Gaston Outside

10/06/2021

It's Month and we are more than excited to celebrate Gaston County's amazing craft breweries.

Belmont's beer scene has been growing quite a bit over the last few years and writer Charlie Leonard explores how that came to be and what's to come.

Looking for craft beer in Belmont? Take a Belmont Beer Tour at these breweries, bars and brew shops:
Jekyll & Hyde Taphouse and Grill - Historic Belmont
Primal Brewery Belmont
Belmont Brewhouse
Alternative Beverage
Sammy's Pub
The String Bean
Glenway Premium Pub
The Lodge Tavern and Tap
The Bearded Buffalo

📸: Grant Baldwin, Chris Rodarte
✏ Charlie Leonard

If you’ve spent any time in the Charlotte area, you know all about the breweries. There are 69 breweries in the greater Charlotte area — back in 2011, there were only 60 in the entire state — and there’s no plan to slow down anytime soon. Names like Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, NoDa Brewing, Tr...

08/04/2021

Got plans for the rest of the week? You do now! 📅 What will it be? Riverfest? Yoga? Concerts? All of the above!

Wednesday, August 4:
🟩 Midweek Movies at C.B. Huss Recreation Center 1pm-3pm
🟩Yoga at Primal Brewery Belmont 6:30pm

Thursday, August 5:
🟩Broadway in the Park with Black Star Theater Company at Stowe Park 7pm
🟩 Coolin' Out Concerts on Main in Stanley, 5pm- 9pm
🟩 Jazz at the Garden 🎷 at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden 6pm- 8pm

Friday, August 6:
🟩Belmont Friday Night Live in Belmont, 7pm-9pm
🟩DIY Date Night at AR Workshop Belmont 6pm-9pm
🟩Movie in Centennial Park 🎥- The Sandlot in Cramerton, at sunset
🟩 Cultivated Mind at Primal Brewery Belmont 7pm-10pm

Saturday, August 7:
🟩 Car Show and School Supply Drive at Stuart W. Cramer High School 9am-2pm
🟩 Riverfest with Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation at Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park 12pm-5pm
🟩 Art show at Fryeday Coffee Roasters 10am-3pm
🟩 Mount Holly Farmers Market 8am-noon

Summer is winding down but Gaston County still has lots of fun in store this month. Check out our list of events for what is happening in August. Sunday, August 1 Sunday Concert Series at The Bottle Tree 102 Davis St., Belmont 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m. Each Sunday, The Bottle Tree will have live music, food....

07/27/2021

Hot Chicken News: The long-anticipated 2nd Chick-fil-A location in Belmont is now open. They're located right off South Point Road, near the Harris Teeter and Cinnaholic.

BRB while we take 10 seconds to get the #2 with extra pickles, a large fry, and a gallon of Chick-fil-A sauce. We'll see you in line. 😊💚

Glorious smells of Chick-n-Minis wafted along South Point Road Tuesday as Chick-fil-A at Belmont Town Center welcomed customers for the first time.

07/21/2021

Want to know how to live like a local? Here are 15 of our fave things to do!

☑️ Hike Crowder's Mountain
☑️ Grab a Bite at Groovy Beast
☑️ Take a Mural Tour
☑️Cocktails at The Jailhouse - Belmont
☑️Spend the day at U.S. National Whitewater Center
☑️ Check out Goat Island Park
☑️ Explore The Schiele Museum of Natural History
☑️Stop and smell the roses at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
☑️Get a burger at The Shake Shop
☑️Take a stroll on the Carolina Thread Trail
☑️Shop Downtown (Like Catalyst Mercantile and Belletique)
☑️Wine down at Veronét Vineyards & Winery
☑️Enjoy Muddy River Distillery
☑️Plan a Brewery Crawl
☑️Skate the skate parks

What are your faves? Tell us what to add to our next list!

✏️ Camille Renner
📸 Grant Baldwin Evey McFadden Liz Logan

The summertime is always filled with special events and celebrations, from pop-up markets to work-out classes, but luckily for Gaston County residents, the fun doesn't stop in the summer. All year round, there are activities for foodies, exercise enthusiasts, art lovers and families to enjoy in Moun...

