Located between the mountains of North Carolina
and the Atlantic Coast, Greensboro boasts the gently rolling hills of
the Piedmont triad area as well as a mild climate and a "village within a
city" atmosphere. There are many things to do when visiting Greensboro, North Carolina. Visitors can enjoy area's world-class golf, a
revitalized turn-of-the-century commercial and industrial district,
boutique and antique shops, and a wealth of restaurants. The Barn-Dinner
Theatre, reputed to be America's oldest dinner theatre, draws guests to
enjoy theater in the round while feasting on an exceptional meal. From
Revolutionary War sites to antebellum plantations and Underground
Railroad depots, this city is steeped in history, offering guest a
chance to learn about the past. Step back in time and spend a few hours
at the Heritage Center, which chronicles the birthplace of Civil Rights
sit-ins, or enjoy a lazy day touring an area plantation such as the
Mendenhall Plantation. Before we informs the tourist attraction in Greensboro, North Carolina, let we informs how the city itself.
Greensboro (formerly Greensborough) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2012 U.S. Census Estimate, Greensboro's population is 277,080. It is located at the intersection of three major interstate highways (Interstate 85, Interstate 40 and Interstate 73) in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 109.2 square miles (283 km2), of which, 104.7 square miles (271 km2) of it is land and 4.5 square miles (12 km2) of it (4.16%) is water. Greensboro is situated among the gently rolling hills of North Carolina's Piedmont and is situated midway between the state's Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains to the west and the Atlantic beaches and Outer Banks to the east. The view of the city from its highest building—the Lincoln Financial tower (commonly known as the Jefferson-Pilot Building)—reveals that the town is populated with large numbers of green trees, lending perhaps another dimension of significance to its name. The city is at the nexus of several major freeways, with Interstates 40, 85, and the planned I-73 passing through its borders.
1. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex
The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is an entertainment and sports complex located in Glenwood neighborhood of Greensboro, North Carolina, in the United States. Opening in 1959, the arena was once one of the largest venues in the South, with a seating capacity of over 23,000. The complex holds nine venues that includes an amphitheater, arena, aquatic center, banquet hall, convention center, museum, performing arts center, theatre and an indoor pavilion. It is the home of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's "Spartans" men's basketball team, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with their Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament. It has hosted the Men's ACC Tournament 23 times since 1967 and the Women's ACC Tournament 12 times since 2000. The coliseum is contracted to host both tournaments until 2015. Other notable sporting events include the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) Men's "Final Four" in 1974 and the East Regionals in 1976, 1979 and 1998. It is also the former home of several professional hockey teams including the Greensboro Generals, Greensboro Monarchs of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes. The complex has hosted the "Central Carolina Fair" since 1999.
2. Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe
Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe (often simply referred to as Wet 'n Wild or Emerald Pointe) is a water park located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Wet 'n Wild chain of water parks. It is the 12th largest water park in the United States using over 3 million US gallons (11,000 m3) of water. There are 36 rides including Daredevil Drop, one of the nation's tallest water slides, and family rides such as Tropical Drop. The park also features two heavily themed family sections known as Splash Island, and Happy Harbor. Emerald Pointe is also the largest water park in both of the Carolinas. According to Amusement Business magazine, Emerald Pointe boasts the tenth highest annual attendance among American water parks at nearly 500,000 visitors The park is located on Holden Road just off Interstate 85 Business (North Carolina) in southern Greensboro. The water park opened in 1984, briefly named Aqua Gardens. Through much of the 1980s it was called Water Country USA until it eventually was renamed Emerald Pointe and now Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe. Major competitors are Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina and Dollywood's Splash Waterpark in Tennessee.
