Nestled in the heart of North Carolina, Greensboro charms visitors with Southern hospitality, rich history, and family fun. From world-class museums and performing arts to craft breweries and outdoor escapes, Greensboro has something for everyone.
| Attraction | Description |
|---|---|
| Greensboro Science Center | Interactive exhibits, live animals, aquarium, zoo. |
| Greensboro History Museum | Smithsonian-affiliate, civil rights movement exhibits. |
| Blandwood Mansion | Historic house, 19th-century Southern aristocracy. |
| Greensboro Children’s Museum | Interactive play spaces, hands-on exhibits for kids. |
| Elsewhere Museum | Contemporary art, repurposed materials, interactive art. |
| NC A&T State University | Historic Black university, civil rights history. |
| Hanging Rock State Park | Trails, boating, fishing, panoramic views. |
| Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market | Farm-fresh produce, local specialties, artisan foods. |
| Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe | Water park with thrill rides, lazy river, kiddie slides. |
| Celebration Station | Family entertainment, arcade games, mini golf. |
| LeBauer and Bog Garden Parks | Scenic paths, public art, fountains, gardens. |
| Craft Beer Scene | Breweries, brewpubs, unique small-batch brews. |
| Center City Park | Festivals, concerts, interactive fountain, play areas. |
Below are 12 of the top things to experience when visiting this vibrant city.
Greensboro Science Center
Name and Location: The Greensboro Science Center is located in Greensboro, North Carolina. It includes an aquarium, zoo, museum, and IMAX theater.
History and Significance: Founded in 1957, it provides interactive science education through animal exhibits, hands-on activities, and educational programs.
What to Expect: Visitors can explore aquariums, a touch tank, reptile house, otter exhibit, outdoor zoo, dinosaur museum, and 3D IMAX films about science and nature.
Visitor Information: Open daily. Admission fees apply. Parking is available on-site.
The Greensboro Science Center delights families with hands-on exhibits, live animal encounters, and educational programs. Get eye-to-eye with lemurs, feed a stingray, or hold a snake in the herpetology lab.
See suspended sharks, experience virtual reality, and watch an underwater dive show in the impressive aquarium. The adjacent Animal Discovery Zoo houses big cats, red pandas, otters, and other mammals. With indoor and outdoor offerings, Greensboro Science Center makes for a full day of discovery.
Greensboro History Museum
Name and Location: The Greensboro History Museum is located downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.
History and Significance: Focused on local history, the museum features exhibits about Greensboro’s past, culture, and notable residents.
What to Expect: Visitors can explore interactive exhibits, view artifacts and archival materials, take walking tours, and attend programs and events.
Visitor Information: Open Tuesday-Saturday. Free admission. Guided tours available by appointment.
Immerse yourself in Greensboro’s compelling history from the colonial era to today at this Smithsonian-affiliate museum. Interactive exhibits bring historic events to life such as the Greensboro Sit-Ins that launched the American Civil Rights Movement.
See the original lunch counter along with news footage and accounts from participants. Other exhibits highlight Greensboro’s roots in the Revolutionary War, the founding of NC A&T State University, and more.
Blandwood Mansion
Name and Location: Blandwood Mansion is a historic house museum located in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.
History and Significance: Built in 1795, it is an example of Federal-style architecture and was home to North Carolina governor John Motley Morehead.
What to Expect: Visitors can tour the historic mansion, furnished with period pieces. Interpretive exhibits provide insight into 19th century life.
Visitor Information: Open Tuesday-Saturday for guided tours. Admission fees apply. Event rentals also available.
Step back in time at Blandwood Mansion, a historic house museum built in 1795 as one of North Carolina’s earliest examples of Palladian architecture. This stately mansion designed by pioneer architect Alexander Jackson Davis offers a glimpse into antebellum life.
Costumed guides provide tours showcasing the elegant Federal architecture, period furnishings, and terraced gardens. Blandwood Mansion captures the ambiance of 19th century Southern aristocracy in Greensboro.
Greensboro Children’s Museum
Name and Location: The Greensboro Children’s Museum is located in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.
History and Significance: Founded in 1994, this interactive museum provides hands-on educational exhibits and programs for children focused on science, math, and culture.
