Make a Day of the Magic: Family-Friendly Things to Do in High Point, NC
Traveling to the Fairytale Palace? Turn your visit into a whole family adventure!
Have you been wanting to visit Reserving Royalty’s Fairytale Palace for a Private Princess Playdate, ticketed event or one of our other magical experiences, but you're coming from outside the Triad?
Here’s your excuse to make the drive!
Families travel to visit us from all over North Carolina and beyond, and there is SO much more to discover while you're here. High Point has grown into a wonderful family destination filled with hands-on museums, parks, local restaurants, sports, sweet treats and some wonderfully quirky attractions you won't find anywhere else.
Instead of driving to High Point for one magical experience and heading straight home, make a whole family day... or even a weekenkout of it!
Here are some of our favorite ways to build your own High Point adventure.
đź‘‘ Start With a Little Magic at Reserving Royalty's Fairytale Palace
Obviously, we have to start here!
Reserving Royalty’s Fairytale Palace is our whimsical children's venue right here in High Point and home to our princess experiences, private celebrations, special events and magical Private Princess Playdates.
And here's something many families don't realize:
You don't need to book a birthday party to visit the Palace!
Our Private Princess Playdates are designed for small groups of 1–4 children and are perfect for families who want a more personal character experience.
Choose a favorite princess and enjoy special one-on-one time inside the Fairytale Palace without needing to plan an entire birthday celebration.
They're perfect for:
✨ A special mother-daughter day✨ Siblings or cousins✨ Best-friend adventures✨ Birthday surprises✨ Grandparent days✨ Vacation surprises✨ Celebrating a milestone✨ Or simply because childhood doesn't need an occasion for a little magic!
If you're traveling into High Point specifically to visit us, don't think of your Playdate as the only activity of the day.
Think of it as the magical centerpiece and build your High Point adventure around it.
🦖 Add a Visit to High Point's Incredible Children's Museum
If we had to recommend ONE place to pair with your Fairytale Palace visit, this would be it.
The Nido & Mariana Qubein Children's Museum in downtown High Point is an amazing hands-on children's museum with two floors of interactive exhibits, an Outdoor Adventure Zone, Hall of Mysteries and even a Double-Decker Carousel.
Kids can pretend to run their own restaurant, work in a veterinary clinic, climb aboard a fire truck, become part of a race-car pit crew, experiment in the STEAM Lab, explore Mars, create art and so much more.
And yes—the carousel is included with regular museum admission!
This is definitely more than a "pop in for 30 minutes" kind of museum, so give your family plenty of time to explore.
Our dream little-kid combination?
Children's Museum + Princess Playdate + Ice Cream.
Childhood perfection.
đź“Ť 200 Qubein Avenue, High Point, NC 27262
🍔 Let Everyone Pick Lunch at Stock + Grain
Traveling with kids means someone wants a burger, someone wants tacos and someone has suddenly decided they only eat sushi.
Enter Stock + Grain Assembly.
Located in downtown High Point beside Truist Point, Stock + Grain is a modern food hall where the family doesn't have to agree on one restaurant.
Current concepts include burgers, tacos, barbecue, sushi, Mediterranean options, fried chicken, cookies and coffee.
Grab different meals, find a table together and everybody wins.
It's also a great lunch choice if you're pairing your Palace visit with the Children's Museum because you're already in the downtown High Point area.
đź“Ť 275 N. Elm Street, High Point, NC 27262
🎠Spend Some Time at High Point City Lake Park
Want to add some outdoor time without buying another major attraction ticket?
Add High Point City Lake Park to your list.
This is one of those classic childhood parks that has a little bit of everything. The park covers hundreds of acres and includes a playground, lake, picnic areas and seasonal attractions including a merry-go-round, miniature train, miniature golf, boat rides, swimming and a water slide.
It's a great option if you have an hour or two to fill before or after your Palace reservation—or pack a picnic and make it a bigger part of the day.
đź“Ť 602 W. Main Street, Jamestown, NC 27282
Local tip:Â Some attractions are seasonal, so check what's operating before promising the kids a train ride!
đź’¦ Coming in the Summer? Go BIG With Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe
If you're traveling from farther away, this could easily turn your High Point trip into an overnight family getaway.
Bring the swimsuits!
Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe is located in neighboring Greensboro and features 40+ attractions ranging from kid-friendly splash areas and pools to a lazy river, wave pool and major water slides.
For younger children, there are dedicated areas like Happy Harbor and Splash Island, while bigger kids (and brave grownups!) can take on the larger slides.
It's close enough to make a fantastic addition to a trip centered around High Point.
Day One:Â Princess magic + explore High PointDay Two:Â Swimsuits + waterslides
Now that's a reason to make a road trip.
đź“Ť 3910 S. Holden Road, Greensboro, NC 27406
🪑 You HAVE to Take a Picture With the World's Largest Chest of Drawers
We're the furniture capital...of course we have a giant dresser.
