Things To Do With Kids

Rain or shine and whatever your interests, the NC Triad has countless outdoor adventures to educate and excite every child. Tour a children’s museum or zoo and explore the local state parks offering a wide range of fun activities  — the NC Triad is unparalleled in its ability to offer experiences that will last a lifetime.

Lionfish and Tigers and Bearded Lizards—Oh My!

The Triad is home to a couple of animal-filled attractions ready to welcome you and your kids.

With an on-site aquarium, museum, and zoo, the Greensboro Science Center is an exceptional all-in-one location for education and conservation. Don’t miss the African penguins in the Wiseman Aquarium or the museum’s “touch labs,” where kids are encouraged to conduct hands-on learning about lizards and snakes. It’s a great place for outdoor and indoor activities when rain is forecasted.

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind experience with the animals at the Greensboro Science Center, be sure to sign up for a VIP Experience or Inside Tracks session. These allow kids to meet keepers at the center, observe training and enrichment sessions held away from public view, or even assist with feeding the animals! There’s also a theater and carousel your kids will love.

Add the North Carolina Zoo to your family trip itinerary, and prepare for a memorable journey through the “largest natural habitat zoo” worldwide. The Asheboro attraction is home to more than 1,800 animals and around five miles of walking trails that lead to animal exhibits, including the giraffe deck, a carousel and butterfly garden, and the Treehouse Trek, which includes a ropes course.

A Kaleidoscope of Possibilities for Play

With two convenient locations, one in downtown Winston-Salem and another just north of the city, Kaleideum North Carolina offers your child the chance to get lost in the arts and sciences.

There isn’t a single corner of the sciences that your child can’t discover at Kaleideum North, with hands-on exhibits that allow kids to build their own molecules, create optical illusions, map the solar system, engineer buildings, and experience hurricane-force winds. If an afternoon at the museum isn’t enough, Kaleideum North also offers overnight camp-ins.

Kaleideum Downtown offers children the chance to engage their imaginations with an Enchanted Forest exhibit featuring over a dozen themed play stations, a doughnut factory that encourages cooperative play, a community art space, and a child-sized supermarket.

The History and Beauty of the NC Triad

For kid-friendly outdoor adventures, the NC Triad offers an assortment of parks and playgrounds with families in mind. 

The Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden in Greensboro features over 7.5 meticulously maintained acres, including a Sensory Garden that encourages children to engage all of their senses to experience the beauty of nature.

In Winston-Salem, get in touch with nature and early-American history at the Old Salem Museums & Gardens through hands-on activities, music, and artifacts. While there, visit the Winkler Bakery, established in 1807 and known for its fresh Moravian cookies.

Waking Up With Nature

For families looking to get further into the natural and historic beauty of the NC Triad, the Uwharrie National Forest offers near-endless options for overnight camping. Bring a tent and sleep under the stars or park your RV near electrical and water hook-ups. 

In addition to spots for fishing and kayaking, there are several kid-friendly hiking trails. Still, other kids might like to try their hand panning for gold, which is allowed on most rivers and streams throughout the national forest! 

Paddle Sports

The NC Triad is rich with lakes and rivers, making our region a paddle sports paradise full of kayak, canoe, or paddleboard opportunities. Here you are right in the middle of three state designated blueway/water trails (Dan River, Deep River, and Yadkin River), the 50-mile Haw River paddle trail, and many other tributaries feeding into these major rivers.

Rivers

The Yadkin River is the longest designated paddle trail in the NC Triad with over 163 miles of river and 17 public launch sites exclusively for paddlers. Stop along the route to camp or have a picnic lunch at one of the numerous parks, including Pilot Mountain State Park. In Surry County, the Ararat, Fisher, and Mitchell Rivers also offer numerous paddle access sites that flow down to the Yadkin River.

The Dan River flows for 90 miles throughout the Triad and offers paddling opportunities from a leisurely float to Class I-III rapids. Access points are plentiful throughout the region, and the Dan is sure to flow no matter the weather. Both the Smith River and the Mayo River in Rockingham County flow into the Dan River, adding several more access sites in Mayodan and Eden.

The Haw River is another 50-mile paddling trail through Alamance County that allows paddlers to experience the natural beauty of the Piedmont region. Fourteen paddle access points provide access to the entire length of the Haw, which is sure to amaze both novices and veterans.

The Deep River is the shortest of our paddling trails, as it is still in development as both a land and water trail.  Paddlers can access the river in both Randleman and Ramseur in Randolph County.  High Point City Lake and Randleman Lake also offer paddling spots with kayak rentals in the headwaters of the Deep River.

Lakes

The Eastern area of our region offers numerous paddling opportunities on one of our many lakes. Graham-Mebane Lake is a 650-acre source for recreation, the lake provides a lush, tree-lined setting for your favorite paddle sports. Burlington’s Lake Mackintosh has over 61 miles of shoreline to enjoy as you paddle before enjoying a picnic area and playground for the perfect outdoor afternoon or evening.

Greensboro is home to Lake Brandt, Lake Townsend, and Lake Higgins perfect for boating and fishing with rowboats, kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes available to rent.