3. The International Civil Rights Center & Museum
The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is in Greensboro, North Carolina. Its building formerly housed the Woolworth's, the site of a non-violent protest in the U.S. civil rights movement. Four students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) started the Greensboro sit-ins at a "whites only" lunch counter on February 1, 1960. The four students were Franklin McCain; Joseph McNeil; Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan); and David Richmond. The next day there were twenty. The aim of the museum's founders is to ensure that history remembers the actions of the Greensboro Four, those who joined them in the daily Woolworth's sit-ins, and others around the country who took part in sit-ins and in the American civil rights movement. The project received substantial donations from the state, city, and county as well as private donors. The museum opened fifty years to the day after the sit-ins.
4. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, at 2332 New Garden Road in Greensboro, North Carolina, commemorates the Battle of Guilford Court House, fought on March 15, 1781. This battle opened the campaign that led to American victory in the Revolutionary War. The losses by the British in this battle contributed to their surrender at Yorktown seven months later. The battlefield is preserved as a National Military Park and operated by the National Park Service (NPS). Based on research of historical evidence, the interpretation of the battle has changed since the late 20th century, which will affect the placement of monuments and markers.
5. Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), is an independent college. Guilford is the third-oldest coeducational institution in the country, the oldest such institution in the South, and the fourth-oldest institution of higher learning in North Carolina. The wooded campus is located in Greensboro, NC. Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for Continuing Education (CCE). Guilford's academic programs—both disciplinary and interdisciplinary—include 38 majors and 54 minors, with a range of liberal arts and pre-professional opportunities. Guilford also supports students in creating individualized programs and in selecting studies which will contribute to their own development and interests.
6. The Bog Garden
The Bog Garden is a nature preserve, botanical garden, and city park located at 1101 Hobbs Road, Greensboro, North Carolina. It is open daily; admission is free. Originally part of Starmount Farms, the land that comprises the park was donated to the City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation department by the Starmount Company in 1987. A local primary care physician, Dr. Joe Christian, took interest in the area and worked with city staff, volunteers, and local nurseries to plan and rehabilitate the park into an example of a wetland environment using plants native to the area. In 2005, a 150-foot man-made waterfall was installed in the park, and dedicated in "Dr. Joe's" memory in 2007. The garden features a bog and lake that may be viewed from a half-mile long elevated boardwalk. Its plants include indigenous vegetation, with individually labeled trees, shrubs, ferns, and bamboo, as well as wildflowers and wild roses. The site is also a haven for native and migratory birds.
7. The Carolina Theatre of Greensboro, North Carolina
The Carolina Theatre of Greensboro, North Carolina is Greensboro, North Carolina's only remaining historic theatre. It was billed as “The Showplace of the Carolinas” when it opened on Halloween night, 1927. The 2200 seat structure was built for the Saenger-Publix Company, cost over $500,000 to build and was one of the first commercial buildings to be air conditioned in the state. Today, the Carolina Theatre is owned and operated by Carolina Theatre of Greensboro, Incorporated – a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. Keith Holliday, former mayor of Greensboro, is currently CEO and President of the corporation. With the exception of several public grants for restoration and maintenance, the Theatre operates on its own receipts and private contributions. Current programming includes classic and artistic movies, touring performers and companies, local theatre and dance productions, and other nonprofit and corporate uses. CTOG, Inc. is a member of the League of Historic American Theatres and North Carolina Presenters Consortium.
8. Blandwood Mansion
Blandwood Mansion, originally built as a four room Federal style farmhouse in 1795, is the restored home of two-term North Carolina governor John Motley Morehead (1841-1844) in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. It is believed to be the oldest extant example of the Italian Villa Style of architecture in the United States. In creating the design at Blandwood, Davis produced a popular prototype for American house designs in the Italianate style: a central tower projecting from the main facade. Saved from demolition in 1964 by preservation-minded Greensboro citizens, the house was opened as a museum in 1976 and remains open to the public today.
