The things to do in Rocky Mount cuts across cafes, restaurants, and interesting parks.
Rocky Mount is a beautiful town to visit, known for its stunning Rocky Mount Mills; you’ll be happy to explore this part of North Carolina.
The city of Rocky Mount lies between Edgecombe and Nash, in North Carolina. The Rocky Mount metropolitan area, or “Twin County,” is known for its deep historical roots.
The town next to the Tar River, known for its railway transport, agriculture, and textiles, officially became a city in 1867.
The area is known for its diverse economy, from biomedical drugs to manufacturing and logistics.
The city is the 6th “Best Small Places for Business and Careers” by Forbes magazine in 2018 and previously received the National Civic League’s All-America City Award twice, First in 1969 and then again in 1999.
Rocky Mount, NC, has recently become the perfect pit stop town for those traveling on I-95.
Keep reading to find out all of the things to do in Rocky Mount.
Fun Things to Do in Rocky Mount
1. Cafe Larema
Rocky Mount, NC, is the exact weekend getaway you have always wanted, especially if you are a coffee lover.
For those who like to drink special coffee and are surrounded by creativity and fun, the first stop should be the Larema Coffee House.
Housed in a 110-year-old building in downtown Rocky Mount, NC, the Larema store’s name means “my friend” in the Ugandan Acholi language.
Lara aims to make every customer feel like a friend.
2. Cafe Trax
Another great stop is a modern cafe with a twist called Trax Coffee Bar. They offer everything from their own roasted and brewed coffee to handmade lattes and cappuccinos.
Non-coffee drinkers also have options like fruit shakes, hot teas, and even milkshakes. However, it is important to remember that last orders must be placed by 3.45 pm Monday to Friday and 1.45 pm on Saturdays.
3. Books and Beans
The last cafe that caught everyone’s attention was Books & Beans. The artistic cafe in the village of Mill is an amazing place to spend a quiet afternoon lost in the pages of a good book.
From their Instagram page, Books & Beans offer “espresso drinks, a variety of books, local pastries, and signature sandwiches.”
The cozy cafe is a great place to spend a quiet afternoon.
Things to Do in Rocky Mount at Night
1. Bin and Barrell
Although not open until late, Bin & Barrel is the perfect bar to start your browse. Owned by Ryan and Sarah Hicks, Rocky Mount’s newest bar and wine tasting shop is a chic and elegant place.
They offer a carefully selected range of expensive wines. Their wine tasting experience should be top on your list as there is always a new variety of wines on offer.
They also organize various events and courses at intervals in the year. Bin & Barrel also boasts a sizeable Wine Club where members receive carefully selected wines each quarter.
The bar is closed on Mondays and Sundays. However, it is open on the other days of the week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
2. Goat Island Bottle Shop
Next, visit the large Goat Island Bottle Shop. The bar offers amazing outdoor seating that is pet and child friendly, making it the perfect place to enjoy a night out with friends and family.
They offer a delicious selection of handmade beer and special wines in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.
The winery has different hours of operation, so check their website before visiting.
3. Sharks n Shooters
A great place for a night out is Sharks n Shooters, a popular local hangout. It’s actually Shark n Shooters and The 19th Hole combined into one pub.
Eight pool tables are available in the large pool area at Sharks n Shooters, which also has a bar with a selection of beer and spirits.
It is open Sundays and Mondays from 14:00 to 12:00 and the rest of the week (except Tuesdays when it is closed) from 14:00 to 2:00.
Right next door is the 19th hole, which is open daily from 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. This is a more classic full-service bar that is perfect for meeting up with friends.
Both bars’ prices range between $3.50 for regular beers and go up as you explore their variety of domestic and imported beers.
They also offer various daily specials, including free ladies’ pool all day, Wednesdays and Sundays. They organize Texas hold ’em poker tournaments.
Things to Do in Rocky Mount For Couples
1. Nash County Farmers Market
The Nash County Farmers Market in Rocky Mount Mills Historic District is a regional farmers’ market where area farmers sell their produce every Saturday from April through November.
