Welcome to the Sandhills! In this series, we’re sharing Moore County treasures — experiences, destinations, and historic artifacts — only found here. Check out Part I, Part II, and Part III of the series.
The gentle, Sandhills terrain on the trail makes this easy outdoor activity wonderful for all ages. Photography courtesy of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area CVB
As you drive down the peaceful dirt road toward Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, roll down your windows to breathe in the clean Southern Pines air. You’re going on a treasure hunt for the oldest longleaf pine in the world, estimated to be 477-years old, and you’ve almost arrived.
Weymouth Woods is home to many rare species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker. photograph by Jean Blom/Shutterstock
About a quarter of a mile down Den Road, look for a grassy area and an information kiosk to your left. Park your car here (if you’re lucky, you might have the whole place to yourself) and make your way over to the sun-dappled, mile-long Round Timber Trail that circles the tree. “The oldest is nowhere near the most impressive tree,” Park Superintendent Billy Hartness says. “There are lots bigger than that one. One is a former state champion.”
Since the oldest tree remains unmarked for its protection, visitors who walk around the quiet pine forest have the fun of closely sizing up each pine beauty, from its needle-covered bed to its blue-sky canopy. As you look up, keep your eyes peeled for the red-cockaded woodpecker, an endangered species that’s native to the Sandhills.
Don’t miss it: Weymouth Woods is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from March through October, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from November through February. Visitors can explore seven miles of hiking trails through the old pine forest that’s home to some of the oldest longleaf pine trees in the world. “At one time, our state’s pine trees supplied about 97 percent of the whole world’s naval supplies. Longleaf pines used to be the dominant tree species for the entire Southeastern coast — trees covered more than 90 million acres,” Hartness says. “Now only about five percent of that ecosystem is intact. One of the most endangered ecosystems in the world is right here in our backyard.”
The Home of American Golf beckons all visitors. From world-class golf, local shopping, and dining, our welcoming Southern hospitality is why people have been coming to the Pinehurst Area for more than a century. Plan your spring Sandhills escape today.
The Sandhills Horticultural Gardens are made up of 12 distinct gardens that can be visited every day of the year from dawn to sunset. Photography courtesy of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area CVB
Tucked behind Sandhills Community College, this collection — with its bright blooms, winding paths, three-acre sparkling lake, and sculptural rare hollies — is more of a treasure trove than a single gem.
These gardens, almost exclusively maintained by students, got their start in 1978 with a generous gift from a retired local chemist and holly collector. Fred Ebersole, who’d moved to Southern Pines from Linden, New Jersey, had amassed a collection of 500 hollies — and he wanted to gift them to Sandhills Community College’s horticulture program.
Over the following three springs, Ebersole and a group of college students carefully relocated each holly to its new Moore County home. The new hollies — and the idea of a garden — took root. Soon after the holly garden gained recognition and certification by the Holly Society of America, the Sandhills Horticultural Center expanded to include the Sir Walter Raleigh Garden.
In the spring, blooming azaleas and rhododendrons transform the Hackley Woodland Garden into a spectacle of colors. Photography courtesy of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area CVB
“This is our jewel, where we get the most requests for weddings and pictures,” Executive Director Lee Bunch says. The formal English gardens, designed to commemorate Roanoke Island’s Elizabethan Gardens, attract locals who find respite among the manicured but organic Sunken Garden and couples who marry in the Ceremonial Courtyard.
The Hackley Woodland Garden caters to plants that thrive in shaded, woodland conditions. Photography courtesy of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area CVB
On the edge of the holly garden and Japanese gardens, Bunch points to a tree that’s grown around a V-shaped scar from the turpentine days. “A lot of people who visit the gardens don’t know that turpentine was one of the first industries here,” he says, echoing Hartness’s sentiment. “Looking at the scar, I would guess this tree is anywhere from 200 to 300 years old. It has a cavity, but it’ll be fine.”
