Rural Hill

I volunteered at Warrior Dash which was held at Rural Hill yesterday. It was a scorcher out there. I manned the beer tent and then helped with clean-​up and breakdown.
Overall, Rural Hill is massive. The cabins are really nice, but i didn’t have much time to peruse the historical markers and what not.

I made it out to Rural Hill to partake in the Loch Norman Highland Games. I had never been out to this park before and getting to see it filled with spectators was great.
It is my understanding that Rural Hill came under the Charlotte-​Mecklenberg County Park System just a few years back. And, though it is way out there from the rest of the parks, It has become a favorite for events and activities like the Highland Games.
The ground are impeccably kept, and the views are stunning. In addition to the games I enjoyed getting a chance to see some Carolina heritage activities at some of the buildings on-​site. Moreover, I think that the staff at the facility was perfect.
I think this would be a great venue for a wedding or large party. Concerts here would be great as well because of the massive amount of parking.
Kudos to the staff. I look forward to heading out that way again.

Attended Oyster Festival Sunday, ¹¹⁄₁₅. Nice idea and a fair number of people attended so it looks like oysters are popular. Now the down side and I’m point this out only as a means of constructive criticism for next year’s planning of this event. Attendees had 2 options for oysters. #1 a steamed basket (maybe 10 in the basket, and #2 grilled (8 oysters) for $ 10 each order. There were no directional signs telling people which line was for the steamed and/​or which line was for the grilled. We purchased one order for each selection of oysters and my husband and I got in the line that appeared to be for the steamed baskets and after being in line for about 40 minutes we struck up a conversation with the couple in front of us and they said they purchased 1 order of each and was wondering if they could get both orders in the line they were in because the line was moving very slowly and the other line was moving even more slowly. We all talked and decided that they could not possibly make you pick up your order from one line and then have to go to the other line… but we were wrong. Bottom line, we waited in line for about 40 minutes and then learned that we would have to go over to the other line where we waited for about an hour. The grill used for grilling was WAY too small. So for future planning the vendor should use a VERY LARGE grill. There was no other option for food so if you didn’t want oysters you were out of luck. I would suggest having 3 – 4 food trucks for next year. The only beverage available was beer at the cost of $ 6 for a cup. The beer was very much overpriced and I suggest that they have other beer vendors and beverage vendors.

What a nice location for events. Just make sure you have sun lotion or a hat. Not much shade so if you have or bring pets beware. We have been there a few times and enjoy it. Stone soup day on January 1^st is the best. What a lovely event

Let’s face it – it’s out there, man. Way out there. You’re not in Huntersville anymore. It’s a huge plot that spans acres of land outside of Huntersville and close to parts of Lake Norman. Just outside of the 485 loop. Houses many family-​friendly events and others of note:
Warrior Dash
Amazing Maize Maze (Fall)
Other festivals of sorts.
It’s a great spot for education, too. There are old schoolhouses, farmlands, tons of walking trails, and other nature-​centric activities. Check it out even when there isn’t some event or other hoopla.

Rural Hill is a 265 acre nature preserve & farm, which is open for tours, festivals, weddings, sheepdog trails, walking, & field trips. It’s also home to the «Amazing Maize Maze.»
Today’s visit brought Milo & I here for the «Bark in the Park» festival. For the second year in a row, I’m really impressed at the layout. Festivals are held behind (& around) all the historical buildings on the property. There’s plenty of parking, as well.
There’s so much to do here outside of festivals. It’s worth reviewing their website, or checking out a festival being held there.