All ABOARD to Greensboro >>

Let me start by saying that when we left the Amtrak station in Cary, my experience with Greensboro had been limited to rolling past it on I-85, so I really didn’t know what to expect. All four of us — the editor, photographer, writer, and social media coordinator — had little to no experience with Amtrak, so we arrived 50 minutes early to get our bearings. Our train left just before 7 a.m. on a Wednesday, so the station was basically a ghost town, and the wait was nonexistent. Once we boarded, I was shocked by 1) how quick and seamless our departure was and 2) how none of our coworkers showed up to run alongside the train to say goodbye. Rude.

I was excited to see that our photographer fit in his seat, and of course I had to try the train bathroom for the sake of our readers (you’re welcome). Honestly, it wasn’t much different than an airplane toilet — in the sense that the sound of the flush will make your soul leave your body.

On our way to Greensboro, we had brief stops (and I mean brief) in Durham and Burlington before we arrived at our destination, right on schedule. The train station in Greensboro is much bigger and fancier than the one in Cary, so we grabbed a few pictures before calling an Uber to take us to Enterprise. Bear in mind, you do NOT need to rent a car upon arrival — for a day trip, an Uber or public transit would do just fine!

There were plenty of options for breakfast, but we decided on The Sage Mule, a locally owned gem that has been serving up all-day breakfast, lunch, and a delicious Sunday brunch menu since 2019. I’m no food writer, but three out of four of us opted for the corned beef hash — a dish featuring shredded corned beef served with home fries and eggs over a bed of beer cheese — and it has absolutely ruined traditional canned corned beef for me, so consider this article a strongly worded letter.

After breakfast, we headed to the Greensboro Science Center (GSC). Home to 2,852 individual animals, GSC is NC’s only dually accredited AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and AAM (American Alliance of Museums) science attraction, an honor only 14 attractions in the nation can claim.

“We have lots to do, like exploring our aquarium, museum, and zoo. Guests can also check out our high ropes course, SKYWILD, soar over Country Park on our FLYWAY zipline, and take a ride on the Rotary Club of Greensboro Carousel,” said PR & Digital Marketing Coordinator Bekah Robinson.

“I’d highly recommend catching a morning or afternoon penguin talk, a Shark Reef dive show, visiting SKYWILD, and taking a ride on our Carousel. I’d also recommend Revolution Ridge, our zoo expansion, which opened in 2021 and includes an okapi, southern cassowaries, and pygmy hippos!”

Arlem getting the

• No security, metal detectors, or check-in needed.

• Tickets are checked as you board or as the train is in progress.

• Six Piedmont trains offer daily service to Charlotte, Kannapolis, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, Cary, and Raleigh.

• Wi-Fi and electrical outlets available onboard.

• Passengers are allowed two pieces of luggage, not including purses, laptops, strollers, etc. Bags may not weigh more than 50 pounds each. Checked baggage available at certain locations.

• Average price from Cary: $11 to Greensboro, $27 to Charlotte.