The gentle rolling hills of Greensboro, North Carolina are nestled between the coast and the Blue Ridge range of the Appalachians, making for a pleasant climate and beautiful scenery all year long.  Just the sight of the mountains and the sound of the running streams, tempt even the inveterate city dweller to take a deep breath and relax.

Whenever you plan to visit, the weather will be just about perfect. The average July high temperatures are in the upper 80’s.  Fall is usually the driest time of year, and with the long growing season and ample precipitation in spring and summer, the leaves on the trees are colorful and tend to linger on the branches.  When they do turn and fall, the sight is breathtaking. The temperatures average in the high 50’s in the fall and drop into the high 30’s in the winter.  If Greensboro gets any snow at all, it adds just the right touch to Natures’ handiwork, making the city a virtual postcard.

Enjoying the weather is just one of the natural benefits of Greensboro.  It is also a city rich in history and the preservation of memories of past events.  One of these is the Reenactment of the Revolutionary War Battle of Guilford Courthouse. “Explore History Days Events” held throughout the year, are highlighted by the reenactment of the battle. The activities take place at the Special Events Field in Military Park.  The 220 acre site includes wayside exhibits and a visitor center with displays, films, and brochures.

A most enjoyable event is any performance by the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. The season runs from September to May.

For a little family adventure, a sure hit is the Natural Science Center of Greensboro. It is a hands-on 30 acre complex with a museum, zoo and planetarium offering fun for the whole family. Roam through the Dinosaur Gallery and view the 36 foot model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.   Learn about gems and minerals, see the lemurs and enjoy touch labs. Visit snakes and amphibians in the Jaycee Herpetarium, pet animals in the zoo's petting area, explore Kids Alley and interact with exciting traveling exhibits.

For another family activity, watch  one of the teams in action.  Baseball has the Greensboro Bats, Ice Hockey the Generals, and soccer the Carolina Dynamos.   Another popular attraction is the Wet ‘n Wild  Emerald Pointe Waterpark.  It’s the largest water park in the Carolina,  featuring more than 34 rides and attractions. Why not take the plunge on the popular all enclosed Twin Twisters water slide or the Dare Devil Drop speed slide.  

If you are traveling with children, you may want to take a side trip south about 35 miles to Asheboro and the North Carolina Zoological Park, said to be the world's largest natural-habitat zoo. The North America habitat includes everything from polar bears to alligators to elk and bison. In the R.J. Reynolds Aviary, you can walk through an indoor tropical forest where birds fly free. The African section has lions, chimps and zebras, and the Australian Walkabout, with kangaroos and kookaburras, opened for a three-year stay in May, 2004.

About 15 miles south of Asheboro is Seagrove, also known as Jugtown, where internationally known pottery is made. Blessed with large deposits of surface clay, the area has supported communities of potters since well before English settlements in the mid-18th century. As the demand for utilitarian pottery and whiskey jugs lessened, the area's potters developed new traditions of decorative art pottery.

The city of High Point (15 miles southwest of Greensboro) is a major furniture center that hosts an international home furnishings market each April and October.   The city's Furniture Discovery Center Museum is the nation's only museum devoted to showing how furniture is made.

“So much to see and do and so little time to do it”, the saying goes.  Be sure to set aside ample time to vacation i

Population:                  235,262

Elevation:                    770 feet above sea level

Land area:                   118.97 square miles

Location:                     78 miles W of Raleigh; 54 miles W of Durham; 48 miles W of Chapel Hill; 27 miles E of Winston-Salem; and 91 miles NE of Charlotte

Time Zone:                  Eastern Standard Time. Daylight savings time is observed from April-October.

Weather:

Climate

Local Seasons:

The gentle rolling hills of Greensboro are nestled between the coast and the Blue Ridge range of the Appalachians, making for a pleasant climate and beautiful scenery all year long.  The mountains block the severe storms from the Mississippi Valley as well as the Great Plains; providing the region with mild winters and warm summers.  The average July high temperatures are in the upper 80’s with humidity being a factor.  Fall is usually the driest time of year, and with the long growing season and ample precipitation in spring and summer, the leaves on the trees are colorful and tend to remain on the branches for a long time.  The temperatures average in the high 50’s in the fall and drop into the high 30’s in the winter.  If Greensboro gets any snow at all, it’s usually gone by the next day.  The temperatures begin to rise in the spring, averaging in the high 50’s once again, this time bringing buds on the trees and flowers in the garden.  

