Southern Living highlighted this NC town for its ‘historic charm’
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Southern Living highlighted this Gaston County city for its old-school Southern vibe.
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Belmont is a small town outside of Gastonia with a population around 15,000. Southern Living’s Jennifer Prince was impressed with the variety of festivals and other activities offered in the town, which is also home to Belmont Abbey College, a small Catholic school.
Belmont Abbey was founded in 1876 by Benedictine monks, while the town was tiny — fewer than 200 people. The town of Belmont sits near the Catawba river and Lake Wylie.
Prince was charmed by the variety of festivals hosted in town while visiting. This September, Belmont is hosting a literary festival, and in October the town is home to a variety of autumnal offerings, including Boofest and Howl-o-ween, a dog dress-up competition.
The town has regular outdoor movies, date nights and farmer’s market days, if you don’t have time to swing by for a specific festival. Check out the options at historicbelmont.com/events.
Belmont’s South Piedmont location is ideal for access to Lake Wylie. It’ll still be warm enough to swim for a little while longer. Kayak, paddle board and boat rentals are available too.
Daniel Stowe Conservancy also sits in Belmont, with acres of woods and manicured botanical gardens. The conservancy also offers a butterfly bungalow, open through Labor Day.
If you want to stay lakeside, Drift on Lake Wylie might make a great option for dinner.
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If you want a little more drama than laid back lakeside dinner, try The Pharmacy, a speakeasy style bar that requires a secret code to enter. (Don’t worry, you can find the code on the bar’s Instagram.)
Prince also recommended The String Bean for upscale Southern, and a few more bites from local pizzerias and breweries.
You might want to check the prices again, but CharlotteFive published a guide on how to spend a day in Belmont for under $50 in 2022.
Both Southern Living and C5 recommended The String Bean for a formal meal, Everyday Market for coffee and pastries, Nellie’s for comfort food and a local antique: Catawba River Antique Mall.
Southern Living has featured plenty of other places in North Carolina, C5 has previously reported, including:
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