We had a free holiday day and an expiring hotel credit, so on Friday morning we decided to spend 24 hours in Greensboro, NC.
Our first stop was Gateway Gardens, a small public park with whimsical sculptures. It was a sunny but cold day so we were the only ones out and about.
Since this is located less than a mile from I-40 this would be a good quick leg stretching point in the future. We dropped off our stuff and the car at the hotel and headed south on foot via Elm Street, past the famous F. W. Woolworth Co. (now a civil rights museum).
Next was SouthEnd Brewing. I had the blood orange gose (rather mimosa-esque, it paired well with food) while Leandra went for a four-year vertical of their Singularity, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. Apparently they released all these beers for Black Friday – what luck!
They also have a kitchen, so we split a plate of chicken tenders covered in a dry rub (a little sugar and cinnamon plus some cayenne maybe?), a blue cheese drip, and fries. Really good!
Next we explored a few of the shops and art galleries on the south side of the city, including ArtMongerz and Ambleside Gallery. A few blocks north we checked out the local mural and a 9/11 sculpture, then headed to Little Brother Brewing.
Leandra kept to the strong ale theme with their 13% bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. I chose the mango smoothie which was exceedingly thick, at least 2 mangoes worth of fruit!
We walked back to the Hyatt Place and watched some football before walking to dinner two blocks up the street at Neighbors. They had a special “holiday pour” on their house wine, which basically meant fill it to the top… so we got a red and white, respectively. We each got a hot dog – the pork dog with cheese for me, while Leandra got a Chicago dog (poppyseed bun and all) – plus beef tallow fries to share. We also split a second pork dog with relish mustard and pickled jalapenos. Service and food were both great.
On Saturday morning we had breakfast at the hotel, then walked over to the free Greensboro History Museum.
It was surprisingly good, with lots of info on the area from the 1700s to now. There were rooms with an old apothecary, the railroad inn, the first fire pumper wagon, etc. We learned about the connection to the American revolution and civil wars, Lee and Wrangler denim, Vicks VapoRub, the 1960 counter demonstrations and more. Eclectic, well done, and fascinating.
On our way back to Durham we stopped in Graham to check out Forgotten Road Ales. My Lovely Patrol P.O.G juice was great, very heavy on the passion fruit. Leandra’s Mexican cake stout had a nice blend of spice too.
Leandra had spied little oblivion brewing around the corner, so we walked over and split their dubbel. It looks like they have a nice outdoor area in the warmer weather, something we need to remember for spring.
Hyatt Place Greensboro / Downtown was quite pleasant. Check-in was smooth, and it has a good location for walking to various spots downtown. Our room was quiet and we slept well. The breakfast was well-handled, with eggs, sausage and hash browns plus the usual cereal, bread, fruit, etc. Staff were bringing out fresh platters regularly during the busy morning too. As a bonus, we found free street parking around the corner which saved us the on-site $12 parking fee.