Getting There:

By Car

Reach Greensboro from the east and southwest via I-85, from the west via U.S. 40, and from the south via U.S. 220.

By Air

Piedmont Triad International Airport
6415 Bryan Boulevard (off Highway 68N)
Greensboro, North Carolina 27409

336-665-5600

By Bus

Greyhound

501 W. Lee Street

Greensboro, North Carolina

336-272-8950

By Train

Amtrak

800-USA-RAIL

One northbound and one southbound train through Greensboro daily

Getting Around Town

Greensboro Transit Authority or GTA

320 East Friendly Avenue

Greensboro, North Carolina 27401-2510
336-332-6444

Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Fee charged for rides

GTA operates fixed-route buses for the city of Greensboro, including service to North Carolina A&T State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Guilford Technical Community College. Express commuter service is available to the Piedmont Triad International Airport area west of downtown. Park-and-ride facilities are available.

National Holidays:

New Year's Day: Jan. 1

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day: 3rd Mon. in Jan.

President's Day:  3rd Mon. in Feb.

Memorial Day: last Mon. in May

Independence Day: July 4

Labor Day: 1st Mon. in Sept.

Thanksgiving Day:  4th Thurs. in Nov.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Dec. 24 and 25

New Year's Eve: Dec. 31

Celebration Station

4315 Big Tree Way

Greensboro, North Carolina 27409

336-316-0606

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 12:00 to 9:00 Big Karts, Golf & Batting Cages open at noon and boats at 4:00,  Friday: Noon -Midnight. Big Karts, Golf & Batting Cages open at noon and all else at 4:00, Saturday: 10am-Midnight, Sunday: 12-9pm

Admission Charged for attractions and games

The whole family will be entertained at this amusement center that includes a miniature golf course, go-carts, water bumper boats, arcade games, batting cages, and two theme restaurants.

Wet 'N Wild Emerald Pointe Waterpark
3910 S Holden Road
Greensboro, North Carolina 27406
336-852-9721

Hours:  Late May, open daily 10AM-7PM; June-Aug. Sun. & Fri. 10AM-8PM, Sat. 9AM-8PM; early Sept. 10AM-7PM. Closed on certain days in August

Admission Charged

The largest water park in the Carolinas featuring more than 34 rides and attractions. The most popular rides are the enclosed Twin Twisters water slide and the Dare Devil Drop speed slide. attractions on site including drop slides, enclosed slides, tube rides, two children's areas, and a drifting lazy river.

Natural Science Center of Greensboro

4301 Lawndale Drive

Greensboro, North Carolina

336-288-3769

Hours: 9 am-5pm, Mon-Sat; 12:30-5, Sun.

Admission charged.

Treat yourself to a hands-on museum, zoo and planetarium offering fun for the whole family. Roam through the Dinosaur Gallery, learn about gems and minerals, see the lemurs and enjoy touch labs. Visit snakes and amphibians in the Jaycee Herpetarium, pet animals in the zoo's petting area, explore Kids Alley and interact with exciting traveling exhibits. The Thesaurus Shoppe is where you will find unusual gifts and educational toys for imaginative minds.

O Henry Statues Downtown Greensboro

336-373-2043

Call for exact location

Admission free to view

This outdoor, three piece sculpture group honors Greensboro's best known writer, William Sydney Porter, known as O. Henry, and features a statue of the author, a large sculpture of an open book of his short stories, and a statue of his beloved little dog, Lovey.

Edward R. Murrow Statue

Southwest corner of Friendly Ave., and Murrow Blvd.

Greensboro, North Carolina

336-373-2043

Call for additional information

Admission free to view
Known for his on-the-scene reports from World War II and the Korean War, Guilford County native Edward R. Murrow is remembered with a commemorative bust. A permanent exhibit at the Greensboro Historical Museum chronicles the life and times of Murrow.

Blandwood Mansion (circa 1846)

447 West Washington Street

Greensboro, North Carolina 27401

336-272-5003

Tour Hours: February – December, Tuesday - Saturday 11-2, Sunday 2-5

Admission Charged

The former home of Governor John Motley Morehead, this beautiful mansion is surrounded by four acres of gardens. The main structure, an Italianate mansion, was built onto an original four-room farm house that was constructed on the site in 1790s and has been beautifully refurnished with historical period furnishings.

Mendenhall Plantation (circa 1811)

603 West Main Street

Greensboro, North Carolina 27282

336-454-3819 

Open April 1 through the third week in December, 10 am-2 pm, Tues.-Fri; 1-4 pm, Sat; 2-4 pm, Sun.

