Reviews of Fort Dobbs Historic Site (Museum)

Anthony Blue

Fun and exciting! family had a great time today!

Tammy Wilson

Great historical experience! Incredible work has been done/is being done to completely replacate this very significant piece of our Great Nations history! This would make a wonderful school field trip once the Fort is completed and open. We definitely be back.

Sherry Wells

Can not wait to opening day. As of right now not much to see, but greater things await.

Ryan Abbott

Neat place to take the kids

ethan williams

It is small really really really small

Rich Mood

Soon to be the mecka of French and Indian war living history.

Steve Porter

Wonderful place to learn history. Had great history timeline and weapons demonstrates today 11-11.

Paul Scott Williamson

Fun and educational

bonita vanzant

Loved the Experience

Kristin Jackson

Our guide was very knowledgable, fun, and made the tour very enjoyable

Bryan Hughes

Such a treasure for the State of NC! We had an excellent tour guide and the site continues to impress!

Scott Watts

Is still under construction

Amanda Goodwin

Awesome site. The man who led us on the tour was super engaging and knowledgeable. Excited to see the new additions in April. Don’t just drive by, be sure to stop!

Bryan Kennedy

My favorite historical site. Staff is friendly, and the fort is currently being reconstructed.

Marigold

The Fort Dobbs Historical Site is a wonderful look back to colonial America prior to the Revolutionary War. The replica designs of life on the western frontier are spot on. Mrs. Betty Dobson, a contributor to the preservation of Fort Dobbs, was so welcoming. Her knowledge of the site and the time period is spectacular. The passion she has for history is absolutely contagious! My boyfriend and I plan to visit again from Georgia in the future and look forward to speaking with Mrs. Dobson again.

Tara E.

So worth stopping by. Authentic history. Felt like walking back through 18th and 19th centuries. Amazing artifacts.

Aaron Kohrs

Though the site is still under construction as of July 2017 (to build quality replicas, it appears), there is still lots of walk-able areas with informative plaques and the tour guide I had - Joseph - was amazing^squared. He said, "that's what I took the job here - they do in-depth analysis" of the specific history. He had knowledge of French-Indian War facts from the colonial era as well as touched on deeper ideas like how historians think, analyze. He had breadth yet was also specific. The site's administration seems intent on being as accurate to history as possible in their replicas. Very impressed with management here; made the experience!

Jessica Laces

Rebuilt revolutionary fort. Interesting but only for about 10-15m (with kids).

Escobaria Gracilis

Interesting historical place. Will be even better when the reproduction will be finished.

Jeannette Gority

Great experience

Hitman Harris

Still under construction, but the history of it is pretty cool

That Modern Mombie

Awesome place to visit if you love history! The staff is very informative and very fun to speak with!

Birgit Conlen

Construction site

Mark Kusick

A unique piece of local history. Helpful staff will gladly explain the site's significance.

Kaye Hughes

So much history!! The renovations are being done and everything is being made by hand. Very cool.

Erica Horne

The trails and the fort are an amazing visit!

Sean Lennox

Enjoyed it. Cant wait till they open the fort

Robert Richardson

Excellent director. Friendly and helpful staff. Impressive new fort.

MJ

A must see for any history enthusiast! The staff are very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. It may not be what you expect to find in the middle of a housing development but history is history. North Carolina found a gem and they are polishing it up! I will most definitely be making another trip to see the completed construction.

Nereida Vorwald

Small, but informative. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Great day trip.

John Odell

Please go and enjoy North Carolina pre revolutionary times

Aleah

Absolutely a hidden gem. I went in just for a visit but left with a TON of information. William was my guide and he was VERY knowledgeable. I learned a lot and even got recommendations for future visits to places of my interest. The fort was still in construction, so I look forward to visiting again when it is completed.

Travis Cervantez

It's fun to see when the volunteers are there and they can show you how things were when the fort was still there like how people grew or made food. They can show you how people used to shoot the musket and all of the people are very knowledgable.

Marilyn Miller

William Caldwell was a fabulous tour guide! He was very professional and informative. I highly recommend a visit here!

David Locher

This will be a must see on your list of things to do once up and running. It's very impressive to see from the outside. It wasn't in operation yet to go through, but will be a must see once it is.

James McMillan

History in the making, building a replica of the original Fort.

Jacob Crews

Absolutely fascinating and forgotten history. The events here are well put on by volunteers who have an obvious passion for history and who go to pain-staking lengths to assure the correct look and feel. Not to mention, they've almost got a fort! And everyone loves forts.

Sven Hillring

Great docents! Awesome site.

Alicia Hammonds

We were there for a reenactment, which was fantastic! They are currently reconstructing the fort, which will be handy to see how the early colonists and soldiers lived

Laura Buckley

Staff was very knowledgeable loved learning the history about Fort Dodds would love to go back for their Grand opening in September.