At the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, students are the true prize. As they take what they learn and apply it in the gardens through labs and service-learning hours, the trees grow and flowers flourish. Bunch himself graduated in 1998. “Moore County is a great place for a program like this. Of course you see the talent of our students throughout our gardens, and then they go on to contribute to the beauty of nearby places like Pinehurst.”
Don’t miss it: It’s free to explore Sandhills Horticultural Gardens every day from sunrise to sunset; however, those feeling extra generous can support this student-maintained space by making a donation here. They also host a collection of classes and workshops at their Ball Garden Visitors Center, and a biannual public plant sale every spring and fall.
The North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame pays tribute to iconic writers from across the state. Photography courtesy of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area CVB
Among the formal gardens, a nature preserve, and park that fill the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities’ 26-acre estate, the historic Boyd House is the crown jewel at the center of it all. Home to the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, the Boyd House is recognized by the national literary community, and many acclaimed North Carolina writers agree that access to the house’s Writers-in-Residence program is the secret to their success. For up to two weeks, published authors have the luxury of focusing on their newest work within the stately walls of the historic home.
In the spring, the grounds around the Boyd House and Gardens come alive with vibrant blooms. photograph by John Gessner
Like every good writer who gathers salient details and insightful information from the unlikeliest of sources, James and Katherine Boyd, who built the Southern Colonial Revival house in 1920, took pride in collecting antiques and handcrafted architectural details. In the Great Room, for example, a 200-year-old, hand-carved pine mantel was thrown out from a nearby farmhouse when the homeowners were renovating. James, riding by, noticed the cast-offs (there were three in total) and asked the owner if he could buy them. The Boyds’ architect, Aymar Embury, II, liked the mantles so much, he reflected the carved motif in the window and door plasterwork.
Beyond spring, the Boyd House captivates visitors with its elegance. photograph by John Gessner
Throughout the house, books, art, and furnishings reflect the Boyds’ literary passions. In the library, copies of James’s works are protected in glass cases alongside books written by his friends.
Beyond the Boyd House’s walls, English cottage-style garden rooms are the vision of a Boyd cousin, Alfred B. Yeomans, who incorporated native perennials and annuals alongside century-old Japanese weeping cherry trees. In addition to the Boyd House and the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, the Weymouth Center wears many hats, including hosting the Young Musicians Festival and Weymouth Equestrians.
Beginning in June 2025, the Weymouth Center will host programming for Moore County’s America 250 celebration. Photography courtesy of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area CVB
Don’t miss it: The Weymouth Center is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. “My parents built a house with 14 doors, eight of them glass, looking out over the fields and trees,” wrote Nancy Boyd Sokoloff, Katherine and James’s daughter. “During my childhood, these doors were always open — to friends and neighbors who came to talk about politics, farming and gardening, writing, horses and dogs, history, music, education. That’s the way my parents hoped it would always be.”
Special for 2025, the Weymouth Center will celebrate the 100th anniversary of James Boyd’s Drums, a novel set during the Revolutionary War. This aligns with Moore County’s programming for America 250, the first event of which occurs June 14 and 15. During this weekend, the center will stage a Revolutionary War encampment on its grounds, along with the opening of an exhibit entitled Interpreting Drums, which will feature paintings by artist NC Wyeth. All ages are welcome to visit the immersive experience that interprets the fight for colonists’ independence from the British Crown. Click here to learn about all upcoming events at the Weymouth Center.
Which of these beloved ways to celebrate the Sandhills’ outdoors will you experience first? Whether you want to escape to a tranquil garden or wander through the woods, click here to start planning your next outdoor adventure in Moore County.
The influence of a mother’s love — and sometimes her recipes — can be found in restaurant kitchens and on plates in dining rooms across North Carolina.
The oldest hotel in North Carolina was saved from the wrecking ball and has returned to its former glory on the square in downtown Burnsville.
For one family, summiting Stone Mountain is a tradition that strengthens the bond between parent and child.
When a young chef met an aspiring farmer, the two formed a friendship as strong as their love of the land and all it provides.
