2023 Free Movies at Davie County Community Park

 

According to their official web site, Davie County Community Park is offering two free movies at the park for 2023. They will be shown at the ampitheater and visitors are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets. Movies typically start at dusk. Concessions will be sold and bathrooms will be available. The free movies at Davie County Community Park for 2023 include:

• Moana on July 28
• Jungle Cruise on August 25

In addition, two drive-in movies will be shown in 2023. These have a charge of $10/car for up to six people. The drive-in movies include: 

• Ghostbusters: Afterlife on June 23
• Top Gun: Maverick on September 29

Thanks for visiting my Travel NC with Kids blog. Visit my site map to see all of my articles or feel free to type in specific locations and items into my search bar. You may also wish to read these articles:

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High Point City Lake Park - A Wide Range of Fun Activities!

My family decided to visit High Point City Lake Park, located at 602 W. Main Street in Jamestown, NC on May 21, 2023. The park was easy to find using GPS with very few turns from Hwys 70 and 29. They do not charge an entrance fee or a parking fee; however, parking spots were scarce when we arrived around 11:00 a.m. A large event at the pool and a religious service were happening when we visited, but I am thinking that this park probably is quite popular, especially after the Aquatic Center opens on May 27, 2023.

A couple of members of my family had already visited the park previously and highly recommended the boat ride, so my family visited the park with the boat ride in mind. I recommend checking the web site for the schedule because boat rides are only offered on weekends at this time of the year. We parked near the carousel, which is smaller than the one at Dan Nicholas Park or Village Park, but we saw several kids riding the carousel and they seemed to enjoy it.

Tickets for the amusements and rides, including the carousel, train, miniature golf, and boat rides, can be purchased at a building just past the miniature golf area. When we arrived, there was only one family in front of us, so the line was quite short and the boat ride tickets were only $2.50/person. They also offer 1/2 hour and 1 hour rental options for larger groups. If you plan to do the boat ride, you'll need to pick a time - some time slots fill up, so it would be wise to purchase tickets upon arrival. The boat leaves on the hour and half-hour and the ride lasts about 25 minutes. Members of my family who visited on an earlier date said they would let visitors in at an earlier time if they have empty seats on the boat.

After purchasing tickets, you'll find an area for the line that begins just to the right of the marina. This area has about three steps, but after that, there were ramps all the way to the boat dock. If you have someone in your family who has mobility issues, I would ask first to see if there is any way to access the boat without the steps. No pets are allowed on the boat, but I'm assuming service dogs would be allowed per ADA regulations. The boat is covered, which is quite nice if you have fair skin or would prefer to be in the shade. It has multiple wooden seats that allow riders to have a great view from either side. Riders must stay seated and life jackets were not required when we rode the boat. 

The temperature was very comfortable in the 70s when we visited, but my oldest daughter highly recommended a jacket for the ride, which was a good call because there was a breeze on the lake and it would have been chilly for me if I had not had a jacket. If you plan to wear a hat, I recommend strapping it under the chin if there is a breeze. We all enjoyed the boat ride around the lake and saw Canada geese with goslings, black waterfowl that often swim with only their heads and necks out of the water that are called anhingas (Thank you to Google for the name!), blue herons, and lots of turtles sunning on logs. The person driving the boat didn't talk but simply let the riders enjoy looking for the beauty of nature on and around the water. I would definitely do this boat ride again.

We saw several people kayaking, paddleboarding, and fishing while we were at the park. According to their web site, you can rent canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards, but I could not locate the pricing on any of those. Boat rentals, launch fees, fishing licenses, bait, tackle, and snacks are all located at the marina.

The miniature golf area is small to average size. A few people were playing on it as we were preparing to leave the park. When we visited, guests could purchase a ticket to play one game for $3 or a ticket that was good for the whole day for $5.

Between the lake and the miniature golf area is a small train from High Point University. The train ride is short and similar to the one at Dan Nicholas and Village Park. Those in my group who visited the park at a previous time rode the train and said it made two loops. The train ride is a good bit shorter than the pontoon boat ride.

The train runs right by a very nice playground that is free for visitors. I wish I had known about this park when my kids were smaller because they would have LOVED this playground. It had quite a few different play areas with a wide range of slides and climbing features. It looked well-maintained and trees flanked the edges of the playground, which is particularly helpful for adults who are watching the kids play.

