Did you know that High Point in North Carolina is the Furniture Capital of the World? It should therefore not come as a surprise that the two main things to do in high Point NC are furniture related. It’s not a majorly exciting destination when it comes to sightseeing but I found 15 attractions for High Point, so let’s go!
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Quick High Point Q&A
How do I get to High Point?
If you don’t have a car, you can easily get a train to High Point. It’s on the Carolinian and Piedmont line that goes between Charlotte and Raleigh. From Raleigh, it takes less than two hours. Alternatively, you can also take the Greyhound bus to High Point.
How do I get around High Point NC?
The city centre is walkable, but honestly, most attractions in High Point NC are scattered around the area. With a car, you can reach them easily in under an hour, sometimes 15 minutes. But it would be incredibly tedious to walk. There are pedestrian walks but not on all sides and not all the way.
I walk from the train station to the John Coltrane Statue, the Chest of Drawers and over to the Tourism Bureau and back across the campus (I took an uber to get there to cut down some of the time). Along the way, you will encounter murals already. This took 2-3 hours.
Why is High Point the “Furniture Capital of the World”?
In the 1980s, High Point was a major hub for furniture manufacturing in North Carolina. Not only did it produce a lot of furniture, it also hosted four international furniture shows , such as the High Point Market (also known as the Southern Furniture Exposition).
The Best Things to Do in High Point NC
World’s Largest Chest of Drawers
I love roadside attractions but since I didn’t have a car, it was a bit hard to get around freely. Good thing the Largest Chest of Drawers in High Point is only 15 minutes from the station. You can easily walk there.
So how big is the World’s Largest Chest of Drawers? In height it’s 36 feet and was built purely for marketing purposes. Note the little detail of the two socks hanging out of the drawer. There are a reference to the regional hosiery industry.
The giant chest of drawers gets repainted every now and then, so don’t be surprised to find different colours if you visit much later than I did. I saw it during 2019’s autumn in North Carolina.
- Address: 508 N Hamilton St, High Point, NC 27262
John Coltrane Statue
One of the most well known people that came out of High Point is the musician John Coltrane. He was a highly celebrated American jazz saxophonist and composer, who made free jazz popular.
His statue is a 5 minute walk away from the train station, next to the transportation centre. It comes with an interactive information board, from where you can play his most famous musical pieces at the play of a button.
- Address: S Hamilton St & Commerce Avenue, High Point, NC 27260
Mural Viewing
Any High Point sightseeing should include some mural viewing. All over the town you will find pretty street art on buildings. They are scattered and not immediately obvious if you’re not looking for them.
If you get out the back of the train station and down to the parking, you can see some nice string of street art. For the regular instagrammable wings on the wall, get over to BBJ’s parking lot. On the other side of the building is a giant, cute lizard.
World’s Largest Chest of Drawers John Coltrane Train station
Walk the Campus
More statues can be viewed on the campus at High Point University. Bronze statues of famous characters who shaped history, literature and art inspire students daily to be their greatest selves. In fact, HPU’s students themselves got to vote on who’d make the cut.
Now you can sit next to Rosa parks, take a selfie with Benjamin Franklin or have Shakespeare sign your autograph, for instance. The campus itself is extremely pretty and the biggest one of the state. Grand neoclassical buildings in bright red and white are constantly added, lending a certain grandeur to the university. It surely is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen so far.
Note: Photographs of buildings aren’t allowed and if you’re holding a DSLR, you won’t be let in onto the campus.
- Address: 1 N University Pkwy, High Point, NC 27268
The Big Chair, Thomasville, North Carolina
If you haven’t had enough of world record breaking gigantures of furniture, rid the car for 16 minutes towards Thomasville. Here, you can find The Big Chair, which is, as the name suggests, a rather big chair.
A preliminary version was put up in 1922, which was then replaced in 1950 with the Duncan Phyfe-seat, which was designed by Thomasville Furniture Industries. Why a chair? Well, Tjomasville is called “Chair City” or “Chair Capital of the South”. Furniture really is a big deal in the area.