What to Expect: Visitors can explore interactive exhibits, climb a three-story tower, take part in programs and workshops, and engage in STEAM-based learning activities.
Visitor Information: Open daily. Admission fees apply. Exhibits best suited for children 10 and under.
The Greensboro Children’s Museum engages little learners through interactive play spaces and hands-on exhibits. Kids can play grocery store in a miniature Piggly Wiggly, soar down a thrilling three-story slide, and explore a medieval castle.
Creative workshops allow kids to design inventions, perform science experiments, and express themselves through arts and crafts. With dozens of learning adventures, this museum opens young minds.
Elsewhere Museum
Name and Location: The Elsewhere Museum is located in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. It is housed in a former thrift store.
History and Significance: Founded in 2003, this unique museum’s collection comprises the thrift store’s original contents, arranged into ever-changing exhibits.
What to Expect: Visitors can view exhibitions made from the thrift store items, interact with evolving installations, and participate in creative programs.
Visitor Information: Open Thursday-Sunday. Admission fees apply. Family-friendly, immersive experience.
For contemporary and installation art, don’t miss Elsewhere Museum set within a former thrift store. The museum’s unique exhibits incorporate reused and repurposed materials through living collages, visionary sculptures, and immersive environments.
Participate in interactive art-making and performances or scavenge for hidden gems in the museum’s creative on-site thrift shop. Elsewhere provides an unexpected and inspiring artistic experience.
NC A&T State University
Name and Location: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) is a public, historically black university located in Greensboro.
History and Significance: Founded in 1891, NC A&T is the largest HBCU in the U.S. It is renowned for engineering, technology, and business programs.
What to Expect: Visitors can tour the campus, visit the university museum and planetarium, and attend performing arts events, lectures, and sports games open to the public.
Visitor Information: Located near downtown Greensboro, the campus is open year-round. Event calendars and visitor info can be found online.
Tour the campus of North Carolina A&T, America’s largest historically Black university, to learn about its trailblazing history. See the statue honoring A&T’s key role launching lunch counter sit-ins that sparked nationwide Civil Rights protests.
Visit the campus museum exhibiting photographs, documents, and artifacts from 1960’s protests. Time your visit with a Aggies football game for an exciting cultural tradition.
Hanging Rock State Park
Name and Location: Hanging Rock State Park is located near Danbury, North Carolina about 30 miles from Greensboro. It covers over 17,000 acres.
History and Significance: The park features waterfalls, trails, lakes, and the prominent Hanging Rock mountain formation. It provides outdoor recreation opportunities.
What to Expect: Visitors can hike to waterfalls and rock formations, camp or picnic, swim in the lake, and observe wildlife in a natural setting.
Visitor Information: The park is open daily year-round. Some amenities are seasonal. Entrance fees apply and reservations are recommended.
Just outside Greensboro, Hanging Rock State Park entices outdoor lovers with 18 miles of scenic trails traversing lush forests, creeks, and the park’s iconic rocky outcroppings.
Hike to the top of Hanging Rock itself for panoramic views across the countryside. Go boating, fishing for trout, or swimming in serene Lake Saluda. The park’s six waterfalls and cool mountain breezes offer the perfect summer escape.
Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market
Name and Location: The Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market is located downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.
History and Significance: Established in the 19th century, this producer-only market is one of the oldest continuously operating curb markets in the U.S.
What to Expect: Visitors can shop for local produce, meats, baked goods, dairy products, flowers, and crafts from Carolina farmers and artisans.
Visitor Information: Open year-round on Saturdays. Also open Wednesdays seasonally. No admission fee. Cash is recommended.
Since 1874, the Farmer’s Curb Market has been a Greensboro institution. Explore the market’s two historic brick buildings stocked with farm-fresh produce, artisan foods, and crafts.
Chat with vendors and sample North Carolina peaches, vine-ripened tomatoes, fragrant flowers, just-baked pastries, savory jams, fresh honey and more. Enjoy breakfast or brunch from market eateries showcasing local ingredients while absorbing the festive, friendly atmosphere.
Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park
Name and Location: Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
History and Significance: Opened in 1986, this 38-acre water park is one of the largest in the Carolinas, featuring over 1 million gallons of water.
What to Expect: Visitors can enjoy rides and slides, paddle board, plunge down waterslides, relax in a wave pool, and float down artificial rivers.
