Discover Burke County

11/15/2024

11/13/2024

December's issue of and we were so excited to find an ad for here in Burke County. If you are unfamiliar, South Mountain Children's Home is a foster community located near Lake James helping children by creating a stable, home-like environment where they can grow up around others with similar experiences. Think of this amazing non profit when making year end giving plans and learn more about their organziation at their website southmountain.org.

11/12/2024

So many great things coming up in Burke County for the holidays-- check out these great events in Downtown Morganton, North Carolina to get in the holiday spirit and pick out the perfect presents for your loved ones.

Who is ready for the holidays?!
Mark your calendars and check them twice ... all of these events are quite nice!!

11/08/2024

Lots going on this weekend in Burke County! Start getting some of your holiday shopping done at the Christmas in November Craft Show at the newly remodeled Old Rock School in Valdese or check out Morganton Comic Con put on by Timmy Mac's Comics and Games in Morganton. Our restaurants and shops are ready to host you so come check out Downtown Morganton, and Valdese this weekend.

10/30/2024

Have you been to Henry River Farms yet this year? If not take this as your sign to go this weekend before they close up for the year! It's the perfect fall fun for families in Burke County!

10/29/2024

The Burke County Chamber of Commerce put together this great list of events for this year. City of Morganton, NC Government is asking that families return home by 8pm due to debris on the road leftover from but there is plenty of fun to be had before then! Check out any or all of these events with the in your life.

10/25/2024

Its spooky season! There are lots of fun fall festivities going on in Burke County this weekend! If you are here check out the below businesses and events- SideTracked Brewery, Stidham’s Axe Throwing Morganton, Henry River Farms- as well as our event calendar to make the most of this beautiful weather!

10/23/2024

Sean at the Old Rock School has tea to spill about the Old Rock School! Renovations are complete and they are ready to host shows and visitors again. We love this and are very excited for Town of Valdese on the completion of their big project.

10/22/2024

Exciting news out of Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and Oak Hill Park! It has been amazing to see people come together over the last 3+ weeks to help put things right again post Helene. There is still much to do throughout the county but having some outdoor options is a huge blessing. Stay tuned for the opening of Oak Hill Park, until then you can enjoy Valdese Lakeside Park and the county park section of Fonta Flora State Trail.

A Message from Shane Prisby, FCNC Trails Program Director:

First and foremost, I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and on the path to recovery. Hurricane Helene left behind significant destruction across our communities, and we are all facing the long road of rebuilding “a new normal.”

A few folks have asked about the process for cleaning up the trails at Oak Hill Park and how the park was identified as a priority to receive support from the U.S. Army & NC Forest Service.

Foothills Conservancy made reopening Oak Hill Park our top post-hurricane priority to provide a space for people to get outdoors for fresh air and exercise to help relieve some of the stress around the grief and loss that we have collectively experienced from this natural disaster. Options are limited as many local, state and federal parklands in the region remain closed.

While most of the trails at Oak Hill Park held up structurally, the biggest challenge has been clearing the hundreds of fallen trees. In some areas, entire root balls tore out sections of the trail. In other areas, large clusters of tangled trees fell across, or were suspended dangerously above the trails.

The extensive tree damage made it clear that the task of reopening Oak Hill Park would be complex and hazardous, requiring skilled, certified sawyers to clear the debris safely.

Our first workday took place on Friday, October 11th, with support from our partners from the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Catawba Lands Conservancy who worked alongside FCNC staff. While we made significant progress that day, it was clear that restoring the park would take months without additional help.

I spent the following Monday - Wednesday documenting treefall throughout the Oak Hill Park trail system and at other locations. On the morning of Wednesday, October 16th, the City of Morganton informed me that a military task force had become available to help clear trails at the city’s Catawba Meadows Park—and they offered additional assistance if needed elsewhere.

The following morning, Thursday, October 17th, soldiers from the 27th Engineer Battalion from Fort Liberty, NC, arrived at Oak Hill Park. They had been stationed in McDowell County for the past 21 days supporting regional emergency services, and by Wednesday they were assigned to help clear public parks and other public infrastructure. The Battalion offered to assist with Oak Hill Park, and we welcomed the offer.

For four days, I worked alongside a rotating team of soldiers. Their availability varied daily based on shifting priorities, but their impact was extraordinary. Together, over the span of those four days, we cleared approximately eight miles of trails — work I had initially estimated would take months to complete.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of the 27th Engineer Battalion as their deployment in Western North Carolina comes to an end. Their hard work has brought us much closer to reopening Oak Hill Park, and we couldn’t have made this progress without them.

This past Sunday, October 20th, a NC Forest Service sawyer crew stationed out of Crossnore reached out. They had been helping clear trees on state and federal parklands, and, nearing the end of their deployment, became available to help with local parks. We are thankful for the NC Forest Service’s help to continue to remove trees from the public trail system at Oak Hill Park this week, and their focus on some of the incredibly complex cuts that must happen to make the park safe again for visitors.

Because of the combined efforts of these task forces, we’re optimistic that Oak Hill Park will reopen for public enjoyment sometime in the next two weeks. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Shane Prisby
Trails Program Director

Picture: Shane working at Oak Hill Park

10/20/2024

Perfect day for thrifting! Check out Mud Brothers Vintage and Viva la Vintage - in Morganton!

10/18/2024

We have been fielding lots of calls from people wanting to know what you can and can't do in Burke County post Helene. We have lots of great things going on this weekend- Perry's Berry's Vineyard & Winery is having a fall festival, Silver Fork Winery has their Harvest Feast- both with live music. Apple Hill Orchard and Cider Mill and Henry River Farms are open for apple and pumpkin picking and our downtown shops and restaurants are ready to welcome you with open arms! Sadly the national forest and state parks remain closed and many of our leaves blew off during the storm. We hope to see you in Downtown Morganton, or Valdese soon, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call or check out our website.

Burke County Tourism Development Authority

10/17/2024

Tonight! Check out the spooky themed in Downtown Morganton, North Carolina! The aluminum pour across from City Hall is sure to be a spectacle. Be there at 5pm or 6pm to see it in action! Lots of other Morganton Downtown businesses will be open late for you to shop. See you there!

10/16/2024

Our monthly came out today! This month is a little different after but we have highlighted some that we have seen locally over the last month as well as some local events coming up we are looking forward to. If you would like to sign up to receive our Burke Buzz in your email each month, please click on the link and sign up for our mailing list.

Email from Burke County Tourism Development Authority Hurricane Helene Updates and More Your Source for News, Events and Happenings in Morganton and Burke County, NC Pictured above: Powerlines down ac

10/15/2024

It's always great to hear of people's memorable times in Burke County- Thanks NC Wine Guys for coming back to Silver Fork Winery to celebrate your 9th anniversary! It is important to take time to celebrate even if things are crazy right now. Silver Fork Winery is open and would love to see you whether you are celebrating a big mile stone or just wanting some return to normalcy.

10/14/2024

is all dressed up ready for fall! Although fall around here doesn't look normal with the , and closed, city workers have worked really hard to get our downtowns ready and now our shops are ready to accept visitors again! We ask that you keep in mind that we have become a new home to many displaced Western North Carolina residents and are still hosting workers, volunteers and cleanup crews. At this time we ask that people plan to day trip so lodging can go to people who need it most. We hope to see you soon in and !