Asheboro

Asheboro is a town in North Carolina. It is known primarily as the home of the North Carolina Zoo, and contains few other attractions.

Get in

By car

• Charlotte - Either Interstate 85 North to US 64 east, or NC 49 (a smaller road traversing the country) (1.5 hr)
• Greensboro - Take Interstate 73 South (30 min)
• High Point and Winston Salem - Take Interstate 74 east (30 min and 45 min respectively)
• Raleigh - US 64 West (1.5 hr)

By bus

PART Route 10 offers service from Greensboro with connections to other cities.

Get around

Car, although biking and walking is possible in some areas such as the "downtown area" around Sunset Ave, Fayetteville St, and Salisbury St. The chains catering to tourist and passerby are mostly on Dixie Drive (US 64).

See

• 🌍 North Carolina Zoo, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, ☎ [phone]. 9am-5pm, Apr-Oct; 9am-4pm, Nov-Mar; last admission one hour before closing. The zoo's 2,600 acres, split into two sections featuring wildlife from Africa and North America, makes it the largest natural habitat zoo in the world. The North American section features wildlife from the Pacific Northwest, the swamps of the Southeast, the deserts of the Southwest, and the Prairies, as well as fauna found locally in North Carolina. The African section features wildlife from the African savannas, as well as popular lemur, chimpanzee, and gorilla exhibits. The zoo also has an aviary which resembles a tropical forest setting. $15/adult, $11/child, $13/senior.  
• 🌍 Richard Petty Museum, 309 Branson Mill Rd., Randleman, ☎ [phone].  
• Downtown Asheboro A nice collection of antique stores, thrift shops, bakeries, specialty shops, and cafes, as well as a nice park. Of note are the Art Deco town hall on Church Street and the Neoclassical courthouse on Worth Street. Suitable for an hour or two of strolling and enjoying small-town life.

Do

Buy

• Seagrove Pottery Seagrove is a small community south of Asheboro, famous for its pottery. A huge number of potters operate out of homes and small workshops in and around the town.

Eat

• 🌍 Taste of Asia, 127 E Taft Ave (Hillside Shopping Center), ☎ [phone]. Good Thai food on South Fayetteville Street. 
• 🌍 Something Different, 1512 Zoo Parkway, ☎ [phone], [phone]. Tu–Su 11AM–9PM. Variety of cuisines, middle eastern, Italian, on Zoo Parkway just south of Dixie Drive. 
• 🌍 The Dixie III, 715 E Dixie Dr, ☎ [phone]. An excellent Southern food restaurant, good value, and local favorite. Located on Dixie Drive, half a mile east of the intersection with Zoo Parkway. 
• 🌍 Dixie Express, 711 W Dixie Drive (among the other fast food restaurants), ☎ [phone]. Owned by the same family as the Dixie III, a good local fast food option. Excellent milkshakes, hot dogs, and sandwiches. Try a hot dog "all the way": mustard, chili, slaw, and onions. 
• 🌍 Burrito Brothers, 1019 N Fayetteville Street, ☎ [phone]. Authentic Mexican food. 
• 🌍 America's Roadhouse, 818 East Dixie Drive, ☎ [phone]. Tu–Th 11AM–9PM, F Sa 11AM–10PM, Su 11AM–9PM. Known for steaks, ribs, chicken, and seafood. They also have "exotic" foods on the menu like the Buffalo Burger, Ostrich Burger, Aligator Tail, and Frog Legs. Located on Hwy. 64 (Dixie Drive) 
• 🌍 The Table, 139 S Church St, ☎ [phone]. Tu–W 7AM–2:30PM, Th–F 7AM–10PM, Sa 7:30AM–10PM. (updated Jan 2018)

Drink

Until recently, Asheboro was one of the country's largest dry towns.

• 🌍 Carolina Tap House, 1528 Zoo Parkway, ☎ +1 336 203-POUR (7687). M&W 5pm-10pm, Th-Sa 4pm-12am, Su 4pm-10pm, Closed Tuesday. Asheboro's only self serve taproom. 35¢-75¢/oz. 

Sleep

Almost all hotels are located on Dixie Drive (Hwy. 64).

Go next

• Piedmont Triad
• Research Triangle - visit the state capital, Raleigh, the revitalizing city of Durham, or the college town of Chapel Hill
• Charlotte, the largest city in the state

If you are so inclined, the surrounding area has lots of small farms, country churches, and occasional oddities (look for the former-schoolbus-turned-house in the tiny community of Erect) which may provide for a pleasant afternoon in the country.

Routes through Asheboro

Hickory ← Lexington ←	W  E	→ Pittsboro → Raleigh
Becomes ← Greensboro ←	N  S	→ Seagrove → Rockingham
Winston-Salem ← High Point ←	W  E	→ Seagrove → Rockingham