Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Revolutionary War battlefield and 250-acre national park north of downtown

The battlefield where one of the most decisive engagements of the American Revolution was fought sprawls across 250 acres north of downtown Greensboro. A driving tour with stops at marked positions walks you through the three lines of American defence that Cornwallis had to break through. There is a small visitor centre with an introductory film and museum.

The park is also fine for an outdoor afternoon — paved roads and a network of foot trails wind through hardwood forest. Bring water in summer; the southern Piedmont gets hot.

things to do sight park historic site
A story
On 15 March 1781, American forces under Nathanael Greene fought the British under Lord Cornwallis on this ground. The British technically won the battle but at such cost — a quarter of his army killed or wounded — that Cornwallis was forced to retreat to the coast, beginning the chain of events that led to his surrender at Yorktown six months later. The city of Greensboro is named after the American general.

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