At Cugino Forno, a wood-fired pizzeria in Greensboro’s Revolution Mill, natural light pours in through the building’s 12-foot-tall windows and splashes onto long, wooden communal tables. The sun’s warm glow, along with piping-hot pies and frosty gelato, nourishes conversations, family gatherings, and a community hotspot.
When the 800,000-square-foot Revolution Mill complex — built in 1898 as the South’s first flannel mill — was restored more than a decade ago, Cugino Forno was one of the first tenants.
Long communal tables that overlook the pizza ovens invite mingling at Cugino Forno. Photography courtesy of Revolution Mill
“We wanted a place for families to come together,” Adam Aksoy says, who opened the restaurant with his cousins, Yilmaz Guver and Joseph Ozbey. “The big tables are very European. Whether or not people are family or friends when they come, if they sit together, they will talk, share their food, and get to know each other.”
In this way, Cugino Forno is a lot like the mill itself. What once was a factory catering to one industry is now a home for eateries, permanent residents, shops, galleries, and offices that unite people from across the city. Revolution Mill is not singular — throughout North Carolina, the brick walls that once echoed with machines now sing with conversation, laughter, and music. The following destinations demonstrate that the past can be reimagined into almost every facet our day-to-day lives.
From dining and entertainment to finding the perfect place to live, NC REALTORS® know how to help you make the most of North Carolina’s vibrant communities.
In the heart of Durham, the American Tobacco Campus draws present-day patrons, while historical elements like the Lucky Strike water tower reflect the mill buildings’ past. photograph by Estlin Haiss/American Tobacco Campus
What used to be North Carolina’s tobacco hub is now one of its most popular places to eat, see a show, or meet up with friends. More than a collection of restored buildings, the American Tobacco Campus is a vibrant community where lively happenings unfold between the open courtyards and red-brick tobacco warehouses.
For a casual breakfast, the European-inspired Press Coffee, Cocktails, & Crepes on Blackwell Street serves savory and sweet options. It’s easy to imagine you’re in a Parisian café as you sip a latte at your marble-top bistro table — the perfect complement to their strawberry-topped stuffed French toast crêpe.
Shop for quality gifts and gourmet pantry staples at Parker & Otis in the American Tobacco Campus. photograph by Hal Goodtree/American Tobacco Campus
Next, check out the carefully curated snack and gift selection at Parker and Otis — part café, part gift shop that checks all the boxes. Displays of hard-to-find gourmet pastas are arranged alongside stacks of artful cookbooks and coffee table books, party supplies, and clever greeting cards. Take your books and gifts to the green outside, where you can walk the promenade or enjoy the sounds of the man-made river that tumbles through the heart of campus.
For lunch, don’t miss QueenBurger’s mouthwatering smash burgers prepared with creative twists. “The Classic,” made with grass-fed beef, griddled onions, Ashe County hoop cheese, housemade pickles, and special sauce is a go-to,” Manager Tay Vincent says. Vincent appreciates the American Tobacco Campus’s variety when it comes to dining options. “We have such a diversity of restaurants, everybody can find something — from our burgers to crêpes to authentic Mexican food.”
From concerts to musicals, nationally renowned acts perform at Durham Performing Arts Center in the American Tobacco Campus. photograph by Hal Goodtree/American Tobacco Campus
Catch a matinee at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), which was designed to shine a light on the local and touring arts. While you can bask in its glow from the outside, inside you’ll find Broadway shows, concerts, and big-name comedy acts.
Want to keep going? Get tickets for a game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which makes for an ideal night under stadium lights: hot dogs, baseball, and the sounds of cracking bats and cheering spectators.
Root, root, root for the Durham Bulls during the spring and summer months. photograph by Hal Goodtree/American Tobacco Campus
If you’re ready to turn in, pick up dinner at Ekhaya Bantu Fusion Tapas & Bar. With southern African-inspired dishes, like the full-bodied, seven-hour braised oxtail, you’ll experience unmatched flavor combinations. For dessert, try the magwinyas, authentic Zimbabwean doughnut bread with homemade ice cream.
