336. The area code that doesn’t have a matching date on a calendar. Well, you don’t need a day to celebrate a region where the fun goes on year-round. We’re talking about North Carolina’s Triad. WithersRavenel knows a thing or two about it. Actually, more than a thing or two, says the team at our Greensboro office location.

We’re highlighting the places to visit, the things to do and the things to know about this wonderful region that many of us call home. Our Greensboro-area team members  shared 3 facts about the area, 3 things to do, and 6 places to visit.

But first, a bit of geography. The area encompasses these counties:  Alamance, Alleghany, Ashe, Caswell, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin.

Here’s what some of our team members like about the 336:

Brandon Inscore, GIS Manager:

3 facts

1. Greensboro is the birthplace of Vick’s VapoRub.
2. NASCAR:  A total of 52 races, all on dirt tracks, were held in NASCAR’s inaugural 1948 season. North Carolina speedways hosted 30 of those events at places like Greensboro, North Wilkesboro, Lexington, Elkin, and Winston-Salem.
3. Celebrated poet Maya Angelou was a Winston-Salem resident until her death, and a professor at Wake Forest University.

3 things to do

1. Greensboro Science Center. Get your child away from the screen and into the world of science. Great place for families to spend time and get smarter.
2. Downtown Greenway in Greensboro. This is an extra-special place for WithersRavenel because of our firm’s work with the City of Greensboro in making it a reality. Head there to enjoy the downtown vibe.
3. Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The place to enjoy live shows, though currently many have been canceled due to COVID-19. But many special events are still taking place.

6 places to visit

1. ACC Headquarters is in Greensboro – Home of the most ACC Basketball Tournaments and the ACC Hall of Champions
2. Visit Pilot Mountain State Park. Geological formation is the place for outdoor enthusiasts for a variety of activities. It’s located in Surry and Yadkin counties, just 20 miles northwest of Winston-Salem.
3. Hanging Rock State Park. There’s a campground at this spectacular spot in Stokes County which, along with great views, has hiking trails and rock climbing opportunities.
4. Attend MerleFest in Wilkes County. This is the event for bluegrass music enthusiasts. Multiple stages, great atmosphere, lively crowd and, of course, great music.
5. Visit the Andy Griffith Museum. It’s in Mount Airy, where Griffith was born and, many say, was the inspiration for the TV town of Mayberry. In addition, each year relive The Andy Griffith Show during Mayberry Days.
6. Barbecue Festival in Lexington. The festival in Lexington (Davidson County) started in 1984. Since then it has attracted thousands of visitors, and has grown bigger with various events taking place throughout October. In 2014, about 200,000 people attended the festival, according to organizers.

Honorable Mentions: Journalist Edward R. Murrow, First Lady Dolley Madison and author O. Henry (William Sidney Porter) were all born in the 336 area.

Laura Elliott, Project Geologist:

3 facts

1. Ashe County is the largest producer of Christmas trees in the United States.
2. The New River is the oldest river in North America.
3. Winston-Salem is the birthplace of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Texas Pete, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, and Hanes.

3 things to do

1. Hike at Hanging Rock State Park.
2. Eat at the Old Country Club Steakhouse in Roxboro. The locals call it Chub Lake.
3. Go canoeing on the New River.

6 places to visit

1. Lexington Barbecue AND Dairi-O.
2. Greensboro’s International Civil Rights Museum (at the old Woolworth’s) where the first sit-ins occurred. It is powerful.
3. Eat and listen to live music at the Muddy Creek Cafe in Sparta (close to the landfill site where WithersRavenel team works)
4. Furnitureland South near High Point. There’s an outlet building AND a garage sale in the parking garage.
5. Mount Airy: Go to Nester Hosiery for awesome socks and the largest open-face granite quarry in the world.
6. Hike or sightsee at Pilot Mountain.

Eric Moser, Survey Group Director:

3 facts

1. Back in the day, the area code was 910 before becoming 336 for the wider Piedmont Triad and Foothills area.
2. Has five major river basins – New, Cape Fear, Dan, Yadkin/Peedee, Neuse.
3. The birthplace of tobacco, and also the first paved roads in the state, to and from Winston-Salem.

3 things to do

1. Head west and be among the mountains of Western North Carolina in two hours.
2. Head east and splash in the Atlantic Ocean coast in just over three hours.
3. Go hopping to breweries – Goofyfoot, Oden, Haw River, Brewer’s Kettle, Foothills, Natty Greene’s.

6 places to visit

1. Kernersville Museum
2. Korner’s Folly – Interesting Manor Home
3. Triad Farmers Market
4. NC Zoo in Asheboro
5. Drive-In movies in Eden
6. Visit Saxapahaw – The best tiny houses and the best brewery in the state

Kevin Eason, Director of Utilities:

3 facts

1. Greensboro named for Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene.
2. Downtown Greensboro location of the International Civil Rights Museum. This was formerly the Woolworth’s building. The sit-in protest against segregation at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro was among the first of its kind during the Civil Rights movement. It left a lasting mark and forced Woolworth’s to change their policies. It also led to more such sit-in protests.
3. Our office sits across the street from the Colonial petro tank farm which connects the Gulf coast to New York. It delivers a daily average of 100 million U.S. gallons of gasoline, home heating oil, aviation fuel and other refined petroleum products to communities and businesses throughout the South and Eastern United States.

3 things to do

1. Visit Seagrove Pottery Region 
2. Hike a portion of Mountain-to-Sea Trail
3. Hike Hanging Rock in Danbury (Stokes County)

6 places to visit

1. NC Zoo in Asheboro
2. Greensboro Natural Science Center
3. The Historic Old Mill of Guilford in Oak Ridge
4. High Point furniture outlets
5. Woods of Terror on Church Street
6. 1618 Seafood Grille, 1618 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro, NC

Here’s more about things to do in other NC locations, where WithersRavenel has offices:

919 Area Code – Cary, Raleigh and the Triangle

910 Area Code – Wilmington, Southern Pines and more

828 Area Code – In and around Asheville