Host City Guide
Every year, dozens of women from across North Carolina descend on this city with garment bags and big dreams. This is my guide to the city that holds it all — the stage, the food, the history, and the magic. Welcome to High Point.
There is something about driving into High Point that hits different when you know why you are there.
When most people think of High Point, North Carolina, they think of furniture. And they should — this city earned its title as the Home Furnishings Capital of the World and has held it for more than a century. But when I think of High Point, I think of the stage at High Point Theatre. I think of the week that changes lives. I think of the city that hosts the Miss North Carolina competition and does it with a warmth and a pride that makes every titleholder feel like she belongs here, even if she is only here for a week.
This month I am headed to High Point. Twenty years in this program. Final year of eligibility. Same committee that placed my first crown on my head when I was seven. And the city that will hold it all is this one.
So consider this my love letter to High Point — the city, the food, the spots, the history, and everything I want you to know whether you are a titleholder, a family member coming to cheer, or someone who has never been and wants to know what the fuss is about.
"High Point is not just where the competition happens. It is where the transformation happens. Every woman who walks into that theatre leaves it changed."
Miss North Carolina Kick Off Event
This is where the week officially begins — and the energy in this place is something you cannot replicate anywhere else. All titleholders, families, and the community are welcome.
Hosted by Visit High Point and Stock + Grain Assembly, this is your first taste of competition week and the city that makes it all possible.
Oh — and one more thing. June 22nd is also my birthday. On the opening night of my final Miss North Carolina competition. In a city I love. Surrounded by the people who have walked this journey with me. If God does not have a sense of poetic timing, I do not know who does. Twenty-eight is going to be just great.. 🎂🤍
📅 Monday, June 22, 2026
🕐 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍Stock + Grain Assembly (275 N Elm St, Downtown High Point)
Miss North Carolina at High Point Theatre
High Point Theatre is a state-of-the-art performing arts facility in the heart of downtown — with a 965-seat auditorium, world-class lighting and sound, and the kind of stage presence that makes every woman who walks across it feel like she is exactly where she is supposed to be. This is where it happens. This is where the next Miss North Carolina will be crowned.
Tickets are available now! Whether you are coming for one night or the whole week — the energy in that theatre is unlike anything else. Come cheer. Come witness. Come be part of the moment. 👑
The venues that make this week what it is
Miss NC week does not just happen at the theatre. The entire city opens up for us and there are a handful of locations that every titleholder, family member, and fan will get to experience throughout the week. Here are the places that become home for these few incredible days:
🎭 WHERE THE CROWN LIVES
High Point Theatre
The heart of everything. A state-of-the-art performing arts facility in downtown High Point with a 965-seat auditorium and the kind of stage that makes you stand a little taller the moment you step onto it. Preliminaries on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Finals on Saturday night. This is where dreams become reality.
220 E Commerce Ave, Downtown High Point
🎉 WHERE THE WEEK BEGINS
Stock + Grain Assembly
Downtown High Point's food hall — ten independently-owned food concepts and more under one roof. This is where the Miss NC Kick Off Event is hosted on Monday, June 22nd from 5–7 PM by Visit High Point. The energy in this room on opening evening is electric. Don't miss this.
275 N Elm St, Downtown High Point
🎤 WHERE THE REAL COMPETITION HAPPENS
Congdon Yards
A stunning creative campus built from a former hosiery mill — now one of downtown High Point's most vibrant gathering spaces. This is where Miss NC interviews take place — which means this is where we stand across from a panel of judges and give the most important ten minutes of competition week. If the theatre is where we perform, Congdon Yards is where we prove who we are when there is no audience and no applause. Just us, the judges, and the truth of what we carry.
410 W English Rd, Downtown High Point
🏛️ WHERE HISTORY MEETS HOSPITALITY
JH Adams Inn
An Italian Renaissance mansion built in 1918, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and one of the most beautiful boutique hotels in all of North Carolina. JH Adams hosts the Miss NC reception — and the moment you walk through those doors you understand why. The grand staircase, the carved moldings, the marble fireplace — it is the kind of space that makes you feel like you are part of something historic. Because you are. The on-site restaurant, Cristina Gray's, serves French-American fusion with seasonal Southern ingredients and is worth a visit on its own.
1108 N Main St, Uptowne High Point
🎓 A PROUD SUPPORTER OF MISS NC
High Point University
One of the most beautiful university campuses in the Southeast — and a supporter of the Miss North Carolina Organization. All contestants tour HPU during competition week — and every single year the campus takes our breath away. Manicured gardens, world-class facilities, and a commitment to excellence that mirrors exactly what this program stands for. HPU's partnership with Miss NC is one of those alignments that feels exactly right.
One University Parkway, High Point
High Point does not just host Miss NC. It holds it.
What makes competition week in High Point special is not just the theatre. It is the way the entire city wraps itself around this event.
That is not a list of venues. That is a community. And it is one of the reasons this week feels the way it does — like every woman who walks into it is exactly where she is supposed to be.
A LITTLE HISTORY
High Point — More than furniture, but also absolutely the furniture
DID YOU KNOW?
High Point has been the Home Furnishings Capital of the World for over 100 years...
Chartered in 1859, High Point sits at the highest point on the North Carolina Railroad between Charlotte and Goldsboro — which is literally how it got its name. That railroad connection turned a small Piedmont town into one of the most important manufacturing hubs in the American South. By the early 1900s, High Point was the center of furniture manufacturing in the country, and by mid-century, an estimated 60% of all furniture made in America was produced within 150 miles of this city.
