The BellaAge Lifestyle
At BellaAge, an active lifestyle is one filled with interests and fueled by a community of friends and neighbors. It’s a lifestyle that is truly ageless, where neighbors are supported as well as encouraged to express themselves freely. Here you’ll find purposeful living, where giving of oneself – time and experience – means the community at large benefits from active volunteerism. And as a 55+ community, choosing BellaAge means choosing an option that will grow with you for years to come.
Active Adults
Experience spaces within BellaAge to connect, enjoy and relax. And just outside your door, you’ll find a plethora of opportunities to enjoy downtown Hickory.
Connect
Let BellaAge be your guide to getting the most out of an active adult lifestyle! We’ve intentionally designed spaces throughout the community to connect with neighbors and friends.
Relax & Enjoy
Let BellaAge be your guide to getting the most out of an active adult lifestyle! We’ve intentionally designed spaces throughout the community to connect with neighbors and friends.
The BellaAge Neighborhood
Within a few blocks of BellaAge, you’ll find yoga and fitness studios, a movie theater, a twice-weekly farmers market, access to the River Walk, a post office, wine shops, taphouses, and a community theater, not to mention banks, churches, and a dizzying variety of shops and restaurants. BellaAge places you at the doorstep of it all!
In the Heart of Downtown Hickory
Restaurants
Nearby dining options are abundant: upscale and casual, sit-down and take-out, sandwich shop and coffee shop, wine bar and craft brewery, brunch spots and dinner destinations, featuring Asian, Mexican, and American fare. A brand-new 23,000 square-foot food hall is expected to open this summer offering a one-stop location for a variety of quick bites.
Culture
Just steps from BellaAge, the Hickory Community Theater offers year-round productions, both of new works and time-tested favorites. Live music is available at nearby bars and restaurants, and summer concerts draw crowds to the outdoor stages at Union Square. Nearby Lenoir-Rhyne University is easily accessible via the City Walk and has a Visiting Writers series, performances by the Western Piedmont Symphony, and educational lectures. The SALT Block hosts the Hickory Museum of Art, the Hickory Public Library, and the Catawba Science Center, with its own planetarium. And for movie buffs, the Footcandle Film Society shows independent movies monthly at the historic Carolina Theatre.
Recreation
Downtown Hickory is easily walkable, and the city has actively linked Lenoir-Rhyne University, (LRU) the Catawba River, the OLLE Arts District, and Union Square with a variety of wide, well-lit paths, including the City Walk and River Walk. Yoga and dance studios are nearby, and plenty of parks provide greenspace for athletic pursuits. Close by are the Hickory YMCA — which features an indoor and outdoor pool, sports fields, and fitness areas — along with LRU and its track, stadium, and workout spaces. County parks also offer opportunities for hiking, kayaking, birdwatching, and other outdoor recreation. The choice is completely yours!
Recent Redevelopment
Downtown Hickory, centered around the Hickory Depot and the Union Square shopping and entertainment district, has always been the city’s historic heart. Thanks to renewed appreciation and interest, it’s been the site of exhilarating new development in recent years. The City Walk and the River Walk have increased overall access and walkability and united downtown to Lenoir-Rhyne University, the Catawba River, and a handful of renovated mills that honor Hickory’s past through historic preservation and adaptive reuse.
Hickory History
From its early beginnings as a tavern sheltered by a large hickory tree, the modern city of Hickory has continued to be a place of welcome, hospitality and natural beauty. With the Blue Ridge Mountains as its western backdrop and sustained by a steady supply of lumber, Hickory first developed a world-famous furniture-making trade that gave rise to its reputation for quality and beauty. In later years, the city’s success as a manufacturing hub touched everything from textiles to fiber optics.
A Gateway to More
Thanks to its convenient location in North Carolina and in the Southeast, Hickory provides easy access by car to the mountains and the coast. Within a short drive, you can be hitting the slopes, visiting Biltmore House, digging your toes in the sand, enjoying the metros of Charlotte or Raleigh or trying out all the variations in barbecue that the Old North State offers. With a little more time, you can head to Atlanta; Washington, DC; Nashville; or Savannah. And for the truly adventure-minded, major airports in Charlotte and Greensboro ensure that far-flung destinations are at hand with minimal effort. Plus, with its mild weather and lower cost of living, Hickory is especially enticing as a home and a home base. In fact, Travel + Leisure named it No.1 on its list of the most affordable and beautiful cities in America!
Hickory is about an hour’s drive from Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Boone and Asheville. Greenville, SC, is only two hours south, and the coastal communities and islands of North and South Carolina are about a 5- or 6-hour drive east.