Morganton North Carolina
“Nature’s Playground”
Town of Morganton NC
There are many things to do in the city of Morganton, North Carolina, such as go to public parks, use the Morganton Greenway System, two recreation centers for activities, and an indoor and outdoor pool all within the city limits. There are also plenty of places to eat, shop, and socialize in Morganton’s Downtown area. Nearby visitors enjoy recreation at Lake James State Park and South Mountains State Park in which are short drives from the city. The elevation is 4,000 feet and there are many nearby outdoor activities such as waterfalls; trails for hiking, camping, cycling and horseback riding; the city is minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway, NC’s largest state park (South Mountain State Park), Lake James State Park (as seen in the movie Last of the Mohicans), Linville Gorge- (the “Grand Canyon of the East”), Pisgah National Forest, Catawba River, Linville River, and Wilson Creek.
History of Morganton, NC
The city of Morganton North Carolina is the county seat of Burke county and is one of the oldest settlements in North Carolina by Native Americans and by the Spanish explorers. This was also the site of Fort San Juan, built in 1567 by a Spanish expedition as the first European settlement in the interior of North America. The Spanish left a 31-man garrison that occupied the fort for 18 months before being overcome in a Mississippian attack. Five other Spanish forts in the larger interior region were also destroyed about that time.
In the late 20th century, Morganton and Burke County, which was still largely rural and with big poultry farms, became locations for industrial-scale poultry processing plants.
Today Morganton embraces tourism to the area with a downtown area with a variety of restaurants and many natural attractions and recreation nearby.
- Downtown Morganton NC
- Red White & Bluegrass Festival
- South Mountain State Park
- Pisgah National Forest
- Lake James
- Lake Rhodiss
- Linville Gorge
- Linville River
- Wilson Creek