Old Waynesborough Park — Attraction in Goldsboro

5-26-24

We come to parks to hike, and this is about as good as it will get for hiking in Goldsboro.

There are two lots, one by the visitor center and one further down closer to the cemetery. Bathrooms at both. There is a trailhead at the visitor center lot, complete with paper maps that I recommend you take. The trailhead/visitor center lot will take you through the village buildings.

There are three trails, red, yellow, and blue markings. They are all one trail but split off in sections. Could be better marked, and it would be hard to make sense of direction without the paper map. So again, take the map. All trails are similar with varying canopy heights, open and completely shaded spots, with occasional views of the river and creeks leading to the river. There are occasional overlooks and bird houses throughout. Expect some tall grass at parts, parts with dirt and roots, mosquitoes and other bugs, and spider webs at lower canopy/narrower parts. I would say it is 75% shaded.

We did all the trails combined, several loops, and Strava put this as 3.1 miles from the visitor center with 75 foot elevation gain total. Easy for the average hiker. Would consider this for families or beginner hikers. But since there isn't much by way of hiking in Goldsboro, this would be a great trail to work on hiking speed and endurance.

We did glance at some of the buildings in the village as most have signage detailing their historical use. The visitor center wasn't open on the date above (Sunday).

Doggie bags/trash cans are available at the back lot closer to...

We were greeted by 2 barking dogs that ran to us barking and jumping on 2 five year olds scratching one and scared the other who kept saying" he's trying to eat my shirt ( we have a great Dane ). While being told I should have made an appointment to see the historic area I had to keep pushing the dogs away with my foot while holding both kids. I had 5 other kids with me who were afraid to move. We wanted to see the museum welcome center also. Not once did the person pull the dogs back or try to keep them away or lock them in an office. No the dogs were not vicious aggressors. But they were extremely inappropriate for a public place and their owner was hugely irresponsible and insensitive. I loaded 7 kids back in the van returned to the visitor center and asked, yes or no can we see the village area? The person was more interested in questioning how we ended up there and why. I explained again we saw the sign and decided to stop. Yes or no can we see it? She did go and open the doors accompanied by the dogs. After she returned to museum welcome center. We enjoyed the area. Very nice look at life before electricity. Can not comment on museum welcome center. If it were not for the irresponsible dog owner it is a definite stop and see 1to 2 hours easy...

I went on a Saturday morning. The visitor center and historical buildings are great. I loved my visit here and learning more about the area. The person in the office of the visitor center didn't greet us or speak to us at all. We just wandered and looked around. I appreciate the brochure and property map being available by the door. My partner and I hiked 2 of the 4 trails. The blue, yellow, and orange trails seem to be kept up better than the red trail. We took red, then blue. There are plenty of spots for bird watchers to sit and spot birds. There are also signs that label the types of trees along the trails. The bathrooms at the visitor center were open, but the bathrooms at the trail heads were locked. The trash cans in the bathroom and along the trails were overflowing with trash. Overall, it's a nice place for feeling like you're in nature without having to travel far out of town. The downside is that you hear the ATVs and dirt bikes on the other side...