The market also takes place on Tuesday afternoons in the summer.
The market is ideal for meeting local farmers and buying local produce. It has become a fun shopping center with lots of fun experiences.
2. Tar River Flea Market
When you finally get in the mood to shop in Rocky Mount, your next stop should be a visit to the Tar River Flea Market.
This is the perfect market to purchase a souvenir home.
The 15+ acre flea market is located between Sharpsburg and Rocky Mount. It boasts indoor and outdoor shops and over 200 stalls selling everything from antiques to technology and toys.
3. Stonewall Manor
Named for its heavy granite wall around the front lawn, Stonewall Manor should be high on your list of must-sees in the area.
The castle represents life on an Antebellum farm in the nineteenth century.
Stonewall Manor is well known for its elegant architecture and is also named on the National Register of Historic Places.
The castle offers guided tours for a reasonable price.
Things to Do in Rocky Mount For Kids
1. Bowling Centre
If you’re looking for a fun activity for not-so-great weather, visit the Bowling Center at Church Street.
It is the perfect location for a day out with a large group of friends. The center features twenty-four lanes and an automatic scoring system.
It also has a game room, snack bar, and pro shop.
2. Mini Putt Family Fun Center
The Mini Putt family center is another excellent place to visit with children. It boasts eighteen holes, arcade games, skeeball, air hockey, slot machines, and pool tables.
The site has special rates for birthdays and groups and is open from 10 am to 9 pm Monday to Saturday and 1 pm to 7 pm on Sundays.
Please follow the strict rules listed on the website when visiting.
3. Star City Skate & Play
Another popular family thing to do in Rocky Mount is to visit Star City Skate & Play.
The local roller skating rink located at 1131 N Wesleyan Boulevard is great fun and offers many amenities.
In addition to skating, the rink also has a shop and laser tag. They are usually open from 1 pm to 5 pm, and admission is about $6, and skate rentals are about $3.
Indoor Activities to Do in Rocky Mount
1. Koi Pond Brewing Company
Koi Pond Brewing Company is the place to start your brewery tour in Rocky Mount, NC.
Known for its excellently made beer in Rocky Mount, Brewing Company boasts high-quality craft beer and international varieties such as Belgian Ales, American Ales, Belgian Witbiers, etc.
Locals fondly refer to the pub at Rocky Mount Mill as ‘The Pond’. It is so popular because it is dog and family-friendly and offers a variety of tasty dishes to pair with beers and wines.
2. Rocky Mount Brewing
Rocky Mount Brewing, another establishment in Rocky Mount Mills, is next on the list.
Together with Briana Brake, Celeste Beatty founded the business.
In fact, Beatty is renowned for being the first black woman to oversee the Harlem Brewing Company in New York City and own a brewery in the country.
Brake is the owner of Spaceway Brewing and also serves as Rocky Mount Brewing for HBC.
Together, these two great women strive to create unique craft beer recipes that celebrate and honor Rocky Mount culture and history.
3. Hopefully Brewing Company
A growing local company that started out in a small 750-square-foot space, Hopfly Brewing Company, has grown tremendously over the years.
The man behind the store is brewer Cameron Schulz. Now they’ve doubled their brewing capacity and expanded their space to a 1,700-square-foot taproom.
In addition to an impressive taproom, Hopfly also has a tasting room, which is the perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon.
Romantic Things to Do in Rocky Mount
1. Outdoor Theater on Raleigh Road
One of only six theatres left in North Carolina, the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theater is the perfect place for a cute movie night with just the right amount of privacy.
Mark and Jennifer Frank purchased the theatre in December 2011. Their goal is to ensure that the theatre offers great entertainment at an affordable price.
In addition to a good movie, the theatre also boasts a weekly open-air flea market.
2. Wine and Design
Finally, a date idea that really appeals to my artistic side involves going out of town to nearby Raleigh.
Studio Wine & Design offers teaching painting courses.
