Road Trip to a Relaxing Girlfriend Spa Getaway in Greensboro North Carolina

We were speechless and super relaxed after our hot stone massages halfway through our trip. It reminded us you don't always have to travel far from home to have amazing experiences – including girlfriend spa getaways.

Greensboro, North Carolina, is only an hour and a half from Raleigh, and my friend and I indulged in the most relaxing weekend there! We road tripped from home for 36 hours in this town, which provided the perfect R&R. Here's exactly what we did and where we did it.

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Day 1 of our Getaway in Greensboro

Lunch at Print Works Bistro

We input the address for Print Works Bistro in our GPS and hit the road from Raleigh around 10:00am. We arrived to the most beautiful scenery around noon, filled with photo-worthy vignettes. The Proximity Hotel is home to this delicious restaurant and it's also the first LEED-designed hotel and restaurant in the United States. (Thank you, sustainability! We love you!)

We were welcomed by a black and white vintage car with the cutest “HELLO!” sign on its roof. Columnar maple trees with splendid orange and yellow fall colors completed this picturesque scene.

The food was absolutely delicious and the restaurant was so classy! The decor took our breath away with yards of hanging fabric and upholstered chairs, with shabby chic patterns.

I opted to eat their salmon dish with fresh green beans and mashed potatoes. (It was heavenly…) We split a dessert sampler because I always love to try a small amount of many options! (The chocolate mousse and apple tart were our favorites of the four items.)

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Check-In to Grandover Resort

We checked into the hotel around 2:00pm so we didn't have to worry about our luggage in the car. (And so I could take photos in daylight!) We “oohed and ahhed” over the rooms as soon as we reached ours on the fifth floor. Our view overlooked one of their two golf courses and was oh-so-attractive!

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #GrandoverResort

Afternoon Tea at O Henry

We headed to the O Henry Hotel after relaxing in our room for about 30 minutes. “Why don't we have tea more often?” we wondered as we excitedly waited for our tea and sweets orders to arrive.

This is the perfect girlfriend spa getaways thing to do in Greensboro, North Carolina! It's so incredibly affordable and something I couldn't imagine enjoying with Dan as much as I did with my girlfriend, Michelle. (No offense Dan!)

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Drinks and Small Plates at GIA: Drink, Eat Listen

We visited during autumn so the sunset while we were inside having tea around 4:30pm. We purposely ordered the “Light Afternoon Tea” at O. Henry because we knew we'd still want to have dinner after. (I like my options and trying as much as possible when I visit a new city.)

GIA was the perfect place for some lite bites and cocktails after tea. I'm so glad I ordered their Tiny Cat Martini because we wound up at the distillery that creates this awesome vodka the next day. And I'm a sucker for a good, savory martini!

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Heavenly Bedtime at Greensboro's Grandover Resort

We were so relaxed in the incredibly comfortable beds at Grandover Resort. Truly after GIA, all we wanted to do was r-e-l-a-x with TV and comfy pillows. We did just that! The bathroom showers were so awesome – it felt great to take a shower before bed.

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #GrandoverResort
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #GrandoverResort

Day 2 of our Weekend Getaway in Greensboro, North Carolina

Breakfast at Grandover Resort

There's no need to leave the hotel for breakfast. I had one of the best omelets I've eaten in a long time at the buffet at DiValletta inside the Grandover. We sat on the perimeter of the round dining room next to floor-to-ceiling windows. Our table was drenched in beautiful daylight at 9:00am, and we had a great view of the exterior gardens.

Relaxing “Couples” Spa Treatment at Grandover

What's a girlfriend spa getaway without a spa treatment?! We arrived at the spa at 10:00am for our massages. A lovely woman showed us to the women's locker area, complete with a sauna and steam room, and we changed into robes.

Two massage therapists were waiting for us in the tranquil hallway, which was filled with quartz crystals. (Be still, my gemstone-loving heart!) They introduced themselves and took us to our separate massage rooms. This would be home {and heaven} for the next 50 minutes.

We both opted to get the Volcanic Stone Massage. I love the feel of this type of massage particularly because I love heat; if you haven't had a hot stone massage you need to treat yourself to one.

Afterward, we were escorted to the waiting room where we recapped our treatments and agreed we were on Cloud 9. We sipped refreshing cucumber water and I indulged in a glass of bubbly when it was offered.

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Distillery Tour and Tasting at Fainting Goat Spirits in Greensboro

We had to eventually snap out of spa bliss (wa waaaah…). We checked out of the hotel at 11:00am and drove to downtown Greensboro. Luckily, Fainting Goat Spirits is downtown and brought us to new levels of happiness.

Fainting Goat Spirits is Greensboro and Guildford County's first legal distillery. This family-owned, award-winning distillery creates a variety of liquors including bourbon, single rye whiskey, gin, and vodka.

Their original sales were all concentrated in North Carolina but there's good news for residents of some other states: they've expanded to South Carolina and Illinois.

