12 Top things to do in Moore County [Pinehurst, Aberdeen, Southern Pines]

If you’re looking for an easy day trip of somewhere leafy and quiet to escape to, then we highly recommend you check out Moore County, also known as the Pinehurst region or the Sandhills of North Carolina. You’ve probably heard about Pinehurst, the home of American Golf. It’s a charming village amongst the longleaf trees and is well worth exploring.

But there’s also the towns of Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Carthage and several other small villages in this area that offer a varity of things to do.

We visited for a Spring break weekend, partnering with the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and we decided to write this guide on things to do in Moore County so you can explore the best of this region.

Yes, the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area is known for golf and equestrian activities, but there is so much more to this destination for you to enjoy!  Such as…

1. Downtown Aberdeen Food Tour

There is an emerging food scene happening in small, downtown Aberdeen, largely in part to Tori from Foodie Tours NC, who takes foodies on a delicious tasting tour visiting several of the local restaurants.

Savannah and I had the pleasure of joining her for the Aberdeen walking lunch tour, but she also offers tours of Southern Pines, New Bern, and Sanford.

What I loved about this tour was the variety of food we sampled from different global cuisines. It really gave you an insight into an exciting food scene in Aberdeen you may otherwise simply walk past. We taste tested spicy fried chicken biscuits from Mason’s Restaurant and Grocery and Mac and Cheese with BBQ pork from The Workshop Tavern.

We also had French-American style cronuts from The Bakehouse (that’s a cross between croissants and donuts with custard filling) and a tasting plate from Guatemalan restaurant, El Chapin 2 (also in Durham) with the most delicious guacamole and refried beans.

And, of course finished with a healthy serving of creamy homemade ice cream in a waffle cone at Sweet Carolina Ice Cream parlor. You will need to wear elasticized pants as these tasting sizes aren’t tiny bite sized pieces you may have experienced on other food tours on your travels. 

This tour also includes a few alcoholic (or non) beverages, including mojitos (I chose mango) at The Workshop Tavern, mini cocktails at Mason’s, and a fresh homemade mango juice at El Chapin. 

You also learn a little history about Aberdeen while on the tour. It was in fact the first town in the Sandhills, Moore County region. It started with two families who came to the region for tar and turpentine from all the beautiful pine trees.

After they cleared so much of the pine trees (weep) they did not know what to do with the land as it felt so unusable. What brain wave did they have with all that empty space and slightly rolling sand hills? That’s correct. Golf courses! The rest is history. 

FUN FACT: They first marketed the region as a wellness retreat area with gorgeous clean air from all those pine trees…that were no longer there! Tori also has foodie tours in Southern Pines and has just started fun food experiences like a Mother’s Day trolley food tour!

2. Shop in Downtown Southern Pines

Southern Pines has a cute downtown area with boutiques stretching across a few blocks making it an easy walkable shopping experience. Many of the stores we visited have closed down, but new stores have taken over. It seems like this downtown area is always changing and expanding.

While in downtown Southern Pines, be sure to snap your selfie with the Horse Mural at Harbour Place, located right by Downtown Park, and if you enjoy quirky museums, there’s the Taxidermy Hall of Fame which is a good way to kill an hour or so.

3. See (or play at) the Pinehurst Golf Resort

If you’re a mad golfer and are coming for the weekend, you may want to bring your clubs. Craig was a little antsy that there was no swinging for him on this trip. He’s planning a golf weekend return with some friends.

This is called the Home of American Golf for its long history of golf in this country. The courses were modeled off St Andrew’s in Scotland, the birthplace of golf. I have been to St Andrew’s and I can attest to its beauty. Pinehurst has that similar wow factor. 

Pinehurst No 2 is one of the most famous golf courses in the country for its beauty with its longleaf pines, legendary greens and it has hosted the US Open several times and will again next year (we’re planning to attend!) 

If you don’t want to play a round, you can simply admire the beauty of the Carolina Hotel, the manicured courses, and the gorgeous Village of Pinehurst. 

UPDATE: Craig and I visited Pinehurst on a weekend getaway and played a round of mini golf at Thistle Dhu – it was a blast!

4. Enjoy Markets and Music Festivals

Keep an eye on the event calendar when you visit Moore County. You may time it with a cool local festival or market.  When we visited, the local Moore County Farmer’s Market was on in the Downtown Park in Southern Pines. You can pick up some local produce including honey, pastries and coffee. 

We stopped at Live after Five for a while on Friday night to enjoy some live music in the sun and soak up the Pinehurst community vibes.  During the Holidays, the Christmas parades in Aberdeen and Southern Pines are meant to be legendary.

5. Have a local brew

For a small region, there are several local breweries and bars waiting for you. You may even find live music. Head to Pinehurst Brewing, located in a historic steam plant building in the heart of Pinehurst, for delicious BBQ and beers inside what was once the original Village of Pinehurst steam plant, which provided electricity to the Holly Inn, Pinehurst’s first hotel.

There’s a large indoor eating area and smaller beer garden, and their own smokehouse. We had dinner one night and found their brisket and pork to be melt-in-the-mouth delicious. Their collards were some of the best I’ve ever had. 

Any visitor to Southern Pines, especially families, will love Red’s Corner, an iconic spot to sit outside in the sun, enjoy a drink from the tap room (featuring NC beer), grab some food from the food trucks lined up, and listen to live music. 