Throughout the year, the American Tobacco Campus hosts seasonal events. From outdoor concerts on the lawn to holiday celebrations, the variety ensures that no two visits are the same.
As the sun sets over Rocky Mount Mills, the campus’s restaurants and breweries gear up for the evening’s visitors. Photography courtesy of Rocky Mount Mills
Rocky Mount Mills holds a different story. The home of North Carolina’s first cotton mills, built in the early 1800s, is now a 150-acre campus brimming with food, entertainment, and residential apartment spaces.
Start your visit at Larema Beverage Co., a coffee shop that feels like a homecoming where you’re welcome to camp out with a laptop or catch up with friends. “The community is my favorite part about Rocky Mount Mills,” Mathew Radford says, a bartender and cook at Larema. His must-try beverage is the Rituals of Ilex, a house-made artisan craft beer.
Order a freshly prepared pizza to share at the Tipsy Tomato. Photography courtesy of Rocky Mount Mills
If pizza’s what you’re after, try Tipsy Tomato, where wood-fired, personal-sized pies hit the spot. Kick back in the outdoor seating and savor the aromas of cheese melting and hand-tossed dough baking into a crisp crust.
After lunch, unwind with a built-in beer tour. The Rocky Mount Brewmill has become a hub for local breweries, and you can bounce between places like Koi Pond Brewing Company, Bright Penny Brewing, and Hopfly Brewing Co. without even moving your car.
All ages can gather and enjoy the Rocky Mount Mills’s campus and special events throughout the year. Photography courtesy of Rocky Mount Mills
Whether or not you take a brew walk, stop in Pinspiration, a DIY art studio that makes you feel like a kid again (and makes your kids feel like Van Goghs). Make a reservation or walk in to choose the craft you want to try. Then let Pinspiration’s artists guide you through the process as you create your own unique gifts, decors, or accessories. You’re guaranteed to come home with something wonderful, made by you.
If you want to stay overnight, River & Twine’s collection of tiny homes are right on the property, which makes the whole place feel like its own little community. Book your tiny home and meet your neighbors, roast s’mores by the fire pit, and enjoy stories from new friends.
Enjoy drinks on the outdoor patio at Grapes and Grains Tavern. Photography courtesy of Revolution Mill
Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie in Revolution Mill may be best known for their award- winning bourbon banoffee pecan cinnamon roll, but the selection of biscuits, scones, cookies, and cakes is bountiful enough to suit any sweet tooth.
For a late-afternoon beer, check out Incendiary Brewing’s satellite taproom, which opens to a courtyard where patrons get the full mill effect of community and mingling. (Check their website for a live music lineup.) More in the mood for a cozy cocktail? Head over to Grapes and Grains, a speakeasy-style tavern, complete with a piano bar, that serves more than 40 bourbons, whiskeys, and scotches.
The “Fabric of Memory” exhibit highlights Revolution Mill’s more than 120 years of history. Photography courtesy of Revolution Mill
Before you leave Revolution Mill, set aside time to explore the “Fabric of Memory” interactive history exhibit, which shares the oral and written stories of Cone Mill Village residents. These are folks who lived and worked in the four villages opened by brothers Moses and Ceasar Cone. At this permanent exhibit, photographic, audio, and video documentation depicts the ups and downs of mill life in the early 1900s. The work was hard, but many agreed on one of the main perks: an appreciation for neighbors and a powerful sense of community — a narrative that continues to run through the fabric of Revolution Mill.
This iconic thoroughfare in the heart of Greensboro has evolved into a modern-day creative hub with a vibrancy maintained by the many people who walk its streets and celebrate its history.
In the hush of the off-season, delight in some of our coast’s quieter highlights.
Wherever he rambles, our resident traveler finds comfort in a cup of joe.
Somewhere between cutting fries and scrubbing the grills at her first restaurant management job, one chef found love. When she and her husband crave familiar flavors, these are the recipes she makes.