Of particular note is the Aquatic Center that will be opening on May 27 on the weekend and opening daily starting June 3 for the 2023 season. This area offers a large pool, splash pad, lazy river, zero depth entry with a water-based playground area, a vortex, and three nice sized water slides, one of which has a double slide. Ticket options include daily, season passes, and private rentals per the official High Point City Lake Park web site.

If your group enjoys water activities in particular, this park is definitely one to consider. The water park area is smaller than Carowinds, but it also has a significantly lower daily price and is smaller and easier to get from one area to the next. I'm not sure how crowded the aquatic area will be, but I would think this would be a popular destination. Those interested in hiking can find several greenway options. Many areas of the park are paved, and according to the High Point City Lake Park web site, the locker rooms for the aquatic center are accessible.

You can also find a vintage building that I believe used to be a church (called the Friends Meeting House on the map) and an old graveyard near the miniature golf area. Some of the stones are from the 1700s and 1800s. You can also find some interesting wood carvings scattered throughout the park. We saw some workers going around trimming some of the trees and shrubs when we visited and the park appeared well-maintained. The only issue I noticed that could use some work were two stall doors in the women's bathroom would not lock.

Thanks for visiting my Travel NC With Kids blog. You can find additional articles by visiting my site map or if you are looking for a specific destination in North Carolina, feel free to use my search bar. You might also enjoy reading these articles:

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Raven Rock State Park - First Day Hike in 2023

As 2022 has come to a close, we decided to welcome 2023 with a simple First Day Hike at Raven Rock State Park. Located in the Piedmont of North Carolina in Lillington about 40 miles southwest of Raleigh, I was not sure what to expect. I had noticed multiple dates when North Carolina State Parks would list this park as full on their website and on Facebook, so I was curious why the park seemed so popular. This is one of the many state parks that does not charge an admission or parking fee.

The drive to the park was pretty uneventful. The roads were not particularly curvy and the signage and GPS worked well for our crew. As we approached the gate around 3:45 p.m., I noticed one sign that said the wait would be around 45 minutes to an hour from that point. I was glad the line was not that long, but we did have to wait for about 10-15 minutes to get in the gate. A ranger was letting in vehicles as vehicles were leaving the park. Rarely have we ever been to a state park that is full to capacity, particularly in the winter; however, we were visiting on the first day of the year when many parks encourage people to start the year out with a First Day Hike, so the number of people visiting was probably higher than normal. Also, the temperatures were hovering in the 50s and 60s, which is just about perfect for hiking trails.

The park appeared quite small with one parking lot on the right and the visitor center parking lots a short distance beyond that on the main road, which could explain why the park fills to capacity frequently. We did not venture over to the campground area; I believe the campground is closed due to construction. We also did not hike to the Cape Fear River, which looks to be quite the scenic spot at this park.

We opted to go to the Visitor Center first. The person at the desk was friendly and helpful. North Carolina State Parks offers a free passport program where you can get a booklet stamped as you visit each park, and the welcome center is generally where you can get your passport stamped and get tips for enjoying your day at the park. The welcome center does have some taxidermy stuffed animals, so that might be helpful to know if you have a child who loves live animals and might find that upsetting.

The lobby contains several interesting displays with arrowheads and various types of hand hewn tools. Visitors can also learn about the local ecology, good stewardship, and conservation efforts by reading, watching a quick video, and interacting with the displays. Visitors can find a QR code and a printed trail map on the wall just outside of the front door of the welcome center. We usually pick up a printed map in case cell signals are not strong at the parks.

We noticed a sign in front of the welcome center that stated the bathrooms would close at 4:30, but we were told the bathrooms at the parking lot closer to the entrance stayed open until the park closed. I'm not sure if this is a daily policy, but you might plan bathroom breaks carefully, particularly if you are traveling with children and if both parking lots are full. 

We opted to hike two trails on the day we visited: Longleaf Loop and American Beech.

