handicap Accessible © Katrena

We hiked the Dragonfly Trail first. It is a paved 0.15 loop with informational signs. Many of the signs are interactive with questions. Visitors can find the answers by opening doors or turning segments of the display. The Dragonfly Trail is wheelchair accessible. The informational signs include a nice variety of information.

Learn About Nature While Hiking © Katrena

Outdoor Educational Activities © Katrena

We heard quite a few birds in the wooded area near the parking lot and along the Dragonfly Trail. The park is home to a large number of birds, such as bald eagles, scarlet tanagers, and yellow-billed cuckoos, just to name a few. We also saw squirrels and other small animals as we hiked.

Lake Norman Viewing Areas that are Free © Katrena

Fishing on Lake Norman © Katrena

We found a nicely maintained deck with stairs to a lower deck overlooking the water on the left side. Our family saw turtles, fish, and dragonflies while listening to beautiful bird calls at the deck. Water seems to always attract mosquitoes, so if your crew has mosquito magnets in the bunch, I would suggest bug spray in warmer weather.

Easy Hiking Trails in NC © Katrena

The Alder Trail is not paved but is nicely maintained. It hugs the edge of the water. One side trail takes hikers a short way out to a small dammed area with steps to the water's edge. This spot provides a nice view of the visitor center.

Alder Trail at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Interesting Mushrooms Along Lake Norman Hiking Trail © Katrena

Beauty of Nature at State Park in Iredell County © Katrena

Pretty Flowers at Lake Norman © Katrena

We continued down the Alder Trail and found a nice variety of trees, shrubs, mosses, mushrooms, and a few wildflowers.

Pretty Picnic Spots in North Carolina © Katrena

Alder Trail View © Katrena

Wildlife on Hiking Trail in NC State Parks © Katrena

At the far end of the trail we found a picnic table and small bench. We stayed in that spot and enjoyed watching the dragonflies, damselflies, minnows, a lizard, and fish. It was quite enjoyable and relaxing!

Boating on Lake Norman © Katrena

Fishing at Lake Norman © Katrena

Paddling at Lake Norman © Katrena

Jet Skiing at Lake Norman © Katrena

Water Activities at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Quite a few people were out on the water the day we visited. We saw fishing boats, kayaks, paddleboards, jet skis, and more. It was a lot of fun to see how others were enjoying the beautiful June morning on the water. The park normally offers a variety of boats for rent, including pedal boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards, but these are all on hold due to pandemic regulations.

Paddleboarding at Lake Norman © Katrena

Faith Talks About Paddling at Lake Norman and Hammocks Beach © Katrena

Faith, the person on the paddleboard in the photos, talked with us as she floated on the water. She mentioned seeing a lot of turtles and herons on the lake that day and also paddling to Hammocks Beach, one of the state parks we have not yet visited.

Turtle at Alder Trail in Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Shaded Hiking Trails in Piedmont NC © Katrena

Fun Outdoor Family Activities - Could Normie be Watching Us from Lake Norman? © Katrena

We walked back on the other side of the Alder Trail loop. It took us to the lower deck that we had seen earlier. Is there a monster-like creature that lives in the depths of the lake? We didn't see Normie, if he exists, but perhaps Normie saw us!

Bikers on Itusi Trail and Accessible Picnic Table at Lake Norman © Katrena

Itusi Bike Trail at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

As we hiked, we saw several people taking advantage of the bike trails at Lake Norman State Park. The Itusi Trail includes 8 loops with 30.5 miles of biking trails. The bike trails are more narrow than the hiking trails and also looked well-maintained.

Dog Friendly State Parks in NC © Katrena

Several vehicles were in the parking lot. I think many were biking and boating that day, which made social distancing quite simple and easy for our group as we find hiking to be a fun, safe activity in the midst of a pandemic. The few people and pets we did see on the trails were friendly and respectful to others on the trail.

Hiking Trails in North Carolina © Katrena

If you are interested in learning more about Lake Norman State Park's location, hours, history, ecology, camping, trails, videos, and more, check out the Lake Norman State Park official page on the North Carolina State Parks web site.

If you have favorite spots in North Carolina where you like to travel, feel free to send me an email with suggestions for other places to go in the state. You might also like to check out more of my articles by looking at my site map, reading my other article about Lake Norman, or looking at some of these articles of state parks that are near Lake Norman, including:

Thanks for visiting Travel NC With Kids!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Mocksville NC Has Free Car Show – Fun Family Outing!

Where can you see a polished Caddy just a few feet from a handsome T'bird? Or maybe a Model T in sight of a Monster Truck? Maybe you'd like to see a Harley or 'Vette? Perhaps you like to look under the hood or admire a great paint job?

You can easily see these sites and much more at the Mocksville Cruise In, sponsored by the Piedmont C.A.R.S. Association. Main Street in downtown Mocksville begins to hear the purr of finely tuned classic cars or even the roar of some of the big guys as folks drive in from miles around to park their pets. Only these pets don't necessarily have fur but might have some on the inside, and a few might have fins. Yep...this car show displays a nice variety of vehicles that have loads of character!

The Mocksville Cruise In, held the first and third Monday early April through early October, is a great way to spend an evening with the family. This free event usually begins around 5:30 p.m. while most cars leave shortly before dusk.

My family has visited the Mocksville Cruise In several times. It can provide an amazing trip down memory lane! My step-father knows makes and models and was quickly naming the makes and models of various cars and trucks as we walked around. The family delighted in hearing about drive-in movies and starting a straight drive on a hill as nostalgic memories began to take the driver's seat for the evening.

My daughters enjoyed seeing the special touches that many folks added to their rides. A few teddy bears were riding in polished back seats, and the girls also learned about the importance of having the fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror.

In addition to browsing an amazing variety of cars and trucks, folks can enjoy listening to music of the era as a DJ spins a few songs. Well, I suppose to be more accurate about the whole thing, it is probably more of a shuffle rather than a spin with modern technology...but you get the picture. The music is a nice touch that seems just right for the evening.

Many of the local downtown shops are open for the event, and there are several opportunities to enjoy a snack or meal for those who wish to make it into an entire evening for the family. My daughters enjoy window shopping, especially when they find beautiful dolls looking out of the shops! Some of the vehicles may even be for sale, if anyone is looking to buy a classic ride.

Many people will pay big bucks to get into a car show like this, but the Mocksville Cruise In is absolutely free. When the weather is perfect, you will likely see HUNDREDS of vehicles at this car show in Davie County. Many times, the cars fill up Main Street and the show will spill down the side streets as well. Proud owners will often pack chairs and sit near their treasures, ready and willing to give you the scoop on their piece of the show if you ask.

Those who like to try their luck might wish to go for the 50/50 drawing. I've mentioned to my girls several times that perhaps I should drive my bright red '93 Cavalier up there and pop the hood. After all, it does have over 300,000 miles and has the original clutch...that ought to count for something, right? My kids have threatened me with bodily harm if I decide to do that, so maybe I'll just keep that idea in reserve.

I had a really hard time choosing pictures for this article. I have so many shots of amazing cars and trucks at the shows! We have combined the car show with a Davie County Public Library summer program several times – those programs are also free and fun, and the library is on Main Street less then three blocks from the car show.

Looking for more fun family activities in North Carolina? The Annual Tractor Parade is also held on Main Street in Mocksville, and the Bull Hole Rubber Duck Race on the Yadkin River is held nearby. Find more articles, loaded with tips and pictures, at my Travel NC With Kids site map.