Admission charged
This early 19th century Quaker plantation includes many unique out-buildings, a museum and one of two known false-bottom wagons used to transport runaway slaves during the time of the Underground Railroad.

Old Mill of Guilford (circa 1767) 1340

NC Highway 68 North

Greensboro, North Carolina 27310

336-643-4783

Open daily from 9 am to 6 pm

Admission Free

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 18th century gristmill still produces stone-ground cornmeal, grits, and other interesting mixes. Visitors can tour the historic structure and purchase the products it turns out including the unique meals, grits, gingerbread, oatmeal sweet potato muffins, and Scottish scones.

Walkway of History South Elm Street

February One Place

Greensboro, North Carolina

336-274-2282

Open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day

Admission Free

These sidewalk markers chronicle six chapters in local African-American history ranging from the first fugitive slave on the Underground Railroad through the first African-American State Supreme Court Justice.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

6136 Burlington Road, Highway 70

Greensboro, North Carolina  27342

336-449-4846
Hours: Monday - Saturday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Closed Sunday; Winter Hours: November - March: Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed Saturday & Sunday
Admission Free.

The museum is a historic site at the former Palmer Memorial Institute, a preparatory school established in 1902 by Charlotte Hawkins Brown, a noted African American educator and national civic leader; it closed in 1971. For the 50 years of her presidency, Dr. Brown built PMI into one of the most renowned schools for African American youth in the nation.

Greensboro Historical Museum

130 Summit Avenue

Greensboro, North Carolina 27401

336-373-2043

Hours:  Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm, Sunday, 2pm – 5pm.  Closed Mondays and City of Greensboro holidays

Admission Free

Greensboro was the hometown of O. Henry, the short-story writer known in these parts as William Sidney Porter. Here, you'll find an exhibit illustrating his life and work, plus a fine collection from Dolly Madison's life. Born in Greensboro, Madison was the only native-born North Carolinian to be First Lady. Other exhibits include early modes of transportation, furnishings, pottery, and textiles. An exhibit of note remembers the civil-rights lunch-counter sit-ins at F.W. Woolworth, when, in 1960, four African Americans launched the nation's first major protest against segregation. A world class collection of Civil War firearms are also in the museum, as well as an old-fashioned general store.

International Civil rights Center and Museum

134 South Elm Street

Greensboro, NC 27405

336-274-9199

Call for days and hours of operation

Admission Free

See the original Woolworth counter where four North Carolina A&T State University students sat down and began the National Civil Rights Sit-In Movement at this Woolworth store that is now a museum dedicated to the history of the Civil Rights Movement.

Mattye Reed African Heritage Center

1601 East Market Street

Greensboro, North Carolina 27411

Located in the  Dudley Building, North Carolina A&T University

336-334-7108

Hours: Mon-Fri l0-5, Sat afternoons

Admission Free

Housing the nation's largest collection of African art and artifacts, this museum offers tours and lectures that are meant to educate people in the accomplishments, history, and culture of African societies and persons of African descent. Over 3,500 items from more than 30 African nations are housed here.

Weatherspoon Art Museum

Spring Garden and Tate Streets

Greensboro, North Carolina 27402

Located at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro

336-334-5770

Hours: Tues., Wed. & Fri. 10am-5pm, Thurs. 10am-9pm, Sat. & Sun. 1pm-5pm
Admission Free
An ever-growing permanent collection that focuses on American art from the turn-of-the-century to the present is exhibited at this museum that also features changing and traveling exhibitions and offers various educational programs.

Parks

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

2332 New Garden Road

Greensboro, NC

336- 288-1776

Open daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed New Years Day (January 1), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday of November), Christmas Day (December 25).

Free Admission.

The first national park established at a Revolutionary War site, this 220-acre park marks one of the closing battles of the Revolution--the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781. A self-guided auto tour is available and visitors can enjoy colorful and informational exhibits and paved walking trails.

Tannenbaum Historic Park

2200 New Garden Road

Greensboro, NC 27410

336-545-5315

Winter Tuesday-Saturday 9:00-4:30, Closed Sunday and Monday

Admission Free

This park utilizes hands-on exhibits and living history presentations to depict a vivid picture of everyday life in North Carolina's backcountry during the late 18th century.

 
Bog Garden

Hobbs Road

Greensboro, North Carolina 27405,

336-373-2199

Call for additional information

Admission Free

The natural beauty of this swampy area has been developed into a striking exhibit that features a half-mile elevated wooden walkway providing easy access through the garden.

