Hickory’s Roots Run Deep in North Carolina Sports

With a world-famous racing short track, professional and collegiate facilities and a great history and heritage, Hickory’s roots run deep in North Carolina sporting lore

Introduction

HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA

Hickory, NC is conveniently located off Interstate 40, which connects Knoxville to the west with Raleigh to the east. If you’re flying in, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is around 42 miles away in Charlotte. Immerse yourself in the interactive opportunities presented at the SALT Block, which encompasses an entire city block filled with Science, Arts & Literature Together.

Get a Planner’s Perspective

Don’t just take our word for it, hear what these planners had to say.

“Everybody loves it here, it’s beautiful. It (Lake Hickory) is the perfect size for a competition such as this one. It offers a variety of fishing experiences depending on how the anglers prefer to fish.”
Secret York, Co-founder of LBAA

Downtown Hickory
Hickory NC Logo
SARAH D. JONES

SARAH D. JONES

Director of Sales & Marketing

(828) 322-1335
Website Link

Find Your Perfect Hickory Facility

Facility Spotlight

Hickory Metro Convention Center

HICKORY METRO CONVENTION CENTER

Sports Covered: Multipurpose indoor

The Hickory Metro Convention Center, located in a premier destination within the southeast, is undergoing a major renovation & expansion. Renovating over 30,000 square feet and adding on 46,000 plus square feet of multipurpose sports space. This facility has been the home to a variety of indoor sports including: Bull riding, soccer clinics, martial arts, wrestling, gymnastics, dance, and more. With the newest addition the center will be a prime location to welcome additional sports such as volleyball, basketball, pickleball, cheer and more. 

HENRY FORK REGIONAL RECREATION PARK

Sports Covered: Canoeing, running, soccer

With nine soccer fields, an 8,000-square-foot picnic shelter, picnic tables and grills, an alpine tower ropes course, two playgrounds, a concession stand, walking trail, canoe launch and horseshoe pits, this multiuse park is ideal for soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other sports. Two additional fields will be added in 2024-2025.

Lake Hickory (Catawba River)

LAKE HICKORY (CATAWBA RIVER)

Sports Covered: Boating, fishing, swimming

Take in the magisterial beauty of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains when you plan an outdoor tournament on Lake Hickory. Fishing tournaments are popular here during the summer months, when the lake has an abundance of largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie and channel catfish. Lake Hickory hosted two Lady Bass Anglers Association Pro Tour events in the Spring of 2019 and 2021. Also, episodes of “Fishing University” were filmed in 2018, with another in 2022.

ROCK BARN COUNTRY CLUB & SPA

Sports Covered: Golf, tennis

With a foundation tracing back to the early 19th century, this gorgeous country club has a storied history, one which grew to include golf in 1966 when it added The Rock Barn Club of Golf to its grounds. Today the club features two championship golf courses which have yielded praise from Golf Digest.

Catawba Meadows Park

CATAWBA MEADOWS PARK

Sports Covered: Baseball, disc golf, multipurpose indoor, softball

With the Catawba River Greenway serving as a border, this multipurpose park is an ideally located hotspot for tournament planners. The park features five lighted Little League baseball fields, four lighted youth and adult softball and baseball fields, a field house with concessions, a disc golf course with 18 holes, an umpires and coaches meeting room and much more.

Request Information