While you're in town, make a quick stop at World's Largest Chest of Drawers.
The giant furniture-shaped High Point landmark dates all the way back to 1926, meaning it celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026!
And yes, there are giant socks hanging out of it.
It isn't an all-afternoon attraction—it's a quirky High Point photo opportunity that's perfect to squeeze between other stops.
Tell the kids you're going to see a dresser taller than the house and don't explain anything else until you get there.
đź“Ť 508 N. Hamilton Street, High Point, NC 27262
âšľ Catch a Game While You're Here
Depending on the time of year, check what's happening at Truist Point before you visit.
High Point
Check the High Point Discovered Things to Do Guide for even more current local ideas and attractions. Their directory includes parks, museums, sports, arts, outdoor recreation and plenty of places you might otherwise miss.
🌳 Go on a Magical Troll Hunt for Little Sally!
Did you know a giant troll is hiding somewhere in High Point?
Meet Little Sally, High Point's larger-than-life wooden troll created by internationally renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo.
But we're not going to tell you exactly where she lives... because finding her is part of the adventure!
Little Sally is crafted from reclaimed wood and natural materials and is part of a family of seven trolls hidden across North Carolina. Five of her troll family members live in Raleigh, another lives in Charlotte, and Little Sally has made her home right here in High Point. Each troll even holds a clue connected to the mystery of the Grandmother Tree.
🛝 Have a Kid Who Just Needs to RUN?
We understand.
High Point has plenty of parks and outdoor spaces where kids can burn off that last mysterious reserve of energy they always seem to have.
In addition to City Lake Park, High Point Discovered recommends places like Oak Hollow Festival Park, where the playground overlooks Oak Hollow Lake.
You can also explore the High Point Greenway, Piedmont Environmental Center, Armstrong Park, Oak Hollow Lake and other outdoor spaces around the city.
These are especially useful if you have some extra time between reservations and don't necessarily want to pay for another attraction.
🌧️ What If It Rains?
Don't cancel the adventure!
The Children's Museum is an obvious choice for indoor fun, but High Point has additional indoor family activities worth exploring.
High Point Discovered's local Things to Do directory includes options like
Safari Nation Playground and more.
Save a couple of indoor options before your trip and you have an instant backup plan if North Carolina weather decides not to cooperate.
🎄 Visiting During Christmas? Don’t Miss HPU’s Holiday Magic!
If your Fairytale Palace visit happens during the Christmas season, add High Point University to your High Point adventure!
Each year, HPU transforms its campus with more than 100,000 Christmas lights, hundreds of giant nutcrackers, a life-size Nativity and enormous Christmas trees—including a 70-foot tree. Their annual Christmas Drive is complimentary and open to the community, making it an especially fun addition to a holiday Princess Playdate or Reserving Royalty Christmas event.
✨ Our holiday day-trip idea: Fairytale Palace Christmas magic + dinner in High Point + HPU Christmas lights = a pretty magical December adventure!
Dates and details can vary each year, so check HPU’s official Christmas Lights page when planning your visit.
✨ Build YOUR Perfect High Point Family Day
There isn't one right way to do it.
Pick the combination that sounds the most like your family.
đź‘‘ The Ultimate Little Princess DayPrivate Princess Playdate + Children's Museum + ice cream
🦖 The Curious Kid DayChildren's Museum + lunch at Stock + Grain + Fairytale Palace
đź’¦ The Summer AdventureFairytale Palace + Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe
🎠The Budget-Friendly AdventureFairytale Palace + World's Largest Chest of Drawers + City Lake Park + picnic
âšľ The Something-for-Everyone DayFairytale Palace + Stock + Grain + High Point Rockers or Carolina Core FC
✨ The “We're Driving a Couple Hours, So We're Making a Weekend of It” TripChildren's Museum + Fairytale Palace + downtown High Point on Day One, then Wet 'n Wild on Day Two.
đź‘‘ Come for the Magic. Stay to Discover High Point.
We know not every family who discovers Reserving Royalty lives right around the corner.
Some of you drive a little farther to experience the Fairytale Palace—and we are incredibly honored every time you do.
So if you've been looking at one of our Private Princess Playdates, ticketed events or Fairytale Palace experiences and wondering whether it's worth making the drive...
Make the drive part of the adventure.
Ride a double-decker carousel.Eat something delicious downtown.Take a picture with an enormous dresser.Ride a miniature train.Splash down a waterslide.Eat the ice cream.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that...
Come meet a princess. 👑✨
High Point is ready for your family's next little adventure and we'll have the Palace ready for you.
Keep Exploring High Point
For even more locally curated restaurants, events, shops and things to do during your visit, we recommend browsing High Point Discovered before your trip. It's a wonderful resource for discovering what's happening around our city and finding locally loved places to add to your adventure.
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