Weekend in Greensboro: An Itinerary From the Greenway to the Science Center

Key Takeaways

• A Greensboro weekend can run from the Downtown Greenway to the Farmers Curb Market, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, the downtown parks and the Greensboro Science Center
• The Downtown Greenway is a 4-mile paved loop open 24 hours a day, with no public restrooms and drinking fountains that are turned off in winter
• The Greensboro Farmers Curb Market at 501 Yanceyville Street is open Saturday mornings until noon and is producer-only
• The museum preserves the original Woolworth's lunch counter from the February 1, 1960 sit-in and is closed on Sundays
• Hours and prices change, so confirm on each place's own site before you go

Planning a weekend in Greensboro is easier with the stops laid out in order. Greensboro Vibe's guide to things to do in Greensboro NC strings together a greenway walk, a Saturday market, a museum tour, an afternoon in the downtown parks and a long visit to the Science Center, with hours and prices taken from each place's own pages.

Start on the Downtown Greenway

The Downtown Greenway is a 4-mile multi-use paved trail encircling downtown Greensboro, a collaborative project of Action Greensboro and the City of Greensboro that tells community stories through public art. The path is 12 feet wide, lit along all sections and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Walkers, runners and cyclists share it with e-bikes, e-scooters and motorized wheelchairs, and dogs are welcome on a leash.

• Three dedicated parking lots serve the loop, along with free on-street spaces beside it
• Drinking fountains and bike fix-it stations sit along the way, but the fountains are turned off in the winter months
• There are no public restrooms on the greenway

Shop the Curb Market Before Noon

The Greensboro Farmers Curb Market at 501 Yanceyville Street was founded by the City of Greensboro in 1874 and is run on the city's behalf by Greensboro Farmers Market, a nonprofit. It is producer-only: everything is grown, raised, baked, crafted or made by the vendors themselves, all from within 100 miles of Greensboro. The market counts more than 100 vendors at 175 tables and welcomes about 250,000 visitors a year.

Expect produce, flowers, meats, baked goods, prepared foods and handmade goods, with the tables shifting through the seasons. Saturday is the main market morning, and a seasonal Tuesday market runs from 4 to 7 p.m.

Stand Where the Sit-In Began

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum at 134 South Elm Street preserves the restored, original F. W. Woolworth's lunch counter in its historic location. On February 1, 1960, David Richmond, Frank McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil, four freshmen at N.C. Agricultural & Technical College now known as the Greensboro A&T Four, held a sit-in at that whites-only counter. The museum's permanent galleries, The Battlegrounds, hold 14 exhibitions across 35,000 square feet.

• Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sunday
• The Signature Staff-Guided Tour runs 60 to 75 minutes and is listed at $20 for adults and $15 for K-12 students
• Individuals and families of up to nine can book an on-site tour online

An Afternoon in the Downtown Parks

Greensboro Downtown Parks, a nonprofit working in partnership with the City of Greensboro, manages LeBauer Park and Center City Park. Both are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the group hosts more than 350 free programs and events each year, from arts and culture to wellness activities for all ages. The Lincoln Financial Children's Garden keeps hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the splash pad closes for the cold-weather season.

Give the Science Center a Long Visit

The Greensboro Science Center at 4301 Lawndale Drive brings an aquarium, a museum and a zoo together in one place, and it has been inspiring curiosity through hands-on discovery since 1957. It is open year-round, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with holiday closures. SKYWILD, a treetop adventure, and the FLYWAY Zipline, which opens seasonally, carry their own tickets, and the Rotary Club of Greensboro Carousel has 56 hand-painted animals. Parking is free, first come, first served.

Plan Around Tours and Weather

The museum is the stop to book ahead, since visits run as tours and it is closed on Sundays. Weather shapes the outdoor stops: the greenway's fountains are off in winter, the parks' splash pad is seasonal, and the Science Center notes that SKYWILD, the zipline and the carousel may keep different seasonal hours. Downtown parking is mostly decks and street spaces, so plan on a short walk between stops.

The full Greensboro weekend guide has every stop's details, and more local coverage is on Greensboro Vibe.

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