Greensboro has the amenities, activities, and backdrop perfect for helping you stick to New Year’s resolutions.
By Molly Ashline
December 21, 2023
For many, the new year represents a reset. It is a time to assess priorities and ambitions. Personal goals vary across individuals, but many of us are probably looking to similar areas of our lives for self-fulfillment and improvement. Greensboro, as a small town-feeling city, has a lot of options to connect to the community and to enrich the self, so whether you’re looking to be more active, learn something new, or spend more time with family and friends, there are options from downtown to the city limits to stick to your resolutions as January rounds the corner.
Be more active in Greensboro in 2024.
Explore Greensboro’s Greenways.
Greensboro got its name after Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Greene; nevertheless, it lives up to the “green” part. With a hundred miles of hiking paths and trails scattered throughout the city, there are plenty of opportunities to get outside and explore while getting the heart rate up. Multiple greenways connect specific trails or go through more trafficked areas. Greenways that are wider, paved paths provide a more accessible experience for families and individuals with limited mobility. In Greensboro, there are eleven greenways in areas like downtown, Lake Daniel, Latham Park, Shannon Hills, and Bicentennial, which also features a bog garden for viewing indigenous plant life and waterfowl. The city website offers more information about trails, including maps of all paths, greenways, and the run and walk club that traverses the downtown greenway on Thursdays.
Join a Greensboro brewery run club.
The brewery scene in Greensboro has been developing over the last decade. A staple of almost every brewery in town is a weekly run club. These groups meet on a designated night of the week and offer a motivating community of fellow runners and other perks like special pint glasses, giveaways, and product demos. Additionally, the run clubs meet on different nights at different breweries, so one could bounce around from one brewery to the next while building a consistent routine. Hidden Gate’s club meets on Mondays, Oden’s and Little Brother’s on Tuesdays, and Southend’s on Thursdays.
Play disc golf in Greensboro.
But only some are runners, and being more active can be accomplished in several ways. In and around the city are several disc golf courses, many of which have hosted tournaments and championships. Disc golf has been steadily increasing in popularity, and there is a lower barrier to entry than traditional golf. All one needs is a short and long-range disc and the willingness to tromp around in the woods for nine to eighteen baskets. Most nearby courses have no entry fee. Guilford College has an entire course, Guilford Meadows, that is open to the public, but keep in mind that this course lives up to its name, and there can be tall grass in the spring and summer. There is a nine-basket course at Barber Park, and other courses within a 30-minute drive from the city include Keeley Park, Garden Grove, Johnson Street, Creekside, and Patriot Disc Golf Course.
Take adult dance classes in Greensboro.
For those who want a little rhythm with their workout, a couple of Greensboro dance studios offer classes for adults. Break’n Out Dance Studio and the Dance Project offer adult classes ranging from barre to hip-hop. These studios are often flexible; one can sign up for a seasonal membership or drop into individual classes. Dancing is a hobby that can break people out of their shells while also breaking a sweat, and there are plenty of other opportunities to learn and hone a skill in the new year.
Get crafty in Greensboro in 2024.
Explore a new hobby at the Forge.
Hobbies make us well-rounded and curious. They are a break from work’s day-in, day-out nature and offer us the chance to focus on the self.
The Forge is a community maker space offering classes and studios for local makers and artisans. Workshops at The Forge range from introductory to more advanced and include skills like pottery, welding, milling, knitting, woodworking, and laser engraving. Memberships are also offered here and have a wide price range, including scholarship-funded “maker ships” for different access levels to the facility and classes. The Forge is a place for people who want to invest in their hobbies or pivot into careers, but there are a couple of other options for those looking for a more casual experience.
Like a gym for makers, the Forge is a haven for inventors, students, entrepreneurs, artisans, trade professionals, tinkerers, and hobbyists.
Forge Greensboro. “What is Forge Greensboro?” Accessed December 21, 2023. https://www.forgegreensboro.org/
Get thrifty at Reconsidered Goods.
Reconsidered Goods on Market Street in Greensboro is a thrift store and a maker space. They focus on sustainability and breathing new life into discarded and donated items. The store boasts a large section of fabric, patterns and sewing tools, paints and brushes, and jewelry-making materials. The space encourages people to look at materials in a new light to see what can be created or renewed. Workshops and classes offered at Reconsidered Goods include assemblage, embroidery, crochet, and item repair. These are low-cost and encourage creativity and individual expression.
Learn to knit at Gate City Yarns.
Like The Forge and Reconsidered Goods, Gate City Yarns in downtown Greensboro offers knitting and crocheting classes led by the lovely, welcoming ladies at the storefront for a cozy, low-stakes feeling.
Take cooking lessons at Reto’s Kitchen.
Cooking is a task that most of us do every day, and it can become tiring when we make the same dishes repeatedly. Cooking classes, like those taught at Reto’s Kitchen in the Lindley Park neighborhood in Greensboro, can break us out of a rut by learning new skills and making new dishes. They offer themed nights of cuisines from all over the world. Whether you want to learn to create Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Moroccan, or French dishes, Reto’s offers intimate classes that include hands-on instruction with the reward of a meal. It’s an excellent option for couples or friends to learn and eat together.
Spend time with friends and family in Greensboro in 2024.
At the beginning of the year, we are coming out of a period of spending a lot of time at holiday parties and dinners with our loved ones and often looking to focus more on ourselves, but this can also be a time to be more intentional about how we are spending time with people. It is easy to fall back into a routine of watching television or going to the same restaurants with friends and family. Creating new experiences leads to unique memories.
Take the kids to the Greensboro Science Center.
The Greensboro Science Center is always a top suggestion because the Center is forever changing with new animals and exhibitions.
Experience Greensboro’s ultimate indoor entertainment venue, Partee Shack.
Likewise, the newly opened Partee Shack on Holden Road in Greensboro offers mini golf, arcade games, and go-karts that will amuse both kids and adults.
Experience one of the many festivals in Greensboro.
Throughout the year, there are multiple festivals hosted in the city. The Folk Festival, Tate Street Festival, Food Truck Festival, and Greensboro Pride are all free-entry festivals that include live music, food, and market stalls that offer day-long and weekend-long experiences for any group size to enjoy together.
Looking back after another year, we want to feel like we accomplished more, enjoyed more, and learned more. Luckily, Greensboro has options that are as diverse as those who live here. So go out and explore. Gate City is your oyster in 2024.
