Day Trip to Greensboro

By TMoM Team Member Felicity Lewis

It is easy to overlook the opportunity to take a “stay-cation” and we often get set in our ways in our own communities, but when I sat down to think about a local day trip to Greensboro, it became obvious how lucky we are to have so many exciting options.  It was so difficult to narrow down what we were going to for the day. There is so much history and culture in Greensboro, it is hard to not indulge in it all!

We decided to start our day with a local favorite, Smith Street Diner.  If you have not been there, it is a little hole in the wall downtown. The biscuits are massive and remind me of my childhood (just like grandma made!) They joke about being open 8 days a week, but really the line is always out the door so be ready for a wait.  It is worth it though. 

Greensboro seems to always have fun family activities each weekend.  I mean can you beat a food truck rodeo or a blues festival? I think not! We happened to catch a Korean festival, which allowed us to experience culture and tasty food.  If you missed the Korean festival, but still want some tasty Korean food Seoul Garden is a great spot, Urban Street Grill is a great food truck to catch, and BonChon, a small but mighty national chain is coming soon to downtown.

After the Korean Festival, we wanted to hit up a park.  Lucky for us one of our favorite parks is right there. LeBauer Park offers a nontraditional park setting in the heart of downtown Greensboro.  It is covered in the rubber molded flooring plus fenced! There are fun slides and climbing things, a splash pad and a bonus for every parent – restrooms for the kids!  You can’t beat the diversity of options plus the convenient location. (*LeBauer photo from their Facebook page) 

After some much needed playing by our toddler we decided we should grab a beer at Joymongers.  As a town favorite, you cannot beat sitting outside there and enjoying the beautiful weather while the kids play with board games or run on the lawn.  You must try the local kettle corn they have, it is so yummy!

After relaxing for a while we decided to go on a walk down Elm before heading to dinner.  Downtown has so much history and fun shops to look into! I love shopping downtown and supporting small businesses.  It was also really cool to stop and look at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum situated in the old and very historic Woolworths.  As I haven’t toured it yet with a toddler, I hope to soon have the opportunity. It is something Greensboro is proud of and the site of a major sit-in during the civil rights movement! As we walk around we also notice all the “jeans” around town.  The fun designs remind us of our connection to Wranglers and also all of the mills Greensboro once had. 

Whenever downtown for dinner, I almost always try to talk the family into Crafted Art of the Taco.  They make tacos fun and exciting! The margaritas are awesome but their chips and pico take the cake.  I have never had chips even similar to them elsewhere but they are my absolute favorite. You really can’t lose though with the restaurants downtown, there are so many options that will satisfy anyone! (*Crafted photo from their Facebook page)

I know as downtown continues to expand we are going to see a lot more restaurants and activities popping up, but I am so glad we got to experience a fun “stay-cation” here in Greensboro. 

Catch Greensboro on a rainy or cold day?  Here are some other fun activities to do:

The Greensboro Children’s Museum
Greensboro Science Center
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (they have a visitor’s center indoors with more than enough history to warrant a stop even on a bad weather day)
Friendly Center

What about you? What are your favorite things to do and see in Greensboro?

Click HERE to see more Day Trip ideas, and HERE for our Summer Bucket List. For notifications on local events and happenings, subscribe to our free weekly newsletters here.