Today, the High Point Market is the largest home furnishings trade show in the world — over 11 million square feet of showrooms, 2,000 exhibitors, and tens of thousands of designers and buyers descending on this city twice a year. It is, for the furniture world, what Fashion Week is for fashion.
And then there is the World's Largest Chest of Drawers — a 36-foot-tall piece of roadside Americana that has been standing since 1926 as a monument to High Point's furniture heritage. Should you take a photo with it? Without question. It is a High Point rite of passage. 🗄️
Where to eat in High Point — from competition week fuel to family date night
Competition week runs on coffee and adrenaline and the occasional very good meal. High Point's food scene has grown beautifully in the last few years and there are some spots you genuinely need to know about — whether you are a contestant looking for pre-show fuel, a family looking for dinner after prelims, or someone who just wants to eat really well in a city that deserves more foodie credit than it gets.
🍽️ THE FOOD HALL — WHERE COMPETITION WEEK STARTS
Stock + Grain Assembly
Downtown High Point's first food hall — ten independently-owned food concepts under one roof. From biscuits and brisket to sushi and artisan pizza, everyone at your table gets exactly what they want. This is also where the Miss NC Kick Off Event is hosted — so you will be here Monday night anyway. Come back every day after.
Best for: groups, families, "nobody can agree on what to eat" nights
✨ FINE DINING — CELEBRATION NIGHT
Blue Water Grille
East State Avenue. Upscale with global influences — French, Asian, Caribbean — and an extensive wine list. White tablecloths, elegant aquariums, and the kind of atmosphere that says you just finished competition week and you deserve this. The New York Strip is the move.
Best for: post-finals celebration, date night, treating yourself
🌿 ELEVATED SOUTHERN — THE ONE LOCALS LOVE
Southern Roots
Jamestown, just minutes from downtown High Point. Elevated Southern cuisine that feels like home but looks like a magazine. Fresh, seasonal, locally sourced, and consistently one of the highest-rated restaurants in the area. If you eat at one sit-down restaurant this week — make it this one.
Best for: the meal you will tell everyone about when you get home
🍕 DOWNTOWN CASUAL — PERFECT FOR GROUPS
Earl's Landing
Newly opened in downtown High Point and already a local favorite. Great food, great energy, and the kind of atmosphere that feels like exactly what you need after a long day of rehearsals and competition prep. Casual enough for pageant sweats. Delicious enough for a real meal.
Best for: sister queens dinner, family night, unwinding after a long day
🍳 BRUNCH — COMPETITION MORNING FUEL
Magnolia Blue
The brunch spot. The Magnolia Omelette with lump crab and havarti cheese is the kind of morning meal that makes you feel prepared for whatever the day is about to ask of you. Beautiful interior. Impeccable service. Parking behind the building — walk toward the ground floor entrance.
Best for: family brunch, feeling fancy before noon
🍖 CLASSIC BBQ — NORTH CAROLINA ESSENTIAL
Kepley's Barbecue
You cannot come to the North Carolina Piedmont and not eat barbecue. Kepley's has been doing it right for decades — chopped pork, vinegar-based sauce, hush puppies, the whole deal. If your family is visiting from out of state, this is the North Carolina experience they came for.
Best for: out-of-towners, the "I need real NC BBQ" moment
Where to get your morning espresso — because competition week runs on caffeine
☕ Joy Bar Coffee
The highest-rated coffee shop in High Point and the one I hear about most from locals. Great lattes, friendly staff, and the kind of cozy energy that makes you want to stay longer than you planned. If you only hit one coffee spot this week — make it this one.
☕ Chi Rho Coffee
Great vibe, great coffee, and a community-centered atmosphere that feels intentional. The name alone tells you something about the heart behind it. A beautiful spot for a quiet morning before the day gets loud.
🍪☕ Cara's Cookies & Coffee at Stock + Grain
Already at the food hall for the kick off event? Cara's is right there inside Stock + Grain. Coffee and fresh cookies — which is genuinely all you need some mornings during competition week. Convenient, delicious, and steps from everything.
Things to do in High Point when you are not watching from the audience...
🗄️ World's Largest Chest of Drawers
Thirty-six feet tall. Standing since 1926. Socks hanging out of the drawer and everything. Is it an absolute must-do photo op that everyone in your group will post? Yes. Without question yes.
🏛️ High Point Museum
If you have a free afternoon and want to understand the city that is hosting this week, the High Point Museum tells the full story — from the railroad crossroads to the furniture empire to the vibrant community it is today. They also have a museum app with walking tours including a furniture history trail.
🎨 Downtown Murals and Art Walk
High Point's downtown is full of murals and public art installations that are genuinely beautiful. Walk the main streets with your phone and discover them — they make incredible photo content and give your social media a backdrop that is not the hotel room.
🛍️ Furniture Shopping
You are in the Furniture Capital of the World. There are over 100 furniture stores and 50+ outlet shops in this city. If you or your family have even a passing interest in home design — block an afternoon and go explore. Furnitureland South alone is 1.3 million square feet.
Thank You, High Point!
High Point has held the Miss North Carolina competition and the city does it with a generosity and a pride that every girl feels from the moment she arrives. The restaurants welcome us. The community shows up. The theatre holds every dream.
Come for the competition. Stay for the food. Leave with a story. And take a picture with the giant dresser because you absolutely have to. 🗄️👑
See you at High Point Theatre. June 22nd through the 27th.
"Every woman who walks into that theatre leaves it changed."
With love, birthday cake dreams, and garment bags full of dreams
Taylor, Miss Mount Holly 2026