9. The Weatherspoon Art Museum
The Weatherspoon Art Museum is located at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the southeast with a focus on American art. Its programming includes fifteen or more exhibitions per year, year-round educational activities, and scholarly publications. The Weatherspoon Art Museum was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 1995 and earned reaccreditation status in 2005. From its inception, the Weatherspoon has focused on building a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art. Numbering close to 6,000 artworks, primarily American, the permanent collection represents all major art movements from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Work by Willem de Kooning, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg, John Marin, Alexander Calder, Robert Henri, Cindy Sherman, Sol Le Witt, Louise Nevelson, Eva Hesse, and Andy Warhol are included. Other collection highlights include The Dillard Collection of Art on Paper; the Etta and Claribel Cone Collection; the Lenoir C. Wright Collection of Japanese Prints; and The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States.
10. Triad Stage
Triad Stage is a regional theatre located at 232 South Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. Triad Stage named its theater building after Greensboro resident Pyrle Gibson. Richard Whittington (Managing Director/Co-Founder) has served as Managing Director of Triad Stage since its inception. Rich earned a MFA in Theatre Management from the Yale School of Drama and has a BFA in Acting and Directing from Marymount Manhattan College. In 2007, Rich was appointed by the Governor to serve on the board of the NC Arts Council where he is currently a member of the Executive Committee. He has previously served on the boards of ArtsNC and Downtown Greensboro, Inc. and has served on numerous grant panels throughout the state as well as for the National Endowment for the Arts. Rich has taught Theatre Management at Greensboro College and NC A&T University and has guest lectured at UNC Chapel Hill, NC School of the Arts, Wake Forest University and UNC Greensboro. A native of Dallas, Texas, Rich previously served as Managing Director for the Ensemble Company for the Performing Arts (ECPA), as Artistic Administrator for the Dallas Theater Center and Associate Producer of Dallas’ The Big D Festival of the Unexpected. Prior experience also includes work at the Roundabout Theatre in New York and StageWest in Springfield, Massachusetts. Preston and Rich were recently honored with Downtown Greensboro Inc.’s 2010 J. Edward Kitchen Leadership Award by for their effective and persistent leadership resulting in making significant improvements in Greensboro’s center city.
The Weatherspoon Art Museum is located at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the southeast with a focus on American art. Its programming includes fifteen or more exhibitions per year, year-round educational activities, and scholarly publications. The Weatherspoon Art Museum was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 1995 and earned reaccreditation status in 2005. From its inception, the Weatherspoon has focused on building a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art. Numbering close to 6,000 artworks, primarily American, the permanent collection represents all major art movements from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Work by Willem de Kooning, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg, John Marin, Alexander Calder, Robert Henri, Cindy Sherman, Sol Le Witt, Louise Nevelson, Eva Hesse, and Andy Warhol are included. Other collection highlights include The Dillard Collection of Art on Paper; the Etta and Claribel Cone Collection; the Lenoir C. Wright Collection of Japanese Prints; and The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States.
10. Triad Stage
Triad Stage is a regional theatre located at 232 South Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. Triad Stage named its theater building after Greensboro resident Pyrle Gibson. Richard Whittington (Managing Director/Co-Founder) has served as Managing Director of Triad Stage since its inception. Rich earned a MFA in Theatre Management from the Yale School of Drama and has a BFA in Acting and Directing from Marymount Manhattan College. In 2007, Rich was appointed by the Governor to serve on the board of the NC Arts Council where he is currently a member of the Executive Committee. He has previously served on the boards of ArtsNC and Downtown Greensboro, Inc. and has served on numerous grant panels throughout the state as well as for the National Endowment for the Arts. Rich has taught Theatre Management at Greensboro College and NC A&T University and has guest lectured at UNC Chapel Hill, NC School of the Arts, Wake Forest University and UNC Greensboro. A native of Dallas, Texas, Rich previously served as Managing Director for the Ensemble Company for the Performing Arts (ECPA), as Artistic Administrator for the Dallas Theater Center and Associate Producer of Dallas’ The Big D Festival of the Unexpected. Prior experience also includes work at the Roundabout Theatre in New York and StageWest in Springfield, Massachusetts. Preston and Rich were recently honored with Downtown Greensboro Inc.’s 2010 J. Edward Kitchen Leadership Award by for their effective and persistent leadership resulting in making significant improvements in Greensboro’s center city.