07/19/2021

This week, we've got a selection of homes, cabins and bungalows from a variety of price points.

The housing market is hot these days, so act soon. 😊 Within five minutes of this piece being published, it's already close to being outdated.

Summer is primetime for great listings to hit the market all over the country and Gaston County is certainly no exception. There are some exciting new homes to explore in this edition of our real estate round-up, from a rustic cabin to move-in ready family homes. Prices range from $175K to $499K fur...

07/19/2021

Tomorrow, we're keeping our eyes on the prize. 🌮👀

Want more in your inbox? Sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter here. Queso lovers rejoice. It is officially the summer of the taco and Gaston County has you covered with multiple Mexican restaurants in every town. What’s not to love about Mexican restaurants? Daily drink deals offering discounted m...

06/29/2021

T-minus two days until our festivities begin across the county. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Aside from an occasional shower here and there, this weekend is looking real ideal to spend time outside with friends & family.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner and it’s time to start planning where to see fireworks. This year's festivities will be sure to draw crowds, making each event fun and exciting. Make your plans and arrive early to get a great spot to take in the festivities. Thursday, July 1 Mount Holl...

06/25/2021

If you haven't perused a Farmers Market recently, we recommend a couple locales.

It's just a difference experience than your run-of-the-mill grocery excursion. Vendors get to know you by name. It's outdoors, it's family-friendly, it's local.

FYI: You might notice a couple other local farms sprinkled into the mix.

There is something about the summer air, longer days and rising temperatures that has us dreaming about fresh and juicy strawberries and colorful blooming flowers in our kitchens. Luckily for Gaston County residents, there are plenty of places right in our County to get your farm-fresh fix for your....

06/23/2021

ECONOMIC NEWS: International Express, a logistics provider, has opened up operations in a 70+ acre Cherryville location. With corporate headquarters located in Lowell, International Express's expansion into Cherryville breathes new life into the former Carolina Freight location.

A TALKING POINT TO USE: Transportation and logistics is a massive industry, but news on this front doesn't usually dominate the news cycle. Next time you see trains, planes, and trucks, know that they represent the economy in motion. The fact that Gaston County is welcoming more of these globally-oriented businesses to town points to the fact that diverse economic activity is occurring here.

TEARJERKER ORIGIN STORY: President & CEO Howard Shope's roots are in Gaston County. After working and traveling outside the region for several years, he knew he needed to come back home and try something different. In 2001, he opened up a humble 5,000 sqft. center with $38K in the bank. Looking for help growing his business, he turned to his former teacher at East Gaston High School, who showed Shope a business textbook chapter on entrepreneurship. Today, International Express has more than 600,000 sqft. of space across the country, a large fleet of vehicles, and corporate headquarters here in Gaston. They're committed to Cherryville and Gaston County, too. In Shope's words "We're here, and we're going to stay here."

POSSIBLE VISION FOR THE FUTURE: Turn the Cherryville location into a Carolina Intermodal Business Park, which would position the region and location to be an inland port and could lead to further capital investment and jobs.

COMMUNITY IMPACT: Cherryville residents couldn't wait to hear the humming sound of business nearby. Dozens of individuals who used to work on the former Carolina Freight site attended today's ribbon cutting ceremony and were ecstatic to see the location come to life again. Pretty cool to see the warm reception.

Congratulations, International Express Trucking Inc., for your continued success and growth in Gaston County. We're excited to have you headquartered here in Gaston.

06/14/2021

Sometimes we think that we run the risk of making too many lists and bucket lists of things to do. But to us, that's a good problem to have because it only means that there's so much going on here in Gaston County. That said, we won't apologize for providing this super convenient breakfast guide that'll make you an even savvier shopper.😊😏

A fun bit of pop culture education: Our writer Katie McCarthy used the title of this piece to give a subtle nod to the generation raised on Spongebob Squarepants. For more info, please see Season Three's episode, Missing Identity.🧽

Breakfast takes all shapes and sizes and all too often we overlook what’s deemed the most important meal of the day. We switch out crepes for pop tarts, omelets for a breakfast bar, and hop in our cars as the sun is barely rising, rushing off to work or school drop-off. A nice slow morning has num...