Alta Dale

I always learn something new every time I visit. The living history programs are outstanding.

Darlene Goforth

The community has begun renovation to this historic site. I am interested in seeing what they do. Many reenactment weekends happen every year.

Troy Heck

Awesome Fort, great people, worth the visit!

Brenda Micchelli

Very informative . The people that work there were great.

Dale Loberger

Incredible programming and events. Once the fort is open for visitors, this will be a destination historic site for the region.

Dan O'Sullivan

Awesome place ..great history.

Larry Hough

Very knowledgeable, authentic, enjoyed the rebuilding of the fort,. The narrator spoke to us at our level so it was easy to understand. Thank you

Jaime Oyola

Fun and educational place for the family. The staff is very well informed and knowledgeable and kind.

Michelle Rogers

We love it

Jonathan Holland

The fort's reconstruction is going great! Anxious to see the finished product.

Jimmy Roten

Me and my daughter had a great time here and learned a lot love this can't wait to go back again

Scott Douglas

Great piece of history. It will be really cool when they finish rebuilding the fort!

Julie Carrigan

Fun and informative

Billy Reiber

Very nice restoration village, they are currently building a replica of the original fort.

krista conover

They are getting the Fort ready for their grand opening September 21, so we couldn't go in. A huge shout out to the gentleman that took time away from working on Fort Dobbs to share it's history!!!!

Bubba Longfellow

Both informative and educational with reinactments, mini-dramas and hands-on activities.

G.R. Murphy

This is a great place to go to learn about pre American Western frontier.

Liz L

Fort Dobbs was under construction when I was there, could possible take awhile to be completed. Fort Dobbs was involved in the French & Indian War and in 1760 an engagement with the Cherokee Native Americans occurred. The Museum is very small but well kept. The grounds have Interpretation Signs and a Monument to Daniel Boone Trail, and a few replica structures. When the construction is done here I have a feeling its going to be wonderful. The caretaker was a very warm and helpful and I appreciated that he dressed the part. Ample Parking.

john bucher

Very knowledgeable staff, interesting site

Austin Weeks

it was a great place i loved it........ it tmn

Olga Wilson

Great time out for the family! Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of fort and everything in that era. He made it fun and educational for the kids.

Robert Oren Eades

Our tour guide was informative and enthusiastic. This site, important in the history of Piedmont North Carolina, is easy to get to from Interstate 40 and is well worth the trip. The rebuilt fort is beautiful.

Carolyn Delano

Greatly enjoyed our visit!

Robin Patton

They're actually building the fort again! Doing a great job! They havesomeone there that tells you the whole story. We had a great time!

jim catalfamo

what is a amazing is that a baseball field is bigger and you had all those man shooting at each other in an open field. worth stopping for to see the history. tour guide was great and i think thry are going to rebuild the fort someday

Robert Burke

Its amazing! but the fort is still under Construction opening soon.

Protik Maitra

Very nice location. Still in the process of completion of the historical replica of the fort. William was very kind to give us a free tour of the place.

andrea chanique

My family and I spent the whole day here and it was the most amazing thing I ever seen. I learned so much, even our children 7 and 12 enjoyed it. Parking is very simple, for entrance it's just a very small donation. Being from a different state to learn about a piece of NC history, this place is a place you got to check out. The people here are very kind people. Very knowledgeable about the history. They are in costume and can teach you lots but not just talking, demonstrating. You can also get pics with them. All I did was walk up to them and ask if I could take a pic with them. I am not sure if everyone there will say yes I didn't ask every one. But don't be scared to like I said they are very nice people. They have regular bathrooms and not out houses incase anyone wants to know. I know I wanted to know at first lol. kids have so much room to run around and have fun. They have a mini park that is fenced in for little ones to play in. it's has to picnic tables. They also have a little pavilion near the little park area that has a detached restroom. Across from there is a hotdog stand which is so yummy! They also sell chips, soda and water. Fort Dobbs is very clean and taken care of. they have a little gift shop that has souvenirs. there is so much more. you just got to check it out... **oh I just want to let you know that that is a wooden toy our son got from the gift shop here. very durable may I add lol

Sheila GRYDER

Favorite Historical Landmark. They've put a lot of hard work and love into recreating the landmarks as close to authentic as they could, with the records as their guide, and it is a source of great pride for our County and state.

Kyle Hess

I love this place. It is so full of history. And the amphitheatre built by the native americans is spot-on.

JONATHAN TEAGUE

There are some great shows going on.

Loretta Divine

Nice restored historic site. Picnic tables, gift shop, excellent interpretative guides, short hiking trail. Doesn't take too long to see.