6. Go hiking in Weymouth Woods, Sandhills Nature Preserve

This region is famous for its longleaf pine trees, and the best place to see them is in the Weymouth Woods, which connect to the towns of Aberdeen and Southern Pines.

From Southern Pines, you can visit the oldest known living longleaf pine tree, estimated to date back to 1548. You’ll find a network of nature trails throughout the 900-acre park as well as a museum and weekly events. There’s also a Discovery Room with things for kids to touch and explore.

7. Relax around Aberdeen Lake

Walk off the food you devoured on the Aberdeen Food Tour with a gentle stroll around Aberdeen Lake Park. All you have to do is walk across the main road to the picturesque Aberdeen Lake.

The trail here is short and easy at 0.9 miles. It takes you around half of the lake crossing over a beautiful wooden bridge. There’s also a playground here and a fountain in the middle of the lake, and lots of waterfowl. You can fish and boat on this lake as well. 

8. Explore Reservoir Park

A great way to start your trip to Moore County is with a short hike around the beautiful Reservoir Park in Southern Pines.

The two-mile loop trail follows the perimeter of the lake under a canopy of pine, oak, and hickory trees, and we saw plenty of joggers and bike riders along the trail, as well as people fishing off the jetty or from their kayaks.

There’s also covered picnic tables if you want to set up for breakfast, or lunch after your walk. And Disc Golfers will be happy with the 18-hole course winding through the trees, following the edge of the lake.

9. Walk the Moore County Mural Trail

Moore County is not just full of historic buildings and hiking trails, it also has a thriving arts scene. Explore the Mural Trail, a vibrant tapestry of public art that weaves through the small towns of Southern Pines, Carthage, Aberdeen, Robbins, Vass, and Cameron, but the highest concentration of murals are in Carthage.

Take a scenic drive to see over a dozen murals that reflect local character and history of this region. Some of our favorite murals are the Horse Mural in Southern Pines, located on Harbour Place, which was created in late 2022 by Nick Napoletano and pays homage to the region’s equestrian culture, and also the “When Tobacco Was King” mural at 104 McNeill Street, which was created by Scott Nurkin as a nod to North Carolina’s tobacco growing history. You can find all the mural locations in this guide.

10. Watch an equian show at Pinehurst Harness Track

Another way to pay homage to the region’s horse culture is to watch a polocrosse, dressage, or hunter-jumper competition at Pinehurst Harness Track, the the oldest continuously operating equine sports facility in the state. This track has been a longtime winter training center for Standardbred horses for over a century, and has trained champion horses.

Check the website for events, but if there’s no events, you can watch the horses train whilst enjoying breakfast at the onsite restaurant. The whole family can enjoy this activity!

11. Explore the Pottery Highway

Another thing Moore County is known for is pottery. The Pottery Highway is a stretch of road (Highway 705) surrounding Seagrove, which has the highest number of potters in the country.

For thirty miles, hundreds of artisans have their workshops, studios, and galleries. The tradition of producing pottery here has extended as far back as the eighteenth century and it’s said many of the original Scots and Irish who came over to make pottery still have descendants working the same craft today. Learn about the artisans and potters on the Pottery Trail here.

Where to eat in Moore County

Apart from all the places to eat in Aberdeen I mentioned via our food tour, here are a few other places we recommend eating in Pinehurst and Southern Pines. There are a huge number of restaurants and cafes to suit all tastes. We plan on returning so we can share more with you. For now, here’s what we enjoyed. 

Have the best breakfast at Betsy’s Crepes, Southern Pines

For a French-style breakfast with sweet or savory crepes, and Parisian artwork on the walls, head to Betsy’s Crepes in Downtown Southern Pines. They even have gluten-free crepes! 

Lunch at The Deuce, Pinehurst Country Club 

Is there a better place to eat lunch in Home of American Golf than the Deuce Restaurant overlooking the famous 18th hole of Pinehurst No 2? I enjoyed watching the golfers while eating tasty chicken wings at this surprisingly affordable restaurant. 

Coffee at Amor Ciego Coffee Co, Southern Pines

Don’t bother searching for the best coffee shops in the Pinehurst region. We found it: Amor Ciego Coffee Co in Southern Pines. In fact, it’s one of the best coffees we’ve had in North Carolina. Actually, make that the USA. 

Funny story, as soon as I sat down at my table, I overheard the people next to me speaking and turned and stared. I then had to quickly apologize for staring, “but I recognize that accent anywhere!”

We then had a very enjoyable conversation over fantastic coffee with our new Australian friends who live in Southern Pines, who coincidentally also met in the same coffee shop. 

As Australians are notorious and proud coffee snobs, we all exclaimed how the coffee at Amor Ciego was just as good as you’d get at home. And then we all spoke of how much we miss Australian coffee. It’s a thing.  They also serve sandwiches and baked goods.

Dinner at Drum & Quill, Pinehurst

We ate dinner at Drum & Quill in Pinehurst, named after legendary golf writer and broadcaster Bob Drum. This cute and cozy pub has English village vibes. Their food was standard pub fare, but of the delicious kind. Kalyra claimed her wings as some of the best she’s had. 

Where to stay in the Pinehurst Region

We stayed just outside of Aberdeen in the Hilton Garden Inn, which was centrally located to all these things to do. It’s quite a simple hotel, with spacious rooms, a great lobby and bar area and parking.  If you want a more quintessential Pinehurst experience, choose to rent a vacation home on Airbnb.

These towns and villages have lots of small bungalows to rent amongst the trees, it would make for a lovely vacation experience.