The Longleaf Loop trail is classified as an easy hike accessible for those with special needs. The trail is very short, 0.2 mile, and is located directly behind the welcome center just a few steps past a fire pit at the end of a walkway. This trail remains almost in sight of the welcome center. The natural walking surface is not paved and has a few small roots and rocks, but it was easy to navigate. Below you can see a photo of the largest root on this trail on the day we hiked; the sides of the trail would allow people to go around that root. The trail appeared well maintained and easy to navigate. If the area had significant rain, I think the trail would have the potential to get muddy, which could pose a challenge if attempting to travel on it via wheelchair or stroller since it is not paved, but otherwise, this trail would work well for people of almost any physical ability.

The Longleaf Loop trail had several informational signs posted along the walk under the fitting canopy of several large longleaf pines. Since we were visiting in the winter, the deciduous trees had already lost their leaves, but the evergreens offered ample shade. Our group strolled leisurely while I snapped photos and we completed the loop in less than 15 minutes.

We drove to the other parking lot with a large picnic shelter that was closer to the entrance to access the American Beech Trail. Near the trailhead, a display with informational Track Trail Adventures pamphlets featured: Nature's Hide and Seek, Birds of the Piedmont, The Need for Trees, and Hikin' to Find Lichen. The colorful pamphlets featured nice pictures and interesting information that people could use on the trail along with a QR code for accessing the web site. North Carolina state parks has a different theme each year; 2022 marked the Year of the Tree, so if you are an educator or like to infuse environmental education with outdoor activities, you can find a wealth of pertinent information to go along with the brochures.

This loop trail had some areas with more rugged terrain and a slight grade going down to a small creek and returning back uphill. This trail would not have been accessible for those in wheelchairs or strollers, and I would not recommend it for someone who has problems with balance due to multiple natural roots along the trail. However, one of my daughters insisted on wearing flip flops for this hike and she was able to navigate this trail without any problems. The web site lists this short trail as one of those falling under easy in terms of difficulty.

The American Beech Trail was also shaded, and I thought the scenery was a bit more interesting since it had a feel of being more secluded than the Longleaf Loop trail. We walked a little ways to the right and behind the picnic shelter to find the trailhead. Soon after starting the hike, the trail began to meander downhill to a small creek. For me, listening to the sound of running water is always a welcome addition to hiking. Morning doves were calling back and forth throughout much of our New Year hike. We noticed one wooden bench near the creek on the side of the trail but opted not to rest since this trail was also pretty short.

As we approached the creek and crossed a small wooden bridge, we noticed that the trail got muddy with large puddles. I could see another small bridge just a few feet further down the creek, so I'm assuming we were very close to the far side of the loop. We opted to turn back and return to the parking lot the way we came. Yep, my crew did not want to get muddy shoes today! I would recommend wearing hiking boots or shoes you don't mind getting muddy if you hike this trail when it is wet. From what I could see, only a fairly small portion of this trail was wet. Total time to hike this trail was less than 20 minutes at a leisurely pace with multiple pauses for pictures.

Signage and upkeep for the American Beech Trail was also good. I never saw a piece of trash on either trail, which is a testament either to the hikers for adhering to the expectation to leave nothing but footprints and take nothing put photos and/or to the staff for regularly checking to ensure that the trails remain clean and enjoyable for everyone. Even on short trails, if you slow down and look around, you can find beautiful and simple pleasures, like a pine cone or holes that a bird left after looking for food along a tree trunk.

We only scratched the surface of this state park that offers 14 trails, ranging from 0.2 miles to 4.3 miles. Some trails welcome bikes and this park does have a few equestrian trails for those who have horses. In addition to hiking, biking, and equestrian riding, some visitors enjoy paddling and fishing at the Cape Fear River. Photos of the overlook online are quite beautiful! Visit the Raven Rock State Park page of the North Carolina State Parks web site for directions, trail status, park information, and more. If you are planning to visit the park, I would recommend checking the web site and/or Facebook to ensure they are not beyond capacity. If you did arrive to find a long line, you might try visiting nearby Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, Haw River State Park, or the NC Zoo.

Thanks so much for visiting my Travel NC With Kids blog! Feel free to explore my site map, type your desired topic in my search bar, or you may wish to also read these related articles:

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Rio Doce Gem Mine in Spruce Pine NC

Rio Doce Gem Mine is perched along Highway 226 almost in sight of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. We had visited Linville Caverns earlier in the day. I had read about this gem mine and it was open on Sundays, so we decided to try it out. The mine was easy for me to find with a tall sign and beautiful, colorful flowers inviting us to give it a try!

