North Carolina Off the Beaten Path® by Sara Pitzer

Author:Sara Pitzer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493027583
Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
Published: 2017-04-17T16:00:00+00:00

Heartland

Another possible trip from Asheboro is the short hop up US 220 to Greensboro, a pleasant city with a historic downtown and lots of surprises. There’s some Revolutionary War history here, in a strange sort of way. Cornwallis won a battle against General Nathanael Greene’s American troops, but in the process he lost so many men that he ultimately had to surrender at Yorktown. The Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, 6 miles north of Greensboro on US 220, commemorates the loss and the win with exhibits on the battlefield and displays and films in the visitor center (336-288-1776; nps.gov/guco). Hours vary seasonally. Admission is free.

Drawing on more recent events, Greensboro holds special significance for blacks. In 1960 black students from North Carolina A & T State University (originally the Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race) began the first sit-ins at Woolworth’s segregated lunch counter. A & T is Jesse Jackson’s alma mater. On the campus of North Carolina A & T State University, the Mattye Reed African Heritage Center displays African masks, paintings, black history books, and art objects. Open Mon through Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on University holidays (336-334-7108; www.ncat.edu/cahss/departments/vpa/visual-arts/university%20galleries.html). Admission is free.

Less than 10 miles east of Greensboro, the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Memorial State Historic Site (336-449-4846; ah.dcr.state.nc.us) honors Dr. Brown’s 50 years as head of another school for blacks, Palmer Memorial Institute. The buildings are gradually being restored, and plans are to make the memorial a center for contributions of North Carolina blacks, including a research center with collection and computer facilities devoted to North Carolina black history. The complex includes cottages and dormitories, outdoor exhibits and trails, a visitor center in the old teacher’s cottage, and a picnic area. Dr. Brown’s house has been restored, and some of her original furniture reupholstered. Open Tues through Sat from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed for major holidays. Admission is free.

Local history from the time of the early Indians to date shapes the displays at the Greensboro Historical Museum (130 Summit Ave., Greensboro; 336-373-2043; greensborohistory.org) in what used to be the First Presbyterian Church. In a re-creation of 19th-century Greensboro, the museum displays a general store, the drugstore where William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) once worked, a post office, a law office, a firehouse, a cobbler’s, and a blacksmith’s.

Other exhibits include room settings from historical homes, an exhibit of household items and clothing of Dolley Madison (a Greensboro native before she became First Lady), and a collection of antique automobiles. Open Tues through Sat from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun from 2 to 5 p.m. Closed holidays. Admission is free.

If you’re traveling with kids (or even if you’re not, come to think of it), don’t miss the Natural Science Center (4301 Lawndale Dr.; 336-288-3769; natsci.org), where you can easily spend a day immersing yourself in the sights and sounds of everything from dinosaurs to star systems. This is a “participation museum,” where you don’t have to tell the kids “look, don’t touch.

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