Welcome to Moore County! Come for the weekend and discover the unforgettable experiences that await, from culinary adventures and performing arts to unique stays. Whatever your passion, our three-day itineraries share local recommendations to help you Make Moore Memories with every visit.
Ray Owen Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
As a child, Ray Owen used his hands to mold pots out of clay. Living near the largest rural crafts community in the country, he found inspiration and teachers in Seagrove’s community of potters, who nurtured and grew Owen’s love for the arts. “I was set on that path until I was about 23,” he says.
As Owen’s appreciation for the arts broadened, he studied archaeology and ethnology in Israel, Egypt, Liberia, and the Yucatán Peninsula. Then, he came home. “After traveling a while, I started to realize I could have everything I wanted here in Moore County.”
Every time Owen, now the director of development for the Arts Council of Moore County, goes to a grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop, or even golf course, he runs into local artists — potters, musicians, writers, storytellers, and place makers. “I think when you’re in a bigger city, the arts scene is more diluted. But here, artists are right here with you, and we’re all engaged together in working with the cultural economy. You see that everywhere you go.”
This is the diverse scene he is proud to show off when out-of-towners come to visit. Read on for some of his favorite ways to paint the town.
The Sandhills area beckons all visitors. From world-class golf to local shopping and dining, our Southern hospitality is why people have been coming to the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area for more than 125 years. Plan your Sandhills getaway today!
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The Artists League of the Sandhills displays a rotating selection of works by local artists. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
Friday nights in Aberdeen are just as colorful as the paintings donning the walls of The Artists League of the Sandhills. Once a train terminal, the charming, low-slung building at the end of Exchange Street now serves as the nonprofit organization’s headquarters. Here, guests mill about during the evening, admiring the works of local artists. “It’s a really phenomenal collection of artists, and the first Friday of each month is always festive and fun, with a changing array of displays and exhibits and working spaces,” Owen says. “You get to meet so much of the community because people pour in from all the neighborhoods to support the arts.”
Also on the first Friday of the month, an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the historic Campbell House in Southern Pines invites you to explore the Arts Council’s first-floor feature galleries. Exhibits that feature nationally acclaimed and local artists rotate every month. “It’s quite grand to come here for a reception, and you get a great cross-section of people from all over the world,” Owen says.
Bring your own chair or picnic blanket to the lawn at First Bank Stage to catch the First Friday concert. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
In downtown Southern Pines, the party continues at First Friday at the Sunrise Theater. From August through November, music lovers enjoy a free, monthly concert. Spread out your picnic blanket or set up chairs on the lawn and settle in for the live music from John “Papa” Gros in September, Bearly Dead in October, and Jocelyn and the Sweet Compression in November.
At the corner of W. Pennsylvania Avenue and N. Bennet Street, Southern Pines Brewing Company is a convenient and delicious choice before catching an evening performance at Sunrise Theater. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
All ages are welcome at the casual, family-friendly lawn. “They block off the streets, and you could have a thousand people downtown — truly Americana,” Owen says. When you’re ready for dinner, grab a bite at the on-site food truck and sip on a beverage from Southern Pines Brewing Company.
Start the weekend by shopping for fresh, local produce — including Sandhills peaches — at the Moore County Farmers Market. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
Throughout Moore County, music seems to follow wherever you go — and the Saturday morning farmers market in Southern Pines is no different. As you ramble from one vendor to the next, live music from 10 a.m. to noon awakens all your senses, making the carrots a little brighter and the honey a little sweeter.
After he leaves the farmers market, Owen likes to stroll over to Sweet Basil on Broad Street for an early lunch with an artsy edge. “Locals love to eat here, the food is delicious and there’s art on all the walls — it’s rather gallery-like,” Owen says.
The array of electric six-strings at Casino Guitars will strike a chord with all music lovers. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
Continue your urban exploration of the county with a visit to Casino Guitars, a nationally recognized shop owned by Baxter Clement, a Southern Pines native. After graduating from the North Carolina School of the Arts, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and a career in New York, Clement returned to Moore County to start the Sandhills School of Performing Arts.
When guitar enthusiasts enter his shop, whether they happen upon it or drive for miles to seek it out, their jaws drop at Clement’s selection of acoustic and electric instruments. The array of Fender guitars alone is the largest collection in the Southeast.
For the afternoon, pop into professional potters’ studios in Seagrove. From his years of personal experience as a potter, Owen has seen first-hand how important Seagrove’s artists are to the cultural heritage of Moore County. “The first immigrant potter arrived in the late-18th century, and since then, the potters’ wheels have never stopped turning,” he says. “Today, around the village of Seagrove are 50-plus family-operated shops and more than 100 potters.”
Marvel at the hand-crafted ceramic pieces by Seagrove potters at the North Carolina Pottery Center. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
For a lay of the land, start at the North Carolina Pottery Center. Works from most of the area’s potters are on display throughout the open, light-filled building, so you can pick which pieces speak to you and grab a map that directs you to their creators’ studios. “You can go and watch the potters work,” Owen says. “There’s every kind of pottery you can imagine, from traditional wood-fired pottery to famous styles like those at Jugtown Pottery.”
Order one of the North Carolina craft beers on tap at Red’s Corner and snack your way through the different offerings from the food truck park. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
After you spend the afternoon driving through the countryside and meeting Seagrove artists, return to Southern Pines and unwind at Red’s Corner, a lively beer garden surrounded by food trucks. “It’s become a great community gathering space, where a lot of families and children just pour into,” Owen says. “There are so many different choices in terms of food, and it’s a great place to see a slice of local culture.”
On Saturday evenings, Owen likes to check the events calendar to see what’s on tap at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center in Pinehurst. “They bring in ensemble casts — a lot of players from Manhattan and different theaters from around the country.”
Explore seven miles of hiking trails at Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
From the subject matter on display in the Arts Council’s gallery to the clay that gives Seagrove pots their form and color, nature undeniably influences Moore County’s arts scene. “We’re living among one of the rarest habitats in the world,” Owen says. Experience it for yourself with a morning walk through Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve. Filled with some of the country’s oldest pines, the forest is home to species like the fox squirrel, purple pitcher plant, and Sandhills pyxie-moss.
After your walk in the woods, treat yourself to a seasonal espresso drink and scone at The Java Bean Roasting Co. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
Tucked under the pines in a tiny wooden house, Java Bean Roasting Company serves a love for community in its most delicious and comforting form: a hot cup of coffee, sipped in a comfortable chair by a window overlooking azaleas and rhododendron bushes. “This is one of my favorite places on planet Earth,” Owen says. “You go in there, and people are engaged in really dynamic conversations.”
Even if you don’t visit on a Sunday, you can still explore the whimsical grounds at Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
Plan to spend the afternoon exploring the formal gardens of the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities. The former home of author James Boyd and his wife, Katharine Lamont Boyd, the historic, 26-acre estate is now a creative enclave for artists and writers, hosting writers-in-residence and home to the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.
Close out your weekend in style with the weekly “Come Sunday Jazz” performance at Weymouth Center. Photography courtesy of Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
If you’re visiting March through October and happen to be in town the last Sunday of the month, laze away the afternoon listening to jazz on the grounds. From 2 to 4 p.m., the “Come Sunday Jazz” series features a well-curated lineup of musicians. Bring your lawn chairs and snacks and settle in for a relaxed finale to your restorative, culture-filled weekend.
Ready to see, hear, and experience it all for yourself? Click here to start planning your own immersive arts journey through Moore County.
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