Known as the home of American golf, Southern Pines is rich in entertainment, dining and history. This small town has plenty to offer in addition to its green fairways.
It was founded in 1884 and was known for its sprawling forests of pine trees and its convenient shopping points. Much of the town’s original history still stands today.
Casino Guitars
It started as an old casino back in the early 1920s where people came to play poker, blackjack, bowling, said Sean Diesfield, one of the store’s product specialists.
The building has since been home to several different ventures, including a Southern Pines favorite, Betsey’s Crepes.
Now owner, Baxter Clement, took over about 15 years ago, teaching music lessons and soon transformed the place into a vibrant guitar shop where they “spec out” custom guitars with brands like Fender and more.
“This is what we call our bread and butter,” Diesfield said, grabbing a guitar off of the wall.
Unlike most music stores, where you aren’t allowed to play the guitars unless you purchase them, Casino Guitars encourages people to come and give the guitars a try and jam out together.
“You can come down here and pick one up off the wall and play it anytime you’d like,” Diesfield said.
The store is known for its custom shop guitars and prides itself on bringing rare one-of-a-kind guitars to the community. They encourage people to stop by, try out a guitar, and have a good time.
“We like to have fun and get loud,” Diesfield said.
Sunrise Theater
Known as the centerpiece of Southern Pines, the iconic Sunrise Theater has served as a community hub for over 100 years.
Initially, the building stood as a hardware store, but was later transformed into a theater in 1941 by Moore County so people could have a place to watch war reels.
“It’s that history which really does make the Sunrise unique,” said Executive Director Tim Russell.
A history that played many important roles, including being one of the first theaters in the South to desegregate in the 1950s.
The theater is located in the heart of downtown Southern Pines and serves as a space where “creativity flourishes.”
“It starts with a really diverse array of programming,” Russell said. “Unlike some other theaters, we do everything from showing movies, both current hits, but also art house, cinema, old movies, black and white, black and whites accompanied by live music.”
Russell said the Sunrise is not a typical movie theater. It is a place to catch concerts, live theater performances, comedy, dance performances, lectures and more.
Shaw House
The Shaw House is the oldest home in Southern Pines. It was built in 1821 by first-generation Scottish settler Charles C. Shaw and his wife Mary.
The family acquired 2,500 acres of land for farming and harvesting timber, crucial for the production of naval stores.
Charles Washington (Squire Wash) Shaw, one of Shaw’s 12 children, acquired the home and soon after became the town’s first mayor in 1887. It remained in the family for 125 years before being acquired by the Moore County Historical Association to ensure its preservation.
Today, the home still sits on its original foundation at the intersection of Morganton and Pee Dee Roads. It is open to the public as a historical site and serves as a constant reminder of Southern Pines’ legacy.
Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities
A link between the conservation of rich history, literature, music, art and more. The Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities is almost like a time capsule as if time stood still.
It was founded in 1979 to preserve and protect the legacy of the historic Boyd family, the Boyd’s house, and the beautiful lands that surrounded it.
James Boyd and his family made Southern Pines their home in the early 20th century, calling it the Weymouth estate for its close resemblance to Weymouth, England.
Boyd would later pass the estate down to his two grandsons, James and Jackson. Younger James built what would become the Weymouth House, where he wrote his first and most well-known novel, Drums (1925). It became the social center for great writers.
For over 40 years, the Boyd’s home served as a writer’s residence. It is the site for the NC Poetry Society meetings, literary readings, dramatic performances and music concerts and recitals.
Guests not only love the beautifully restored house and gardens for its historical background, but also for what some describe as its “beautiful grounds.” The 16-acre estate has plenty of walking trails in addition to the historic homes.
It is open to the public as a natural reserve and park.
Historic Downtown District
The unique array of shops, dining and entertainment still makes up the essence of downtown Southern Pines.
Historic buildings line the streets that, over the years, have been called home by an assortment of businesses providing life’s necessities and leisurely pleasures.
The history is linked to the boom in the 1920s with the coming of the railroad. Southern Pines’ sprawling forests of pine trees became a cash crop, and the downtown district became a convenient shopping point for travelers.
The town grew rapidly as a center for commerce and resort living. WRAL has a guide online of places in downtown that you can visit.