Their facility is on Lewis Street and can usually be found with the “garage” door wide open when they're there. They're often rocking away on chairs that look out onto the side street. Their open-door policy feels as if someone's welcoming you into their home. A home where they're making alcohol.

You can take a tour and enjoy a spirit tasting Friday or Saturday in their “Grain to Glass” distillery. It's always fun to see how one distillery functions differently from another, like how Outer Banks Distilling is similar but differs.

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Fainting Goat Distillery Tour

We had a wonderful time touring the distillery with Bill, the official owner father (the owner is named Andrew). He is a CIA-trained chef (that's Culinary Institute of America, not the “other” CIA) and owner of a massage therapy business in Greensboro. It was great to learn from someone who knew so much about distilling, with such a refined palate. It provided a unique perspective.

Did you know most American vodka is made from corn or that it has to be 190 proof to be called vodka? Or that bourbon is clear until the barrel it's in is lit on fire, thus allowing burnt sugar to mix with the alcohol? This is what makes it brown. We learned this and a lot more on our Fainting Goat tour. (That's part of why you need to visit them!)

Their Brand and What's Behind their Names

This distillery doesn't skip a beat and has carefully considered all aspects of their business, down to the shapes of their bottles, their spirit names and labels. Even their website is on-brand. (Dan and I really value good business branding and storytelling so we can't praise and thank them enough for this.) They also proudly declare that the product is distilled in Greensboro, North Carolina on their bottles. How's that for hometown pride?

A “fainting goat” is their family mascot because they appreciate the idea of a goat that faints…but gets back up again. (Fall…get back up.) Their “Tiny Cat” vodka is named after Andrew and his sister, who were given this nickname as kids. (The Tiny Cat part, sans vodka.) 

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

After our tour, we sat at the backroom bar. Tasting alcohol without mixers allows you to really taste what the alcohol contains and how potent it is!

We saw bottles filled with grains, spices and/or vegetables at the end of the bar: each one contained the ingredients used to create the liquor. It greatly assisted in helping us remember what we learned minutes before on the distillery tour and aided in associating its taste with its contents.

Buy a Few Bottles from Fainting Goat Distillery for Home

Buy a few bottles when you're there to support an amazing business and stock up your bar cart! Dan and I love gin and vodka so I bought a bottle of each. (Did I mention their gin is award-winning? It tied with Hendricks in 2018 as one of the Top 5 Gins in the world. Whoa.)

Be sure to follow them on Instagram (@faintinggoatspirits) because the recipes Andrew posts are amazing. We made an entire pitcher of their Slightly ImPEARed cocktail for Friendsgiving and it was gone within thirty minutes of a dozen people arriving. (Note to self: buy more Tiny Cat vodka.)

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Lunch and Shopping Downtown

Greensboro has a really cute downtown area. Elm Street (south and north) is the main drag, with about 10 blocks or so of eateries, bars, coffee, and shopping. We opted to eat at Crafted: The Art of the Taco before shopping at a few cute local stores.

Stop by Meraki Handmade (pictured, below, with the aqua walls) which supports a lot of local NC artists and Antlers and Astronauts, who curates vintage pieces and one-of-a-kind clothing from the southeast region of the US.

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

Colorful Goodbye with Street Art and Murals in Downtown Greensboro, North Carolina

What's a girlfriends road trip getaway without an iconic photo to show for it? Years from now I'll fondly recall my weekend with Michelle, and I bet this photo will help me quickly recall the details. There are great murals around downtown Greensboro, North Carolina and it's definitely worth stopping to see them up close.

We drove past this colorful mural by BustArt, that I saw out of the corner of my eye driving down W. Gate City Boulevard. I imagined an almost cartoon-like screeching halt of the breaks of my car while I exclaimed, “WE NEED TO STOP!” Michelle knows me, so she knew why. This art piece is right next to Dram & Draught, commissioned by Rockers Print Shop. (If you like street art check out our Wynwood, Miami post.)

Park your car and walk around a bit to find some additional, nearby street art gems. (Hint: they're past the parking lot, west of S. Elm Street or away from the main street that leads into downtown.)

Please note: street art is forever changing so if it's not there or the exact same mural when you go don't fret! Just look around for whatever's new and recent. 

The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip
Disclaimer: We thank Visit Greensboro for generously hosting us. We also may make a small commission from affiliate links in this post but all opinions are ours. We bring you genuine content with real facts, photos, thoughts and recommendations. Always.

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The perfect girls weekend is for a spa getaway of course! One of the best things to do in North Carolina is take a road trip to Greensboro to indulge in great restaurants, downtown murals, afternoon tea and of course a massage at a newly renovated spa. We have exactly what we did and where we did it in this complete recap with professional travel advice and photography! Click through for the insider info! #greensboro #visitNorthCarolina #GreensboroNC #GirlsWeekend #SpaWeekend #NCroadtrip

2 Comments

  1. The best girls weekend! Love that it was so close to home, but still felt like a true getaway. Now we just need to start actually having tea more often 😉

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