Guilford: Discover Nature Trails and History

Guilford offers travelers a strong focus on nature and history. The Guilford County Parks and Recreation Department operates around 1,800 acres of nature-focused parkland and maintains more than 60 miles of trails. This provides a setting for a variety of outings: some take you along forest paths through natural landscapes, while others combine exercise with wildlife watching or visits to historic places.

Forests, Trails, and Wildlife

Cascades Preserve covers around 130 acres and has a hiking trail a little over two miles long. At the 240-acre Company Mill Preserve, wildlife and historic structures along the trail are part of the landscape. Saferight Preserve offers a different focus: there, a forest trail shaped by an arbor and distinctive tree species define its character. At the six-acre Thomas Built Bus Preserve, a signed walking path leads through an urban area with fruit and nut trees.

Larger parks also offer a variety of options. The 409-acre Hagan-Stone Park is a wildlife preserve with cross-country running trails. Northeast Park covers 374 acres and has trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. At Rich Fork Preserve, you can hike, bike, and watch wildlife; there are also preserved historic structures. This makes it possible to combine exercise and nature watching with an interest in the history of particular places.

Water, Agriculture, and Activities

For time on the water, Southwest Park offers several miles of open water on the Randleman Regional Reservoir, which is used for boating and fishing. Canoes, kayaks, and Jon boats are available to rent there. If you’d rather combine different activities on land, Guilford County Farm has hiking trails, greenhouses, vineyards, and fishing ponds. Formerly known as Prison Farm, the farm has been in operation since the early 1930s.

The four-acre pond at Guilford County Farm is open for free fishing seven days a week during daylight hours. Access information may change; check before your visit. The Frank Sharpe Jr. Wildlife Education Center teaches visitors about wildlife and natural resources through programs and exhibits. Live animal exhibits and a hands-on learning area are designed for toddlers and younger children.

History at Specific Sites

At Gibson Park, the historic Deep River Cabin, dating to around 1800, and a hand-dug well offer a glimpse of the simple dwellings that characterized the Deep River Valley before the Civil War. The park also commemorates gunsmiths who lived and worked in the Jamestown area in the mid-19th century, as well as the making of handcrafted muzzle-loading rifles that became known as Jamestown Long Rifles. These topics make the park a worthwhile addition for travelers interested in the history of crafts as well as nature.

History in Greensboro

In Greensboro, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park covers 250 acres of the original battlefield. The park has a visitor center, historic structures, monuments, and trails. The paved Tour Road is a 2.25-mile loop with eight stops; free self-guided audio tours are available through the NPS app. Historic New Garden Road is also part of the story: it was a colonial-era road and served as an artillery route during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

The Greensboro History Museum houses more than 30,000 artifacts documenting the history of the city and its people over several centuries. Its exhibits explore Greensboro and beyond. The International Civil Rights Center and Museum is located in the historic F. W. Woolworth Building, where the Greensboro sit-ins took place in 1960; interactive exhibits explore the struggle against segregation. When planning your trip, you can tailor the balance of nature experiences, local history, and Greensboro’s different historical themes to your interests.

Discover More Destinations

Greensboro, Mcleansville, Whitsett, High Point, Swain County, Pitt, Vance, Stokes County

For the parent travel overview: North Carolina.