Grab your favorite drinks (non-alcoholic) and snacks, and take a slow, romantic ride to the studio.
Then, under the guidance of experts, create an unforgettable masterpiece together. Please note that they are only open from 12 pm to 6 pm on Tuesday to Friday.
3. Good Night Comedy Club
Since we were going to Raleigh, why not visit Goodnights Comedy Club simultaneously?
The modern entertainment venue is the perfect place to enjoy a fun but intimate night.
Ticket prices for live standup comedy and other shows are usually very affordable.
Shows are about an hour and forty minutes long, and you can enjoy various food and drinks during the show.
Free Things to Do in Rocky Mount
1. Rocky Mount City Lake and Park
Pull out a picnic blanket, pack a lunch, and spend the day at Rocky Mount City Lake and Park.
The Tar River and Sunset Avenue are close to the park.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration commissioned the park’s construction in 1937.
It now boasts a concrete path around the lake, making it easy to walk and explore, and large pine and hardwood trees make great shady and scenic picnic spots.
Rocky Mount City Lake and Park also feature small islands that you can explore using old bridges, piers, and gazebos.
2. Battle Park
Open from morning to evening; Battle Park is a must-see in Rocky Mount. The park boasts many recreational activities and is home to the city’s first post office.
In addition to playground equipment, a boat landing, two islands, and a gazebo, the park is also known for its walking trails.
Winding through the 93-acre old-growth forest, the trails cover several miles of varying difficulty.
The park is pet friendly if you can clean up after them. Visitors must stay on marked trails and watch out for poison ivy, stinging insects, and snakes.
Please note that alcohol is not allowed in the park.
3. Lake Wilson
Just twenty minutes from Rocky Mount is Lake Wilson.
The lake has become popular with anglers as it can catch bream, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and bluegill.
The lake is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is completely free with no boat ramp fees. There are also several facilities in the area, including hotels and restaurants.
Cheap Things to Do in Rocky Mount
1. Imperial Center for Arts and Sciences
Start at the Imperial Center for the Arts & Sciences in downtown Rocky Mount, NC.
The center ranks as one of the best cultural facilities on the East Coast.
The complex was created after redesigning the old Braswell Memorial Library and the Imperial Tobacco Company.
Within the Imperial Center is the Children’s Museum and Science Center, which offers interactive activities for children to experience the exhibits, including the Cummins Planetarium, live animal gallery, games, and puzzles.
Spread over an impressive 135,000 square feet, the Imperial Center of the Arts & Science boasts well-preserved parts of the building and exhibits on the various branches and industries of the area.
It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Mondays, when it is closed.
2. D Chill Spot Jamaican food
After a long day at the Imperial Center, everyone should be hungry. There is one place you should visit with the whole family.
D Chill Spot is Rocky Mount’s own Jamaican restaurant that boasts a sit-down restaurant and food truck.
The store offers everything from chicken to oxtail.
To be honest, just browsing their Instagram page made me squeamish; we recommend checking it out if you’re in the area.
3. Rocky Mount Mills
If you’re looking for more fun activities in the area, check out Rocky Mount Mills at the Tar River.
The historic building and grounds were upgraded to a residential district with a cultural center.
This is a must-see in Rocky Mount, NC; the Mills area was once a cotton mill that spanned an impressive 82 acres.
The place now boasts restaurants, breweries, kayaking, and river houses for weekend rentals.
4. Rocky Mount Disc Golf
Disc golf is fun. If you haven’t tried it before, you have to! It’s similar to golf, but instead of a ball, you throw a Frisbee.
It’s a great game to play with friends and family; it will definitely get you in a competitive mood.
It is definitely one of the many family-friendly things to do in Rocky Mount, NC. The City of Rocky Mount currently boasts four disc golf courses.
The city also hosts many disc golf events throughout the year.
Cool Places to Visit in Rocky Mount
1. Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
Open since 1949, the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center welcomes more than seven million visitors a year and has established itself as one of North Carolina’s most popular attractions.
