Fall Road Trip: Day Three

Greensboro, North Carolina: Hello and welcome to day three of our Fall road trip to North Carolina.  This is our final full day in NC before heading home to the Sunshine State in the morning.  We still have a bunch of stuff to do on our to-do list however we are running out of time.  Today's day of exploration will take us to the International Civil Rights Museum, the Greensboro Science Center and Gilford Courthouse National Military Park.  

The day got started with a hearty breakfast at Carolina's Diner.  We had dinner here last night and vowed to return so we decided to head there for breakfast this morning.  The breakfast was just as good as the dinner.  My wife had her usual ham and cheese omelet, I had the Diner Sausage Skillet and our son had French Toast.  Just like dinner last night, the food was delicious and you got a lot of food for a good price.

Our first stop of the day is the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, but we were a little early for our 10am tour appointment so we decided to tour downtown on foot. Despite Greensboro being the third largest city in North Carolina, downtown was pretty quiet for 9:30 in the morning.  We walked a few blocks through the heart of the downtown before heading back to the museum to embark on our tour.


The International Civil Rights Center and Museum is housed in the historic Woolworth Building.  It was here on February 1, 1960 that four freshman from A&T University orchestrated a sit-in at the lunch counter of Woolworths to demonstrate against the store's whites only lunch counter policy.  The peaceful protest took fire nationwide and as a result of the brave actions of these men, the lunch counter at Woolworth was desegregated.  Today, the original lunch counter remains as part of the museum display that chronicles the civil rights movement.  Unfortunately the museum did not permit photography but I highly encourage you to visit the museum and see these powerful exhibits for yourself.


After our tour was complete, we headed out to the Greensboro Science Center.  The center provides three distinct attractions under one roof.  An aquarium, a zoo and a hands-on science center make up the science center.  Our tour began with the Wiseman Aquarium, a 250,000 gallon aquarium with 75 different species of marine life.  The we headed outside to the zoo exhibit.  This is where we finally go to see a Sand Cat. After not getting to see it at the zoo yesterday, it was quite the surprise to see it here at the science center.  We rounded out the visit with a stop in the science center.  One of the coolest thing about the center is not only what it has to offer, but also its location.  The exhibits are nestled in the woods making the location just as cool as the exhibits. 

Our final stop of the day was a return to the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park to tour the grounds.  The park features an auto and walking tour and we decided to do a hybrid version due to time constraints.  We got to see the individual skirmish locations and the monuments to those who lost their lives.  During the American Revolution, the American troops led by Major General Nathanael Greene collided with the British army commanded  Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis collided in one of the bloodiest battles in the Revolution.  The British won the battle despite suffering devastating losses, almost 30% of their troops.  While the red coats may have won the battle, their loss of soldiers would eventually contribute to their overall loss of the war. We toured the battlefield as well as the nearby Hoskins House also part of the historic park.


When we completed tour of the battlefield, we then headed to dinner.  Tonight was Italian night and we headed over to Elizabeth's Pizza in the Guilford College part of Greensboro.  I have been craving a good homemade pizza and tonight was the night.  However after looking at their menu, I ended up getting a steak and cheese Stromboli but also grabbed a slice of pizza to feed that craving.  As a family we shared a calamari appetizer and then my wife had the Chicken Portofino and my son had a calzone.  It was delicious supper  and plenty of leftover for later.

After dinner, we headed over to Piedmont Triad International Airport for some planespotting.  This was the second time I tried to go and the second time I struck out.  There was no plane movements and I struggled to find a good location to spot from .  While I enjoy trying new places, I think that this might be a bust for this trip.  The way the airport is positioned, I had a hard time finding a location and we seem to no be busy while the airport is busy.  

As the sunset, we headed back to the hotel for the night.  Tomorrow we will head home to Florida.  We originally decided to detour home through Boone and the mountains, however we won't have enough to truly enjoy it so we are gonna hang around a little longer here in Greensboro and explore a little more before taking the 10 plus hour trek back home.  

Be sure to follow the site for more pictures and stories from our North Carolina adventures.

Location: Greensboro, NC, USA

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