Casey Cooke

Not a big place, and the fort is under construction until next April(2019), but still an interesting place to stop for a few minutes. It's more interesting when there is an event, of which all but one are usually free to attend. A nice little slice of history.

Eve S.

Each piece of Fort Dobbs was crafted by hand using local materials, and this is emulated in the fact that now, as they are rebuilding the fort, the workers are crafting each piece by hand using tools similar to those that would be used in 1756, when the fort was first built. I found the fact that everything was so exquisitely remade to be quite intriguing, as I had always assumed that people who are rebuilding historical sites would normally only use modern tools. In addition to the extreme attention to historical details being put into the reconstruction of the fort, the guide was amazingly knowledgeable and knew quite a bit about not only the fort, but about every miniscule detail about the time period. I was able to point to anything and the tour guide would tell me exactly what it was and then give me a lengthy synopsis of every element of it. In addition to the guide’s immense knowledge, he wore a full British uniform and when posing for pictures around the fort, he said that I should turn my calf out, as calf muscles were a valued in the time period. There were many structures surrounding the fort that had been built, including a garden, a bread oven, some barracks, among other structures. The guide knew every single detail of each of these structures, even going so far as to explain how they were all built and why the structures were built the way they were. The most interesting structure, besides the fort itself, was the much smaller barracks next to it. The barracks had four wooden bunks and one ladder, but was made to hold multiple men on a single bunk, and to keep them warm, a fireplace was placed inside the building.The tour was apparently not a typical one, and lacked a pre-set plan on how to go about it, but this actually made it quite enjoyable. I am honestly considering returning to the site once the fort is fully reconstructed (the guide said it would be late this summer), as the tour was such an amazing experience. The drive from my home to Fort Dobbs is a long six hours, but I fully believe that the travel is entirely worth it.

Russell Brown

A piece of history off the beaten path. Lots to see. Seasonal replica battles are reenacted. The staff at the lodge is very knowledgeable and helpful. Souvenirs can be purchased here. Civic groups help raise funds for this site along with some state funding (I think). A major project is under way to build a replica of the main building that was on this site, construction for replica as of 2016. Restrooms and water fountains available.

Wes B

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Nice roadside museum, interesting history. Well worth the visit, facilities were well kept and clean.

rbru8030

Great job all around!

Jerry Bailey

Very nice time at the Fort

Kristine Taylor

My husband and I really enjoyed our visit to Fort Dobbs. The reproduction of the fort being built is amazing! It has to be seen to really appreciate the scale of the undertaking and that's with only the first of three levels completed. The historical interpreter, William, was incredible too! He was so knowledgeable about EVERYTHING on the grounds as well as North Carolina history. The gentleman in the visitors center was also very friendly and helpful.

Stephen Brown

Compared to other visits I have had at this site...Saturdays visit was LAME!! they had 1 tent. All the role players (actors) were huddled up together away from the 1 tent and the display of guns in the ground. I understand that the facility is under construction...but if it's not going to be more entertaining and more educational..why not shut it down till the Reno is done.

Mike Mercereau

Delightful history right here in Iredell county. Go spend a couple hours learning about military life in the mid 18th century.

Tina Fulcher

Considering this historic site disappeared not long after the revolutionary war, it is amazing what they have been able to rebuild (and are still working hard on it). We will visit again, soon.

Leigh Hughes

Even thought the fort isn't finished we had a wonderful time. The guy we talked to really knew his stuff. We had a great conversation and learned a lot.

Jeannine Petriski

On it's way to greatness, very knowledgeable young man

Madeline Murnion

I’ve been to a lot of historical sites, hands down our tour guide was the most exciting and knowledgeable person I’ve ever met. He knew everything about the French/Indian war. There wasnt any question he couldn’t answer. It’s a very awesome place and worth stopping for.

Lisa Weisgarber-trigg

There is good information here, but there isn't much to actually see. The site is under a restoration project to erect a building that replicates what was originally there. If you go, just make sure you have other plans for the day as well.

Jae Threer

Finally rebuilding the fort :-)

Edwina Gazaille

My experience was not with Fort Dobbs itself as we were visiting the playground there, not the historical site. The playground needs some serious attention. Big chunks of wood for surface (mulch) which provides more danger than safety in my opinion. Old wood on structure could give a splinter. Poison ivy around the wooded perimeter where we sat at a picnic table for a snack. 3 adults and 4 children ages 10 mos, 21 mos, and two, three year olds. Was nice and shady in the morning and the kids enjoyed themselves nonetheless. The fact that the playground area was fenced in was a plus.

Lynette Parker

Interesting but they are in the process of building a reproduction of the fort based on archeological digs. That fort should be completed in 2018. For now there is a scale model, original blueprints, some artifacts and a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic host.

Naomi Paul

Great Way to spend an Afternoon