Although there is no shortage of activities to do, the most popular are visiting Greensboro’s three renowned museums: The Museum of Art and History, Isabella Elder Mill Village Museum, and Greensboro Nature Preserve.
The Greensboro Museum of Art and History is Greensboro’s largest art museum. Featuring four galleries for rotating exhibits, the museum also houses multiple collections including a wide variety of American decorative arts from colonial times to the present day, as well as antique toys and dolls. The Museum of Art and History is located at 310 S. Marshall Street next to the historic Carver Theatre.
The Isabella Elder Mill Village Museum is the oldest surviving mill village in North Carolina and one of the city’s most popular attractions. Built by textile tycoon Isabella Elder in 1905, it became a National Historic Landmark in 1973 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is located at 1701 Spring Garden Street, just north of downtown Greensboro.
The Greensboro Nature Preserve is a park straddling the border between Guilford Co., NC, and Durham Co., NC with entrance/exit points both in Greensboro and Durham. The park offers some easy nature trails for people of all ages to walk or bike.
Another Greensboro favorite is the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, located on Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. It was inspired by the 1998 centennial celebration of the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. This museum serves as a tribute to the ordinary people who participated and is dedicated to advancing civil rights through education.
For outdoorsy individuals, Greensboro has a number of parks and hiking trails to keep them busy. One popular park is Reedy Branch Park, which features several paved walking paths including the trail that goes by the Reedy Branch Amphitheater, a stage that hosts numerous local performances. The park is located at 2530 Lawndale Drive, just northwest of downtown.
The Greensboro Arboretum & Botanical Garden is a park located on the east side of town near Interstate 40 and is open all year round. It features hundreds of plant species and natural areas, one formal section and the other informal. The park offers miles and miles of walking trails and an observation tower with stunning views. Daily admission is $5 per vehicle, $3 for motorcycles, and pedestrians or bicyclists can enter the park for free.