The Charlotte 500, Lap 59-62: Daytrip to Hickory

Lap 59: Downtown Hickory. Neslted in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Hickory is a large town, or small city, although "city" is a bit too big of a word for Hickory. But, at about an hour from Charlotte, there's just enough to do in Hickory to make it worth a trip for a day. Downtown Hickory looks like an old downtown should look, with just enough shopping and food/drink/sweets to keep everyone happy. And if you get there early enough on Saturdays, there's a large farmer's market right next to the train station.

Lap 60: Olde Hickory Brewery. If you're in downtown, you might as well walk down to the Olde Hickory Brewery. If someone is there, they'll probably be willing to give you a quick tour. The brewery is tied to the Olde Hickory Taproom, on the downtown square, so, if you're into that type of thing, you can sample their brews while enjoying some really good pub grub on the square.

Lap 61: Amos Howard's. This place on the edge of town, also tied to Olde Hickory Brewery, gets a separate post, not because you can sit inside the giant barrels while you eat, but because of the Aviemore Burger. Supposedly Scottish in origin, the burger is topped with egg, beet, and cheese - sounds a bit odd, but it is a beautiful thing.

Lap 62: Hickory Crawdads. Beginning in 2009, the Class A Crawdads will be an affiliate of the Texas Rangers, ending a ten year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates (previously, they were in the Chicago White Sox organization). Major league alumni of the Crawdads include Carlos Lee and Maglio Ordonez. Members of the South Atlantic League, the Crawdads play their home games at LP Frans stadium.