Visitors can see more than 8,000 individually-labeled trees, shrubs, ferns, bamboo and wild-flowers. Greensboro lives up to the green in its name with 110 parks, sprawling over 3,000 acres.

Jaycee Park

Forest Lawn Drive off Pisgah Church Road

Greensboro, North Carolina 27455

336-545-5310

Admission Free.

Jaycee Park is the site of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, offering facilities for baseball, softball, soccer, football, and tennis, plus a playground beside a lake. The North Carolina Closed Tennis Championship is played here annually on the best of the city's 156 courts.

Shopping

Bargain hunters will want to visit two nearby towns, both of which are overflowing with factory outlet shops. High Point, 17 miles south of Greensboro (so named because it was the highest point along the 1853 North Carolina and Midland Railroad from Salem to Fayetteville), is notable for its furniture and hosiery shops. Burlington, 21 miles east of Greensboro, is a major textile center, with factory outlets for clothing, fabrics, sheets, towels, blankets, and the like.

Arts and Entertainment

Greensboro Ballet

Greensboro Cultural Center

200  North Davie Street

Greensboro, NC

336-333-7480

Admission Charged          
Performances such as "The Nutcracker," educational programs, and the Summer Festival Ballet are just a few of the many artistic activities offered.

Greensboro Opera Company

Greensboro Coliseum Complex

War Memorial Auditorium

1921 West Lee Street
Greensboro, NC 27403

336- 273-9472

Performances held in November

Admission Charged
International opera stars and local talent combine in an annual, full-scale production performed in the original language with English supertitles.

Greensboro Symphony Orchestra

Greensboro Coliseum Complex

War Memorial Auditorium

1921 West Lee Street
Greensboro, NC 27403

336-333-7490

Season runs from September to May

Admission Charged
Hear Masterworks and Pops concerts featuring guest artists from around the world. The Masterworks eight-concert series and the three-concert Pops Series offer something for music lovers of all varieties

Sports

Greensboro Bats

War Memorial Stadium

Corner of Lindsay & Yanceyville Streets

Greensboro, NC
336-333-BATS

Dates of Season: April-September

Admission Charged

This Class "A" farm club for the Florida Marlins offers America's favorite pastime for every type of fan with family sections, picnic shelters, and the state's largest outdoor sports bar, The Grand Stand.

Generals Ice Hockey

Greensboro Coliseum Complex

1921 West Lee Street

Greensboro, NC
(336) 218-5428
Dates of Season: October – March

Admission Charged

The Greensboro Generals are a professional team in the East Coast Hockey League, and play 26 home games during their season.

Carolina Dynamo Professional Soccer

Bryan Park Soccer Complex

6275 Bryan Park Rd., off U.S. Hwy. 29 North

Greensboro, NC
336-869-1022

Dates of Season: May – August

Admission Charged

Enjoy an action-packed soccer game in a family-orientated atmosphere. The D3 Carolina Dynamo Professional Soccer Club, a two-time National Champion team, plays at Bryan Park. 

Annual Events

March

Reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse

Country Park
3905 Nathanael Greene Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

336-545-5343

Cosponsored by Tannenbaum Historic Park, the reenactment includes living history encampments and daily activities coordinated throughout Country Park, Tannenbaum Historic Park, and in conjunction with out friends at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (located adjacent to Country Park). The activities each day are highlighted by the reenactment of the battle at the Special Events Field in Country Park.

May

Datsun “Z-Club” Car Show

Country Park
3905 Nathanael Greene Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

336-545-5343

Proceeds go to support the Victory Junction Gang youth camp.

June

August

The Classic Car Show.

Country Park
3905 Nathanael Greene Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

336-545-5343

Sponsored by Parks and Recreation, The Triad Chevy Club, Good Guys Rod and Custom, Channel 8, and Oldies 93 Radio this special event brings out the best in local car clubs, private citizens, and national manufacturer’s. Come out and view some of the regions must beautiful original, custom, and restored classic cars. Open registration allows you to enter your special vehicle for judging by local enthusiasts and car professionals. This event directly supports Country Park’s efforts to improve recreational opportunities for persons with special requirements for recreation.

September

The Carolina Cup Classic Bicycle Road Race.

Country Park
3905 Nathanael Greene Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

336-545-5343

Once an Olympic sanctioned time trial event, “The Cup” now brings many professional racing teams from across the nation to compete in this day-long event. Throughout the day amateurs and professionals alike compete in separate races for prizes as they race around the 1.6 mile roadway loop within Country Park.

