15 Best Things To Do In Goldsboro, North Carolina

Goldsboro, in eastern North Carolina's Wayne County, makes a good weekend for history fans and hikers. Its stops run from a Civil War battlefield and a village of historic buildings to river bluffs at a state park southeast of town, with whole-hog barbecue in between.

1. Old Waynesborough Park

Wayne County's government sat at Waynesborough from 1787 until 1847. The town itself is gone, apart from a family cemetery whose earliest grave dates to 1846.

On the old town site, the nonprofit behind Old Waynesborough Park has put together a village of buildings moved in from around the county. Among them are an 1868 law office from Goldsboro's old "lawyers' row," a one-room schoolhouse from 1911 and a print shop with a 1910 Chandler and Price press.

Civil War fans will find the Hamilton Collection of Union and Confederate rifles, handguns and belt buckles in the visitors' center. Past the buildings, 4 miles of color-coded trails cross more than 150 acres of forest and cypress swamp along the Neuse and Little Rivers. Leashed dogs are welcome, and paddlers can launch kayaks and canoes into both rivers. The village and trails charge no admission.

2. Wayne County Museum

In 1927 the Goldsboro Woman's Club put up the building that now houses the Wayne County Museum. In World War II it became a USO club for servicemen.

Upstairs, the old USO ballroom holds the Military Gallery, with uniforms, flags and weapons from the Civil War through Vietnam. Downstairs you'll find the Korschun Galleries on the county's Jewish history and a medical gallery of early-20th-century instruments. The museum also keeps Herman Park's original 1916 Lady in the Park statue.

3. Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield

Union troops on Foster's Raid reached the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad bridge over the Neuse and burned it. The fight came on December 17, 1862, and it temporarily cut a Confederate supply line running from Wilmington to Virginia.

A nonprofit association preserves 32 acres of the original site as the Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield. Walking trails circle the field the Confederates crossed in their counterattack, past eight historical markers, a granite monument and two sets of earthworks. You can see it on your own in under an hour, free of charge, or book a guided tour by appointment. Bring bug spray, since the site's own rules warn about fire ants, ticks and mosquitoes.

4. Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Public Tour

The base and the City of Goldsboro run a public tour of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in odd-numbered months, and guests see the F-15E Strike Eagle. Registration is online. Clubs and reunions can also ask for a private tour for 13 to 39 people, given at least 30 days' notice, though the base can cancel for mission needs.

5. Paramount Theatre

Family stage shows and a Paramount Movie Nights series share the calendar at the Paramount Theatre, the City of Goldsboro's own stage. The building stands at 139 S. Center Street.

6. Arts Council of Wayne County

Workshops, classes and exhibitions are the business of the Arts Council of Wayne County. Its main location is at 139 W. Walnut Street.

7. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail Through Downtown

You can walk part of North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail without leaving town. It starts at Center and Elm Streets and heads north up Center Street, where several roundabouts feature public art. At one of them stands a jet honoring Goldsboro's ties to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Turn right there onto Ash Street. The route follows Ash Street for 2.1 miles, passing Herman Park and the county library before turning into Stoney Creek Park. From the back of the park's lot, the Stoney Creek Greenway runs 0.6 mile through the woods to Elm Street.

Elm Street is the shorter way back, but the trail's description says it's relatively busy and lacks sidewalks for much of its length, and it suggests going back the way you came.

8. Downtown Escapes

Book of Secrets drops your team into a Library of Congress office to hunt for a rumored presidential book. It's one of the private, hour-long rooms at Downtown Escapes. The rooms are at 208 E. Walnut Street.

Tickets cost $27.50 to $37.50 per person, dropping as the group grows, and military members get 10% off with ID. A parent has to stay in the room with players 15 and under.

The Society is the outdoor version. Teams carry a backpack of locked compartments around downtown, and the game covers about six blocks and 1.2 miles of walking in up to 120 minutes. It's geared to ages 10 and up. Younger siblings can tag along for free if they're 8 or under and with a paying adult. On a mild day with kids 10 or older, take the outdoor game; when it rains, pick a room.

9. Goldsboro Brew Works

Craft beer here means Goldsboro Brew Works, which calls itself the city's first and only brewery. It began as a small taproom and later opened a brewery a few blocks away. The taproom, at 207 N. John Street, pours house beers like Lux Lager and the hazy Jet-A IPA.

10. Cliffs of the Neuse State Park

The draw at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park is the river bluffs, layered in sand, clay, seashells, shale and gravel. They rise 90 feet above the Neuse River. The park sits 15 miles southeast of Goldsboro.

You get 4 miles of hiking trail, plus a visitor center with exhibits, a lake, and campsites that range from tent pads to camper cabins and RV hookups. Visitors pay nothing for day use, while camping, boat rentals and swim passes cost extra. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet, but not on the swim beach or in the cabins.

11. Busco Beach and ATV Park

Busco Beach and ATV Park is built for riders: mud pits, water crossings and hill climbs spread over more than 2,000 acres, plus a man-made beach and lakes for swimming and fishing. ATVs, dirt bikes and UTVs are welcome on the Busco Beach trails, but trucks and jeeps aren't.

The park is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, but round-the-clock riding means camping there. Day-pass guests have to leave by 9 p.m., while overnight guests can pitch a tent or take an RV hookup.

Spectators pay $10 a day. Every machine you bring adds another daily fee, and the park doesn't accept credit cards, so bring cash. Helmets are required on any machine without a roll cage, and anyone under 18 must come with an adult who stays on the property.

12. Lane Tree Golf Club

Tee off at Lane Tree Golf Club on the Little River. The course is a John LaFoy design on hilly terrain, with tees running from 5,200 to nearly 7,000 yards.

You don't need to golf to eat there. The clubhouse serves breakfast and lunch every day, no membership required. Thursday nights bring Steak Night, starting at 5 p.m.

13. Wilber's Barbecue

Whole hogs cook all night over oak embers on open pits at Wilber's Barbecue, then get chopped by hand. The restaurant is at 4172 US-70.

14. Los Fogones

Start with the ceviche at Los Fogones, a Peruvian fusion bar and grill. It's at 209 S. Berkeley Boulevard. The menu calls ceviche the Peruvian national dish and also lists crispy pork belly with sweet potato fries and a chicken, beef and cheese empanada trio. On Sundays there's a brunch buffet.

15. Mt. Olive Pickle Parlor

The Pickle Parlor is the visitor shop of Mt. Olive Pickle Company, in downtown Mount Olive, south of Goldsboro. It's at 109 N. Center Street.

Inside are a pickle bar with daily tastings and a soda fountain. The history room, built to look like a pickle barrel, plays the company's 14-minute tour video.

Plan Around the Days Things Open

• Old Waynesborough village: Friday 1 to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., with trails open sunrise to sunset every day
• Wayne County Museum: Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Arts Council of Wayne County: Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Wilber's Barbecue: Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Cliffs of the Neuse visitor center: daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday is the one day all five are open. On Monday, only the state park and Old Waynesborough's trails are.