Stanly County, North Carolina

in late 2022, we envision being able to occupy that new space.” Apart from this vibrant construction activity, Stanly County also has much to recommend as a place to enjoy some of North Carolina’s natural abundance and scenic beauty, as well as partake of some of its robust recreational amenities. The county panorama includes 10,000 acres of lakes, a mountain range, several vineyards, golf courses, bike and whitewater trails, urban farms, and parks and preserves. Residents and tourists, alike, flock to Morrow Mountain State Park for hiking, camping, paddling, fishing, horseback riding, swimming, or just taking in scenery on one of the highest points in the piedmont. More than 15 miles of hiking trails and 16 miles of bridle trails thread the park, reaching from the summit of Morrow Mountain to Lake Tillery, where a boathouse offers canoes and rowboats for rent and bait for fishing. A family campground with 106 sites for tents, trailers, and RVs is close by a swimming pool with bathhouse. Group camping, remote backpack camping, and rustic vacation cabins give more choices for extended stays. “Morrow Mountain State Park is a great tourism driver for our community,” says Lowder. “And we have a very active Convention and Visitors Bureau. They actively promote our outdoor activities.” One new recreational offering is the Carolina Tree Top Challenge, a small, family- owned business which began operations last year. The Tree Top Challenge is an aerial park featuring a series of ropes courses and zip-lines high among the trees in the City of Albemarle’s Rock Creek Park. “That has been very well- received by visitors coming in from out of town,” she adds. “One of the other things that we have from an agri-tourism perspective in Stanly County is four muscadine wine vineyards. It’s a pretty robust industry in North Carolina,” says Lucas. “They also attract a lot of folks throughout the region. And all those venues host a lot of weddings, and any time you have a wedding, you have a lot of out-of-town guests. So that helps to put ‘heads County Manager, Andy Lucas