An hour's drive out of Hickory will take you to Rural Hill, the North Carolina Center of Scottish Heritage, just outside of Huntersville, NC, to see and take part in the Scottish Festival & Loch Norman Highland Games. We went on April 17 and enjoyed the 2014 event.
We heard lots of good music, and very different music, saw lots of tartans and Scottish clothing for sale, witnessed Border Collie's at work, and saw Scottish athletic exercises. The great march of the clans circled a huge parade field in front of the stands. The march alone took 25 minutes to complete. I didn’t count the clans but they were 25 minutes worth. 
Lots of kiosks with lots of Scottish stuff for sale, best part were the people behind the tables. We talked with perhaps 20 or so, and found them to be VERY knowledgable of the items they were selling . There was a lot of research-on-the-spot as large collections of Tartans and books of clans were available, and very knowledgable people were present to help you locate some of your Scottish ancestors.
Many of the people who staffed the kiosks were from other places in the United States – many were obviously from Scotland, and they spend much of their summers traveling from show to show across the country. LOTS of Scottish brogue! Drumming, piping, and the constant skreering of bagpipes.
This is a yearly event, just a little over an hour from Hickory. Get your fill of Scottish food. There is “Scottish Bar-B-Q”, lots of Haggis and plenty of Shepherd’s Pie. You can get Scotch Eggs, Meat Bridies, and Pies, and Homemade Shortbread. You can even try the old North Carolina pork barbecue, but this one is cooked over a Peat Fire! Yo ho, me laddies!
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