Discover Smithfield: Nature, History and Culture

Smithfield can be explored through a range of themes: the Buffalo Creek Greenway follows a named route along Spring Branch, while the Historic Smithfield Walking Tour focuses on historic buildings, houses and monuments in downtown. Water activities and culinary traditions round out these themes. You can shape your stay around your interests, giving nature, local history and culture their own distinct focus.

Greenway and Water Activities

The Buffalo Creek Greenway runs about three miles along Spring Branch to the Neuse River Walk at Smithfield Town Commons. In Smithfield, it forms the local section of the Mountains to Sea Trail. Its approximate length and named endpoints give you specific reference points for incorporating this nature-focused attraction into your travel plans. The route follows Spring Branch to its stated destination at Town Commons.

The SRAC Splash Park offers a different kind of activity, with water activities available year-round. Trained staff supervise them and provide guidance and assistance. This gives the park a different focus from the Greenway and downtown tour. For planning purposes, it is a good idea to check current operating details before your visit, as they may change.

Historic Buildings and Architecture

The Historic Smithfield Walking Tour includes historic buildings, houses and monuments in downtown Smithfield. The structures include examples of Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Second Empire, Colonial Revival and Gothic Revival styles. Some have stood since the Civil War. These different style names provide a common thread for the tour: they draw attention to a range of architectural traditions rather than presenting downtown simply as a series of historic stops. Together with the mention of structures that have stood since the Civil War, the styles offer a concrete way to explore Smithfield’s historic architecture.

Visitors interested in architecture can use the named styles as a guide when viewing the buildings. The tour brings together historic houses, other buildings and monuments in downtown. This means the focus is not on just one structure, but on the variety of historic sites included there.

Museums and Cultural Themes

The Ava Gardner Museum offers changing exhibitions, special events and expert-led tours about Ava Gardner’s life and career. Both her biography and professional career are part of the subject. The exhibitions, events and tours offer different ways to explore it. If you are interested in Ava Gardner, you can include this cultural theme in your plans without conflating it with the architectural history of downtown.

The Johnston County Museum has its own focus on the history of Johnston County. It features artifacts, photographs, interactive displays and interpretive exhibitions about Indigenous history, early settlements, agriculture, industry and military history. This range spans stories of early settlement and life through economic and military topics. It complements the focus on individual historic buildings with a broader perspective on the county’s history.

A one-room schoolhouse was built between 1868 and 1869 by the Federal Freedmen’s Bureau under the direction of the American Missionary Association. During Reconstruction, it offered formerly enslaved African Americans one of the first opportunities for formal education in Johnston County. The schoolhouse provides another historical perspective: education and the Reconstruction era are also among the themes that play a role in understanding the county’s history.

Regional Food Culture

The Ham & Yam Festival celebrates country ham and sweet potatoes, which are especially prized in Smithfield and Johnston County. These two specialties give the festival a distinct culinary focus. If you include the festival in your travel plans, check the program for the edition you plan to attend; it may vary from one edition to another.

Smithfield therefore offers several distinct ways to choose your areas of interest: the Greenway route, downtown architecture and monuments, water activities, and history and food culture connected to Johnston County. You can decide which of these will shape your stay based on your interests.

Discover more destinations: Middlesex, Kenly, Clayton, Four Oaks

For the broader travel overview: Johnston.