Visitor Information: Seasonally open from May to September. Admission fees apply. Lockers, tubes, cabanas, and more available to rent.
On hot summer days, cool off with a day of fun at Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe. This massive water park provides thrill rides like the Dragon’s Den flume plunging five stories and the plunge down Tropical Drop.
Float along a lazy river, sunbathe on the sand “beach”, and let kids play on kiddie slides. With dining and cabanas onsite, Wet ‘n Wild offers a full day of aquatic adventure for families and thrill-seekers alike.
Celebration Station
Name and Location: Celebration Station is an entertainment center located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
History and Significance: Open since 1997, this family fun center offers rides, games, laser tag, mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats, arcade, and more all in one location.
What to Expect: Visitors can enjoy a range of amusement park-style rides and attractions for all ages. Perfect for families, birthday parties, and group events.
Visitor Information: Open daily year-round. Admission fees vary per activity. Discounted passes available to maximize enjoyment.
For family entertainment, Celebration Station delivers endless fun with bumper cars, mini golf, arcade games, climbing walls, laser tag and more.
Race friends on the NASCAR-style track, brave the three-story Sky Tykes Ropes Course, or play a round of Adventure Mini Golf. The arcade offers the latest high-tech video and redemption games. With affordable rates, Celebration Station provides indoor fun from toddlers to tweens.
LeBauer and Bog Garden Parks
Name and Location: LeBauer and Bog Garden Parks are located downtown Greensboro, NC and connected by a pedestrian bridge.
History and Significance: These parks offer city views, public art, event spaces, and serene walking paths along a pond and garden landscapes.
What to Expect: Visitors can stroll along paved paths and bridges, view sculptures and gardens.
Downtown Greensboro’s LeBauer and Bog Garden Parks offer scenic strolling paths, public art exhibits, and relaxing fountains and pools. Have a picnic surrounded by flowers and sculptures, go for a jog on paved trails, or take photos by urban waterfalls.
Kids delight in splashing in the Bog Garden’s interactive fountains. These two connected parks form a verdant oasis amidst the city.
Craft Beer Scene
Name and Location: Greensboro, North Carolina is home to over 10 local craft breweries and brewpubs.
History and Significance: Greensboro has a growing craft beer culture, with options ranging from longtime local staples to recent nano-brewery startups.
What to Expect: Visitors can sample innovative brews, tour facilities, enjoy pairings and games, or relax in taproom spaces. Many locations host events like trivia and live music.
Visitor Information: Most tasting rooms are open daily with seasonal hours. Free tastings are offered along with pints for purchase. Brewery tours may need reservations.
Greensboro taps into NC’s standout craft beer scene with an ever-growing selection of breweries and brewpubs. Sip award-winning ales and lagers at Natty Greene’s, grab a flight at Joymongers, or tour Foothills Brewing for unique small-batch brews.
Many venues offer food trucks and live music alongside tasty suds in a laid-back, lively setting. Greensboro has become a destination for beer lovers throughout the region.
Center City Park
Name and Location: Center City Park is located downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.
History and Significance: Opened in 2019, this 7-acre park provides green space, public art, an interactive fountain, outdoor stage, and amenities.
What to Expect: Visitors can relax on the Great Lawn, splash in the fountain, enjoy public art, attend performances at the stage, and take part in community events.
Visitor Information: The park is open daily. Some features like the fountain operate seasonally. Many events are free to the public.
This lively downtown park hosts festivals, concerts, movies and more surrounded by city landmarks. Kids can splash in the interactive fountain or play on the colorful structures. Concerts and performances rock the amphitheater stage on summer weekends.
Throughout the year, Center City Park showcases the diversity of Greensboro with cultural festivals like the Greek Festival, Indie Market, and autumn’s National Folk Festival.
Conclusion
From family-friendly museums and interactive parks to historic sites and craft breweries, Greensboro entices visitors with an array of attractions. Learn about Greensboro’s role in the Civil Rights Movement or soak up some Southern elegance at an antebellum mansion.
Escape to the trails and waterfalls of nearby Hanging Rock State Park. With warm Southern hospitality and a blend of culture, arts, and adventure, Greensboro promises memorable experiences for travelers of all interests.