- Address: 6 W Main St, Thomasville, NC 27360
Furniture Shopping
Speaking for furniture, if you’re interested in adding a little something to your home, why not go furniture shopping in High Point? It really has stores in all kinds of styles lined up. You’ll surely find great items to spend good bucks on.
The best time to visit for that purpose, however, is during High Point Market. In 2020, it runs from 25 to 29 April. You can take advantage of the shuttle bus during that time if you don’t have a car and want to check out what’s on offer.
Wet’n Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park
For a little action, why not go to a water park? Not only is Wet ‘N Wild Emerald Pointe one of the largest water parks in the state, it’s ranked among the top 10 of the USA.
It features over 36 water rides, multiple slides, a 26m high wave pool and cabanas. Watch out for special ticket deals and events throughout the year.
- Address: 3910 S Holden Rd, Greensboro, NC 27406
High Point City Lake Park
No need to drive out far to immerse yourself in High Point’s nature and greenery. Try the High Point City Lake Park. Most water activities, such as boating, are closed over winter (naturally). The gymnasium is open throughout the year.
But when May rolls around, you can take a dip in one of the Southeast’s largest public swimming pools. You can even rent it for private events.
- Address: 602 W Main St, Jamestown, NC 27282
Sculptures Walk
Besides murals, you can also do your own DIY sculpture art walk. Around the furniture area near the transportation centre (around Superior Foods), you can see a few metal sculptures.
If you like them, you can actually purchase them!
Lydia’s Haunted Bridge
If you’re into haunted places, you might wanna visit Lydia’s Haunted Bridge. Actually, it’s two bridges, one is abandoned and the other one a regular, still-in-use bridge crossing E. Main Street.
Spirit “Lydia”, dressed in white, is said to haunt both and has been spotted asking for a ride back home. Her story is unclear but she supposedly died in a tragic car crash on her way to prom.
- Address: Jamestown, NC 27282
Kersey Valley Attractions
This one is perfect for family fun and little ones especially. The main attractions include ziplining, an escape room, ropes course, laser tag and haunted woods.
- Address: 1615 Kersey Valley Rd, Archdale, NC 27263
All A Flutter Farms LLC
Do you like butterflies? Then schedule in a visit at High Point’s butterfly farm. Note: if you want to go on a small tour through the park, you have to make an appointment in advance for a family show.
Fun fact: you can buy a butterfly castle and “grow you own butterflies” that will be released into the park. They sell out fast, so be quick.
- Closed over winter
- Appointment only
- Admission: $8 (adults)
- Address: 7850 Clinard Farms Rd b, High Point, NC 27265
High Point University
Bicentennial Greenway
Should you be more interested in hiking than waterside activities or camping, there’s a great place to see in High Point and that’s Bicentennial Greenway.
It’s a paved trail that’s 4.45 miles long and connects Armstrong Park and ending at University Park. In case that’s not long enough of a walk for you, you can extend it all the way to Greensboro.
Museum of Old Domestic Life
This local museum will take you back to the 19th century. It used to be a Quaker meeting house and dates back to 1858. Now, you can see lots of authentic items from that time to get a sense of what life was like back then.
Take a close look and you might spot some rather unfamiliar items, such as a quern or very specific items like kraut choppers. The museum is free to visit.
- Address: 555 E Springfield Rd, High Point, NC 27263
Oak Hollow Festival Park
Why not make it a nature getaway and do a little hiking or overnight camping in High Point?
Another one of High Point’s great park landscapes is Oak Hollow. Overall, it’s 1500 acres big. Since 1972 the festival park has been a popular spot among townies for recreational purposes.
Some things you can do at the park are: canoeing, fishing, kayaking, boating and sailing. You can rent boats onsite and engage in boat races. During the Fourth of July and festival season, the park is particularly fun to visit.
- Opening hours: sunrise to sunset
- Address: 1841 Eastchester Dr, High Point, NC 27265
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