Carrigan Farms — Attraction in Mooresville

Went to the Quarry at Carrigan Farms yesterday. It has been on my bucket list for a few years now and we finally got to go. It was an amazing experience!

Atmosphere: It was a very pleasant experience from booking, right until leaving the establishment. The booking process was easy. The website tells you what to expect and how to prepare for your trip. Also there were reminder emails the day before your experience as well. Once arriving at the location every staff member that I encountered was very pleasant, from the ladies at the front to the lifeguards at the quarry. There were guys telling everyone where to park on arrival. The ladies at the front were very welcoming and the lifeguards were very pleasant with our questions. The bathrooms were clean and every table in the dining area had clean plastic tablecloths. The music was on point! Playing family friendly jams, old and new. Even the patrons were friendly! Everyone was patient with nervous adults and kids, cheering them on and congratulating them when they finally jumped in. There is a beach area with volleyball net and a grassy area. Bring beach chairs or a picnic blanket if you want to lay out. Changing stations for getting in and out of swimming clothes are available.

Food: The food was out of this world. Better than restaurant quality. You get a $5 food voucher with admission. You can leave and eat food but trust me, you will not want to. The smell is divine and the food tastes even better. The burgers are fresh handmade patties. No frozen stuff there. The chicken was actual fresh chicken breasts. Everything was cooked on a large grill beside the food lines. You could see them cooking the food while standing in line. I wish I knew what seasoning they were putting on the meat because it was amazing. The best burger I’ve tasted and I am not exaggerating. The lines were fast and efficient with minimal waiting. They have their system down pat. Everything ran smoothly, like a chick fil a line. They also offer healthier options, like salads, fresh fruit, etc. The watermelon was delicious, as was the tomato on my burger. You could tell it is a homegrown tomato by the color and the taste. Yum!

Swimming: Jumping in was awesome! The water was very refreshing. If you’re not up to jumping in there is a shallow entry off to the side. You can also bring single pool floats. I did not have one this time but will definitely bring one next time. It never felt crowded. We never waiting more than 30 seconds in line to jump in. There are multiple jumping spots, in addition to the rope swing and the highest landing.

They really care about their customers as there was a girl taking an exit survey as we were leaving.

My group had a great time, everyone I know who has gone has said they had a great time. If you’re on the fence about going just do it! Believe me you will not regret it.

I would...

Sharing in hopes of educating other future customers/swimmers. First, they require a swim test to swim without a life jacket. I did not want to wear one due to just not feeling comfortable in them. They didn’t have a form to read while you were signing up for the swim test, so you’re not aware of what they require. And If you are not a phenomenal swimmer, do not even bother taking the swim test. I followed the instructions they verbally gave me and they passed my boyfriend, but failed me. Ultimately it was because they didn’t actually tell me what they were testing me on. They did not give clear instructions. They tell you what you’re supposed to do, as in “swim here, then swim there” but they aren’t specific. When I asked what I did wrong they wouldn’t tell me. Just said “sometimes we fail people even after they make it to the end” which was a pathetic answer. They care a LOT about your form while swimming. After speaking and arguing my point with management they made an exception and allowed me to retake my swim test, usually they don’t allow retakes on the same day. It was HARD and exhausting, but I did it. Secondly, every male life guard was incredibly nice, understanding, patient and listened to my concerns and irritation especially Adyn. However, the female life guards (with the exception of Ellery, she was a gem) were so snobby, rude and blatantly disgusting. The life guard who “failed” my first swim test rolled her eyes when I passed the second time. I really think this place was beautiful and it was a wonderful experience, but the attitudes of the staff really...

9/02/24 Well today it was the second time we visited Carrigan Farms this year and we decided to bring our friends with us we had a group of 11 people and we drove 4 hours to show them this cool place in North Carolina sadly this time our experience was really bad and upsetting. In July 14 we visited the quarry and my husband took the swimming test and he passed he is a experience swimmer. This time he went and took the test again with his friends and the 3 of them didn’t passed and i want to bring this out because i think they should retrain their lifeguards and their staff should be more professional and informative!!! While my husband and his friends took this test there was a man in-front of them and i saw that the space given them to swim was really small compare to others swimmers that took this same test i think is for common sense if there is not enough space between them if one of them slows down the pace it slows down the other swimmers i even pointed out to the lifeguard Pawsley about it , also another lady that was at the quarry she asked her what was the reason that her sons and husband didn’t pass the swimming test too (she also spoke to the manager )to be honest it was really disappointing to speak to Latinos (Hispanics) in the quarry pointing out that they didn’t pass the test either , my husband talk to the manager in charge he was no help at all , he wasn’t allowed to retake this test.I understand that this is a busy quarry but i think they should be fair to everybody in the timing and space...