Located in the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill, the building was originally intended for NASA astronaut training, providing celestial navigation lessons to more than 60 of these officers between 1959 and 1975.
Today, the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is more than that. It’s a fun public attraction filled with educational exhibits.
These exhibits cover many different topics, with highlights such as Firsts in Flight, which pays tribute to and details the contributions of African Americans to space exploration and the development of aviation.
There is also Water in Our World, which talks about how essential clean water is available on the planet.
Touring the storefronts is at no cost, making it one of the state’s best free things to do. However, there is an admission fee for the planetarium shows.
There are 15 of these performances in total; they are played according to a schedule that alternates throughout the year.
Learn about astronauts, black holes, Galileo, celestial bodies, and more.
2. The Biltmore Estate
The Biltmore Estate is an absolute must-see in North Carolina. Not only is it beautiful and historical, but it’s also one of the most beautiful places in the state to go.
The 8,000-acre estate sits in Asheville and dates back to the 1890s. The gardens of the Biltmore Estate are sprawling with lush greenery and verdant flora of all kinds.
The Rose Garden is filled with more than 250 varieties of roses, and the Italian Garden is dotted with sculptures and ponds in ornate beauty.
Additionally, the estate grounds boast the nation’s first “managed forest,” several hiking trails and paths, a winery with free tastings with admission, an entire small village, and even a deer park!
But what is probably most beloved about the Biltmore Estate is its mansion: a grand 250-room mansion filled with unique architecture, genuine antiques, vintage accessories and clothing, exquisite art, and a host of other priceless finds.
43 bathrooms, 35 bedrooms, and a whopping 65 fireplaces are just some of the features of this 180,000-square-foot mansion.
It was built for George Washington Vanderbilt II and is most fascinating, full of secret rooms, hidden passages, and hidden doors.
These little secrets were meant to conceal the movements of the servants and give guests and family more privacy.
Ask about special tours for these passages!
2. Battleship North Carolina
The Battleship North Carolina, also known as the USS North Carolina, rests peacefully in Wilmington, retired after a long and storied career.
Commissioned on April 9, 1941, the ship was the first of 10 battleships in the U.S. Fleet of World War II.
Boasting 15 battle stars, making her the most decorated American ship of her kind, she is now a National Historic Landmark after an authentic restoration.
A relic of the war years, the battleship is still well-armed and fondly remembered as one of the best naval weapons on the planet.
The three turrets contain a total of nine 45-caliber, 16-inch guns, and ten twin carriages hold 20 38-caliber and 5-inch guns.
With all that firepower, it’s pretty amazing to wander around the inside of the ship now that it’s been converted into a museum.
As one of the most interesting places to visit in North Carolina, the ship allows you to tour the mess hall, quarters for officers and sailors, and the large decks where the guns rest for viewing.
Self-guided tours take about two hours to complete.
3. Chimney Rock State Park
Chimney Rock State Park is located in the southeast area of Asheville, which is one of North Carolina’s top vacation spots.
Its central attraction is what gave it its name: a huge tower of natural granite trail, a total of 315 feet in height with a total elevation of 2,280 feet, which provides incredible views of the surrounding area.
There are about 500 steps to the top of the chimney, but for better accessibility, there is also an elevator that takes you up 26 floors if you’re not in the mood for a hike.
But it’s not all about this justly famous rock in the state park, as many other activities are available for people of all ages and all desired intensity levels.
The most frequented trail beside the one to Chimney Rock is the Hickory Nut Falls Trail.
It is primarily flat and moderately challenging, eventually leading to the titular Hickory Nut Falls, which soars 404 feet into the sky.
Rumbling Bald Climbing Access is also a great place to go for fun climbing opportunities.
Finally, check out The Devil’s Head, a cool swinging rock that you might recognize from the 1992 iteration of The Last of the Mohicans.
Conclusion
You can call Rocky Mount the mother of all fun attractions.
With the above-listed 27 things to do in Rocky Mount, we are sure that you will have the best Holiday.
