family at the Campbell House
Family with baby and toddler smiling
mother and her kids

With the winter weather weighing me down here in Pinehurst, I am finding myself looking forward to the warmth of the spring weather and longer days. I love our little town and neighboring cities (I am talking to you Southern Pines and Aberdeen!) and the more we have found our groove here, the more little traditions we have carved out for our family once spring weather comes our way. Here are my top 5 favorite things to do with my kiddos in the Sandhills region:


Ice Cream in the Village or in Downtown Southern Pines


My kids know the way to mama's heart is ice cream, so it is no surprise that we have made our way around Pinehurst on the search for our favorite ice cream stops! In Pinehurst, we LOVE the creamy ice cream at Cameron and Co in the Pinehurst Village! Even better, you can take the ice cream to go (hey covid!) and enjoy the rocking chairs on the porch, or walk across the street to Tufts Park and let the kids run off their sugar rush in the large field.


In Southern Pines you'll find us at the Ice Cream Parlor and then taking a stroll down the streets for some small town window shopping. My girls LOVE the "rainbow-y" ice cream here, and we love the homemade selections!


In Aberdeen we are loyal to Sweet Caroline's and love following their Facebook page for all their cute creations. The shop owners are so kind and know my kids well already!



Take in a little golf-carting


We are in the home of golf after all? After a year in Pinehurst we took the plunge and bought a golf cart, nevermind my husband nor I consider ourselves true golfers! But do you know how amazing golf cart rides are for fussy children and babies? I've yet to encounter a parenting problem that wasn't solved by a ride on the golf cart. With our little chariot we've explored so many little neighborhood treasures in Pinehurst and even better, learned to navigate all the courses and their cut throughs by cart! My oldest is even beginning to think she may take up golf one day. If you see us out-give us a wave!



Hit the library or bookstore


Rain happens but the answer to a rainy day in the Pines is absolutely the amazing bookstores and libraries we have at our disposal. The Country Bookstore in Southern Pines is a mama's dream come true. The kids section is IDEAL for young kids to plop down with a book and get lost in literature. The Southern Pines Library is my go-to for all things toddler entertainment. If you haven't checked out their selection of Wonderbooks (audiobooks for kids that they can read themselves!) then you are missing the biggest mom hack I have!


The Park in Southern Pines or Pinehurst


All Sandhills Moms know about our amazing parks. Pinehurst's Camelot park is my preschoolers only vision of what Disney Land MUST be, We love hitting these parks up early in the mornings before the crowds come and after Covid I will NEVER take a park for granted again. Right?


Explore Weymouth Woods


We are late to the game on this one, but the trails and magic in Weymouth Woods is not to be missed. Sugar rush? Time to send the kids outdoors and parents can snag some exercise too. During many of my family photography shoots over at The Weymouth Arts Center, I have been lucky enough to see some horses come through on the trails! Our little area is FULL of surprises and hidden gems!

family photo in the woods on a bench