4 Historic Downtown Walks

Want to adventure around Thomasville, but not sure where to start?

Thomasville has four specific self-guided tours curated for visitors to explore their Historical downtown. Each walk begins at the Visitors Center (Historic Train Depot beside the Red Caboose) and they are all less than one mile long (round-trip).

Tours include: The Mural Walk, The Church Walk, The Historic Houses Walk, and The Commerce Walk.

The walking trails can be found in the Visitors Guide. Visitors can pick up a Guide at the Visitors Center ,or download one at visitthomasvillenc.com and/or download the free app, “PocketSights”, to serve as a guide.

Historic Building Murals

“Murals have a way of bringing people together and telling a story that might otherwise go unheard.” -Shepard Fairey

Take a walk around Thomasville and see the stories and narrative that have been made into public art throughout the historic downtown.

Thomasville has long been an industrial city steeped in textiles, furniture, agriculture, and tobacco. Before the 1960s, the historic district was a bustling, beautiful area with beautiful architectural façades and economic life. With the fall of these industries, the city’s center also suffered. Beautifying the city for not only residents, but as a tool for tourism and cultural heritage, PACE, the Beautification Committee, and other city agencies have worked to rebuild and re-energize historic downtown Thomasville with limited financial resources, and with persistent volunteerism.

Train Watching

Railfans from across the world say Thomasville is the #1 train watching spot in North Carolina.

People have traveled from as far away as Japan to watch the trains, with over 40 trains passing through the heart of historic downtown Thomasville on Norfolk Southern’s main line in a 24-hour period.

This location is perfect for photographers, videographers, and train chasers. The visitors center is housed in the historic train depot sitting right beside the tracks, which is the 2nd oldest depot in the state of North Carolina (built in 1870). Railfans can also visit Mike’s Trains shop which also has a perfect view for train spotting. Don’t forget to visit Thomasville for Trackside Train Day, usually held in April each year

Wedding & Event Venues

Whether you need meeting space for a work event getaway, a much needed family reunion, or the perfect wedding ceremony & reception venue, Thomasville, North Carolina offers a variety of venues to fit perfectly for the occasion.

Nestled in the center of the piedmont Triad, Thomasville’s 11 venues offering experiences from quaint farm locations to wineries, downtown Main Street Band stand, to the elegant, historic Finch House- there is something to fit everyone’s  venue criteria.

“World’s Largest Chair”

The “World’s Largest Chair” or “The Big Chair” is a landmark located in Thomasville, North Carolina.

This larger than life sculpture is a large-scale replica of a Duncan Phyfe armchair built in 1950 by Thomasville Furniture Industries. Before the current chair was built, a predecessor was built in September 1922. The original chair was 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m) tall. The old chair was unfortunately made of pine instead of lasting material, which resulted in it being worn down over time. It was torn down in 1936, and the new chair did not occupy the spot until 1950. The current chair is made from steel and concrete and is 30 feet (9.1 m) tall and the seat is 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) wide. The base is sculpted from Indian limestone.

In 1960, the chair received attention as Lyndon B. Johnson stood on the chair to wave to locals as he campaigned for the United State presidential election, 1960, in which he was the winning vice-presidential candidate.