We visited on a Sunday afternoon in mid-July and were lucky enough to be the only visitors. We hear they can be quite busy any day of the week but are often busier when it is raining and after about 3 p.m. when many hikers are done exploring and ready for their next adventure. Their hours are posted on the web site.

Gem mines typically offer various sizes of buckets that are mostly filled with something like gravel with some uncut gems interspersed within the mix. This gem mine offered a variety of bucket sizes with several additional options. Those purchasing larger buckets could choose a mix of gems or buckets with specific gems or fossils. Those wishing to have a gem cut can select pricing for either one or two cut gems which are mailed to you within a few weeks. For an extra $5, you can choose a family bucket that has one small special pre-cut gem, but we didn't opt for that since I had three kids with me.

Gem mining is a popular family activity throughout North Carolina, but I don't recall ever having done so. My kids have had the opportunity to do gem mining several times, so I leaned heavily upon their opinions regarding how this gem mine compares to other ones they visited.

We selected the family-sized bucket with a mix of gems sourced locally and internationally. Kim picked out our bucket and showed us what to do. We scooped out the mix into boxes with wire bottoms for sifting. Water flows along a track that will wash the dirt off so you can pick out any gems. I recommend looking at the beautiful flowers below the sluice.

Some of the gems were pretty obvious with bright colors and larger sizes. We were not sure about a few of the rocks, so I told my crew if in doubt to include the rocks with their special finds just in case. With four of us working together, we sifted through the large bucket in about 15 or 20 minutes. It was a fun activity of searching for birth stones and special finds!

After we had separated our special finds, we were invited back into the store. Kim and Elain then separated the gems we saved and identified each one, showing us examples of cut stones of the same type. It was fun for me to just stand back and watch the excitement in the room as various stones were identified. Each of us had a sandwich-sized Ziplock bag filled with gems to take home.

Elaine and Kim both seemed quite knowledgeable about the stones. Some stones were easy to identify, but some were different shades from the ones on display and were a bit harder to identify. Their official web site has nice photos of various stones that folks may find in the buckets. They had boxes of prepared stones and showed us how our various stones could look if they were polished and cut. It was actually quite educational and interesting to learn about the various rocks.

Kim mentioned that she is an accountant who helps on Sundays. Elaine is one of the owners and has a delightful British account that she acquired growing up in London. They took the time to chat with us for quite a while as we talked about the rocks, jewelry, and more. We learned quite a bit about different markings on jewelry. Elaine and Kim were quick to answer questions and offer suggestions after learning about my kids' different interests.

My kids mentioned that this gem mine had a larger number of gems per bucket compared to other gem mines they had visited. They also mentioned that at the other mines, they were handed a card for identifying the gems but that nobody looked at their gems to help them to identify what they had found. I think the personalized experience set this gem mine above the rest for my crew.

Lapidary supplies are in the back of the store where the stones are cut. If you are interested in learning more about various techniques for cutting and setting stones, they offer weekly and daily classes by appointment only and also sell lapidary supplies.

The store has a nice variety of items for sale, from arrowheads and jewelry to stone sculptures and lights. We enjoyed looking at all the impressive stonework in the store. Prices seemed to be in line with other stores in the area.

We traveled along I-40 and then Highway 221 for the vast majority of our travel time. If you have children who are prone to get carsick, I recommend waiting to eat and considering sea bands to prepare because Highway 226 has quite a few steep curves and is on a moderate grade for the foothills/mountains area in North Carolina.

My crew thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon we spent at Rio Doce Gem Mine. This was a great activity for a hot and humid day in July. Both Elaine and Kim suggested that we visit the Orchard at Altapass, but we opted not to go there after a torrential downpour hit just as we were reaching the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Visit Rio Doce's official web site for complete address, hours, online store, prices, and more.

Thanks so much for visiting my Travel NC With Kids blog! Check out my site map, topics tabs, or try my search bar to find additional travel ideas. Here are a few other places we have visiting nearby:

• Linville Caverns - Enjoy North Carolina's Only Show Cave
• Beautiful Butterfly Habitat and More at Catawba Science Center in Hickory NC
• South Mountains State Park in NC - Great Hike, Beautiful Scenery, and More