Editing Hickory, North Carolina (section)

== Tourism ==
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===Sports===
[[File:L. P. Frans Stadium 2004.jpg|thumb|right|[[L.P. Frans Stadium]], home of the [[Hickory Crawdads]]]]
Hickory is home to the [[Hickory Crawdads]], the [[Single-A]] [[Minor League Baseball]] affiliate of the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] of the [[Carolina League]].<ref>{{cite press release|date=July 23, 2024|title=South Atlantic, Carolina Leagues to realign in 2025|url=https://www.milb.com/news/minor-league-baseball-announces-realignment-of-south-atlantic-and-carolina-leagues|work=Minor League Baseball|access-date=July 23, 2024}}</ref> The Crawdads play at [[L.P. Frans Stadium]], located in the western portion of the city, near the Hickory Regional Airport.

Hickory is also home to the [[Hickory Motor Speedway]]. The speedway was opened in 1951 and features a 1/2-mile track with seating for approximately 5,000 spectators.

[[Lenoir-Rhyne University]], whose teams have the nickname "Bears", participates within [[NCAA Division II]] athletics in the [[South Atlantic Conference]]. The university's athletics program includes teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, triathlon, and volleyball.<ref>[https://lrbears.com/ Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics]. ''lrbears.com''. Retrieved February 6, 2020.</ref>

=== Hickory Aviation Museum ===
[[Hickory Aviation Museum]] is an aerospace museum at the [[Hickory Regional Airport]]. The museum originated from the Sabre Society co-founded by Kyle and Kregg Kirby, when an FJ-3 Fury, the Naval version of the North American F-86 Sabre was recovered and became the first aircraft of the museum. It features a museum located in the former airport terminal with artifacts, a hangar with aircraft and outdoor exhibits of aircraft on the former airport ramp.

=== Arts and Culture ===

==== Hickory Museum of Art ====
Hickory is home to the second oldest art museum in North Carolina. Hickory Museum of Art was established in 1944 by Founding Director, Paul Whitener. The museum is housed at the [[SALT Block]], overseen by the SALT Block Foundation, along with the Catawba Science Center, Hickory Choral Society, United Arts Council and Western Piedmont Symphony. Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) holds exhibitions, events, and public educational programs based on a permanent collection of 19th through 21st century American art. The museum also features a long-term exhibition of Southern contemporary folk art, showcasing the work of self-taught artists from around the region.

==== Western Piedmont Symphony ====
The symphony hosts several series of concerts, including their free Foothills Pops concerts held annually in Downtown Hickory.