Explore and Play

Visit for the day, the weekend, or make us part of your road trip pit-stop!

Whether it's outdoor soft adventure you seek, food trails to follow, or learning something at your leisure - we invite you to make Johnston County's towns and convenient interstate exits part of your trip. There's something to experience for the whole family. Explore parks & greenways (many that are dog-friendly), enjoy a local meal prepared with farm fresh ingredients, and get more for your money when you stay overnight using one of our hotel package deals!

Take a drive to one of our scenic farms and pick up fresh produce for your next meal! Experience the culture of JoCo and visit our vibrant downtowns with unique shopping, dining, and entertainment. No matter what you're looking for, you'll find something to do in Johnston County.

So come and explore our beautiful county and all it has to offer!

Explore the Great Outdoors

Spend the day outside at Howell Woods or Clemmons Forest. Bring your dog for a walk, take a stroll down a path with beautiful scenery, discover new plant life, and enjoy the wildlife!

From Heritage to Hollywood

From the largest Civil War Battlefield in NC at Bentonville to the county’s Hollywood connection at the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, we invite you to explore all corners of the county. Get out and experience nature at several greenways (or fairways for golfers), parks and forests for hiking and biking, or pamper yourself for the day at an area spa.

We want to share our agritourism culture with you at area museums like the Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly and on-farm tours, pick-your-own, and special events at Smith’s Family Strawberry Farm and Sonlight Farms. Get to know our area farm families and how it connects to area restaurants and culinary trails – you can visit a farm and take back locally sourced products…Yum!

Johnston County, or JoCo as locals fondly refer to our community, is convenient for day trips from Raleigh, Fayetteville or Wilmington to enjoy a culinary trail for barbecue and stops at area wineries, breweries and a distilleries. Taste, sip, and enjoy a night out for a performance, music or comedy at area venues like the Live@The Rudy or check our calendar of events for upcoming festivals!

Things to Do This Week

The weather is warming and there are so many fun events to attend outside around the county in the coming weeks. Beyond that, we wanted to share a round-up of things to do in JoCo during the Spring.

The restoration of the tobacco barn at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum has been completed. Restoration work helped correct weather damage that had, over time, taken its toll on the historic building,…

Just a short reminder that it is the Year of the Trail in North Carolina. You can learn all about how and why and what in our previous blog detailing the Year of the Trail initiative and how Johnston…

The Ava Gardner Trust and Legacy Talent and Entertainment, in collaboration with Breakfast at Dominique’s, are thrilled to announce the debut of the Officially Licensed Ava Gardner Signature Coffee…

The Ava Gardner Festival was a huge success this past October, with over a thousand visitors attending the full weekend of events celebrating Ava’s 100th year. Fans and collectors traveled to…

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Fall Festivals in Full Swing Soon

Explore and Play

Visit for the day, the weekend, or make us part of your road trip pit-stop!

Things to Do

Shopping

Events

Restaurants

Hotels

About JoCo

Explore the Great Outdoors

From Heritage to Hollywood

Things to Do This Week

Make JoCo Part of Your Spring Adventures

Tobacco Farm Life Museum Barn Restoration Complete

Bentonville's Trails & Upcoming Events

Ava Gardner Inspired Coffee Blend Released

Museum Continues Celebration during Ava’s Birth Month