Greensboro sits in the middle of a lot of places. Charlotte is about 90 minutes southwest. Raleigh and “the Triangle” are about the same distance east. Winston-Salem is 30 minutes west, and Boone is two hours up the mountain.
That makes it an easy day trip. It also makes it easy to skip, because most people pass through on I-40 or I-85 and keep going. Stop! Greensboro’s downtown has galleries, museums, public art and a food scene that has grown a lot in the last few years. Start your day with us at The Marshall Muse Gallery and build from there!
Start at The Marshall Muse Gallery
The Marshall Muse Gallery, which opened a year ago, is in a restored English Tudor house on the edge of downtown, next to the historical Fisher Park neighborhood. Inside you'll find 8,700 square feet of art from 170+ local artists. The Main Gallery and the Community Gallery both change every month, so a second visit is never a repeat.
Here's what's under one roof:
A Main Gallery with a new show every month
A Community Gallery for local artists
Working artist studios, where you can watch artists at work and ask questions
A Pottery & Gift Gallery with handmade ceramics, jewelry and gifts
Custom framing, for the piece you can't leave behind
A bar serving wine, beer, coffee and tea, so you can sit with what you've seen
Time your visit for First Friday, Second Saturday or Third Thursday, the gallery's monthly signature events. Check our calendar before you plan your visit.
Bringing kids? My Muse Station is a drop-in art project that costs a few dollars. No reservation needed. There's also a new scavenger hunt every month that sends kids from room to room. Finish it, get a small prize.
Parking is free and on site. (With spill-over parking available in our neighbors’ lots.)
Where to Eat
Downtown has plenty of dining options. These are nearby eateries we'd point you to, with plenty more not that much further away.
Chez Genèse is a French-inspired cafe on South Elm Street serving one menu daily, 8 AM to 2 PM. Part of its mission is hiring adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, so lunch does some good.
Machete serves small plates and cocktails for a nicer dinner. Dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday.
Crafted: The Art of the Taco serves tacos with global influences. Casual, and good for lunch.
Fishers Grille and Corner Slice sit side-by-side. A burger or a slice, no fuss.
Mellow Mushroom is on South Elm. Easy with a group or with kids.
More Art to Add
Pair the gallery visit with a few other stops and you have a full gallery crawl. Here are a few to consider:
ArtMongerz is a co-op gallery on South Elm. Hours vary, so check before you go.
The O'Brien Gallery represents 40+ artists. It has moved to North Eugene Street.
Elsewhere is a living museum and artist residency inside a former thrift store. Three floors of it.
PROXY is an art and design space on South Davie Street that mixes exhibits with retail.
Weatherspoon Art Museum at The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG) shows modern and contemporary art. Admission and parking are free.
As with restaurants, there are a number of other gallery spaces to see as well, so do some research to plan an even more robust visit.
Public Art and the Rest of Downtown
Look up in LeBauer City Park. Janet Echelman's Where We Met stretches about 200 feet across the park and stands about 58 feet high. It's built from 35 miles of fiber and 242,800 knots, and it moves with the breeze. The design traces the six rail lines that once crossed in Greensboro and the textile mills along them.
The park is a short walk from the Greensboro History Museum and the Brenner Children's Museum, so it fits between stops. A few more stops to build into your day:
International Civil Rights Center & Museum is in the former Woolworth's where the 1960 sit-ins began. Don't skip this one.
Greensboro History Museum has free admission.
Miriam P. Brenner Children's Museum has hands-on exhibits and a half-acre learning garden, right downtown.
Greensboro Science Center puts an aquarium, a zoo and a museum in one place. It's a short drive from downtown and worth a half day.
Downtown Greenway is a four-mile paved loop with public art along the way.
Greensboro Grasshoppers play minor league baseball downtown, April through September.
Stay the Night
The O.Henry Hotel is connected to Green Valley Grill, which cooks Mediterranean-leaning dishes on a wood-fired rotisserie and grill.
Proximity Hotel is the O.Henry's sister property, a LEED Platinum hotel with its own restaurant, Print Works Bistro. Both hotels are on Green Valley Road, about 2.5 miles from downtown.
Marriott Greensboro Downtown is the pick if you'd rather walk to everything.
How Far Is Greensboro?
Approximate drive times, without traffic:
High Point: about 17 miles, 20 minutes
Burlington: about 22 miles, 30 minutes
Winston-Salem: about 30 miles, 30 minutes
Chapel Hill: about 50 miles, 1 hour
Durham: about 55 miles, 1 hour
Cary: about 75 miles, 1.5 hours
Raleigh: about 80 miles, 1.5 hours
Charlotte: about 90 miles, 1.5 hours
Boone: about 115 miles, 2 hours
Boone locals know the drive in the other direction. This time, swap the mountains for a day of art, food and downtown.
Quick Answers
Is Greensboro worth a day trip? Yes. Downtown is compact, with galleries, museums, public art and good places to eat within a few blocks of each other. The Gallery has free on-site parking.
Can I do Greensboro and Winston-Salem in one day? Yes. They're about 30 minutes apart.
What is there to do with kids? The Brenner Children's Museum and the Greensboro Science Center are the big two. At The Marshall Muse Gallery, kids can drop in for My Muse Station and the monthly scavenger hunt.
Plan Your Visit
Check our calendar and pick a First Friday, Second Saturday or Third Thursday if you can. Stay the night if you have the time. One day covers the highlights. Two days covers the rest.
In town for High Point Market, a tournament or a swim meet? Soon we’ll add a guide to some event weekends, and this space will link to it. Be sure and return to check it out in a week or so.
