High Point

High Point earned its name through simple geography: it was the highest point on the railroad line between Goldsboro and Charlotte. Nowadays the city's "high point" is hosting the semiannual High Point Market, the largest wholesale furniture trade show in the world. Each spring and fall for about a week, so many people flood "Furniture City" that its population of 112,000 nearly doubles. The rest of the year, the place can be pretty sleepy. Note that downtown High Point can feel like a ghost town on weekends, lorded over by massive buildings full of furniture but very few people. Thus, the town is lacking in memorable restaurants; for more varied eats, check out nearby Greensboro or Winston-Salem.