The Guilford Native American Association Pow Wow

Country Park
3905 Nathanael Greene Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

336-545-5343

Three days of competitive dances and Native American culture from across the nation are presented at the Special Events Field in Country Park.

The Wild Turkey Fat Tire Festival.

Country Park
3905 Nathanael Greene Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

336-545-5343

A premier Mountain Bike Race that ranges across a portion of the five miles of mountain bike trails within Country Park.

October

Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic

Forest Oaks Country Club

4600 Forest Oaks Dr

Greensboro, NC 27406

 800-999-5446 or 336/379-1570

 275,000 fans come to the galleries of Forest Oaks Country Club to watch the pros compete for the $1.5-million purse. The nationally televised tournament is one of the three oldest, and one of the five richest, PGA tournaments, as well as being North Carolina's only golf tournament on the regular PGA tour.

November

The Greensboro Gobbler 5K Race and Dog Walk/Jog

Country Park
3905 Nathanael Greene Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455

336-545-5343

This annual event is co-sponsored by Triad Tri-Team to support the Bark Park at Country Park. Held on Thanksgiving Day, this 5K classic running event completes two laps around the beautiful park’s roadway. A one-lap dog walk/jog immediately follows. This fun and exciting has become a great holiday event for the community, and supports the annual operational expenses for the Bark Park. What a winning combination!

Natural Science Center of Greensboro

4301 Lawndale Drive

Greensboro, North Carolina

336-288-3769

Hours: 9 am-5pm, Mon-Sat; 12:30-5, Sun.

Admission charged.

Treat yourself to a hands-on museum, zoo and planetarium offering fun for the whole family. Roam through the Dinosaur Gallery, learn about gems and minerals, see the lemurs and enjoy touch labs. Visit snakes and amphibians in the Jaycee Herpetarium, pet animals in the zoo's petting area, explore Kids Alley and interact with exciting traveling exhibits. The Thesaurus Shoppe is where you will find unusual gifts and educational toys for imaginative minds.

Celebration Station

4315 Big Tree Way

Greensboro, North Carolina 27409

336-316-0606

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 12:00 to 9:00 Big Karts, Golf & Batting Cages open at noon and boats at 4:00,  Friday: 12:00 to Midnight. Big Karts, Golf & Batting Cages open at noon and all else at 4:00, Saturday: 10am-Midnight, Sunday: 12-9pm

Admission Charged for attractions and games

The whole family will be entertained at this amusement center that includes a miniature golf course, go-carts, water bumper boats, arcade games, batting cages, and two theme restaurants.

Greensboro Children’s Museum

220 North Church Street

Greensboro, North Carolina 27401

336-574-2898

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 9:00am– 5:00pm, Family Friday Nights 5:00pm – 8:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Admission Charged.

An exciting and colorful children's museum that is filled with many different hands-on exhibits and activities that educate children by utilizing fun activities.

Wet 'N Wild Emerald Pointe Waterpark
3910 S Holden Road
Greensboro, North Carolina 27406
336-852-9721

Hours:  Late May, open daily 10AM-7PM; June-Aug. Sun. & Fri. 10AM-8PM, Sat. 9AM-8PM; early Sept. 10AM-7PM. Closed on certain days in August

Admission Charged

The largest water park in the Carolinas featuring more than 34 rides and attractions. The most popular rides are the enclosed Twin Twisters water slide and the Dare Devil Drop speed slide. Attractions on site including drop slides, enclosed slides, tube rides, two children's areas, and a drifting lazy river.

County Park

3902 Nathanael Greene Drive

Greensboro, North Carolina 27408

336-545-5343

Hours: Sunrise to Sunset throughout the year.

Admission Free

This park offers two stocked fishing lakes, pedal boats, three playgrounds, picnic shelters, a softball field, and trails for jogging, hiking and bicycling. A variety of events are hosted at this park including the Classic Car Show, the Olympic-sanctioned Carolina Cup Bicycle Road Race, The Wild Turkey Fat Tire Festival Mountain Bike Race, and the annual Reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

Jaycee Park

Forest Lawn Drive off Pisgah Church Road

Greensboro, North Carolina 27455

336-545-5310

Admission Free.

Jaycee Park is the site of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, offering facilities for baseball, softball, soccer, football, and tennis, plus a playground beside a lake. The North Carolina Closed Tennis Championship is played here annually on the best of the city's 156 courts.