Where To Eat › Barbecue › Barbecue Road Trips
Short answer: Two one-day barbecue drives: an Eastern whole hog loop from Raleigh through Goldsboro, Ayden and Wilson, and a Lexington day from Greensboro. Road times come from OpenStreetMap routing; days open come from each place’s own site. Eastern works Wednesday to Saturday, Lexington Tuesday to Saturday.
- 2Road tripsone day each
- 10Stopsall pinned on the map
- Wed-SatBest dayswhen every main stop is open
- 10:00 / 11:00Start timesEastern day 10:00 a.m. and Lexington day 11:00 a.m., our planning estimate
How we checked: each stop’s own website for its address and days open. All read on November 4, 2026. Hours, prices and dates change, so confirm with the place or organizer before you drive. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. Road times between stops come from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), with no live traffic, closures or construction. Time at each stop, Essential or Optional, and arrival times are our own planning estimates. We rank nothing: no source we used ranks these places, and we did not taste, rate or compare them. Nobody paid to be listed.
Eastern Whole Hog Day From Raleigh
One long lunch day through the Coastal Plain, where whole hog with a vinegar and pepper sauce is the tradition NCpedia describes. Each stop is lunch-sized: share a tray, then drive on. Go Wednesday to Saturday: Wilber’s is closed Monday and Tuesday and Skylight Inn is closed Sunday, per their own sites.
Goldsboro, Ayden and Wilson
Day at a glance: about 165 min at stops plus 244 min on the road, 6 h 49 min in all, done about 4:49 p.m. (our estimate from a 10:00 a.m. start).
- Stop 1: North Carolina State Capitol (start and finish)10:00 a.m. arrival (our estimate)First stop. A public landmark used only as a start point in downtown Raleigh. Start whenever suits; arrival times move with it.
- Stop 2: Wilber’s Barbecue11:16 a.m. arrival (our estimate)76 min, 58.0 mi by road from the last stop. About 45 min here, Essential (our estimate). 4172 US-70, Goldsboro. Open Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., per its site. The site says whole hogs are cooked all night over oak embers.
- Stop 3: Skylight Inn BBQ12:52 p.m. arrival (our estimate)51 min, 40.1 mi by road from the last stop. About 45 min here, Essential (our estimate). 4618 Lee St., Ayden. Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Sunday, per its site. The site says “Since 1947.”
- Stop 4: Sam Jones BBQ (Winterville)1:48 p.m. arrival (our estimate)11 min, 6.5 mi by road from the last stop. About 30 min here, Optional (our estimate). 715 West Fire Tower Road, Winterville. Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., per its site. Your Sunday swap for Skylight Inn.
- Stop 5: Parker’s Barbecue3:07 p.m. arrival (our estimate)49 min, 39.5 mi by road from the last stop. About 45 min here, Optional (our estimate). 2514 US Hwy 301 South, Wilson. Its site lists dine-in 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and take-out to 7:30 p.m. but not which days Not confirmed
- Stop 6: North Carolina State Capitol (finish)4:49 p.m. arrival (our estimate)57 min, 47.7 mi by road from the last stop. A public landmark used only as a start point in downtown Raleigh. Start whenever suits; arrival times move with it.
If it is Sunday: skip Skylight Inn and make Sam Jones in Winterville your second stop. Monday or Tuesday: Wilber’s is closed, so start at Parker’s in Wilson and run the loop the other way. Dogs and kids: none of these sites says whether dogs are allowed on patios Not confirmed; the stops are counter or table-service restaurants, so plan for kids to eat at a table. Places sell out or close early at times; check each place’s own site the morning you go.
Lexington Day From Greensboro
A shorter Piedmont day for shoulder barbecue with the red “dip” NCpedia ties to Lexington. Go Tuesday to Saturday: Lexington Barbecue is closed Sunday and Monday, and Stamey’s and Barbecue Center are closed Sunday, per their own sites.
Greensboro to Lexington
Day at a glance: about 180 min at stops plus 48 min on the road, 3 h 48 min in all, done about 2:48 p.m. (our estimate from an 11:00 a.m. start).
- Stop 1: Stamey’s Barbecue (Gate City Blvd.)11:00 a.m. arrival (our estimate)First stop. About 45 min here, Essential (our estimate). 2206 West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro. Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., drive-thru from 10:30 a.m., closed Sunday, per its site. It says “wood pit-cooked barbecue since 1930.”
- Stop 2: Lexington Barbecue12:26 p.m. arrival (our estimate)41 min, 32.3 mi by road from the last stop. About 60 min here, Essential (our estimate). 100 Smokehouse Lane, Lexington. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday; it also lists holiday closures, including December 25-26, 2026. The site says “Serving Pork Barbecue Since 1962.”
- Stop 3: Visit Lexington (uptown visitor office)1:30 p.m. arrival (our estimate)4 min, 1.3 mi by road from the last stop. About 30 min here, Optional (our estimate). 2 North Main Street, uptown Lexington, where The Barbecue Festival is held each October. The office’s opening hours are not on its home page Not confirmed Its barbecue page lists the town’s barbecue restaurants with addresses.
- Stop 4: Barbecue Center2:03 p.m. arrival (our estimate)3 min, 0.7 mi by road from the last stop. About 45 min here, Essential (our estimate). 900 North Main Street, Lexington. Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Sunday, per its site, which says “Serving Lexington, NC, Since 1955.”
If it is Monday: Lexington Barbecue is closed, so do Stamey’s and Barbecue Center only. Sunday: all three are closed; pick another day. Dogs and kids: no site we read says whether dogs are allowed Not confirmed. Lexington Barbecue’s site mentions curb service, which can be easier with small kids.
Map of Road Trip Stops
10 of 10 stops are pinned. Pins sit on the street address each place prints, placed by OpenStreetMap; they are not checked entrances or parking.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Time at each stop, Essential or Optional, and the arrival times: our planning estimates. Not confirmed
- Road times: OpenStreetMap routing, with no live traffic, closures or construction. Not confirmed
- Whether dogs are allowed on any patio: no stop’s site says. Not confirmed
- Parker’s days open: its site gives hours but not days. Not confirmed
- Visit Lexington’s office hours. Not confirmed
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Eastern barbecue day?
The “day at a glance” line under the plan adds our time-at-stop estimates to the computed road time, from a 10 a.m. start in Raleigh. Both Optional stops can be dropped to shorten it.
Can I do these on a Sunday?
The Eastern day works on Sunday if you swap Skylight Inn (closed Sunday) for Sam Jones in Winterville. The Lexington day does not: all three restaurants list Sunday as closed.
Where do the road times come from?
From OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), computed between each pair of stops when we built the page. They include no live traffic, closures or construction, so add time for a weekday rush.
More Barbecue Pages
Sources
- OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), read November 4, 2026 (road times, no live traffic)
- NCpedia, Barbecue (Encyclopedia of North Carolina, 2006; entry by Wynne Dough), read November 4, 2026 (Eastern and Lexington styles)
- Wilber’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Skylight Inn BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Sam Jones BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Parker’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Stamey’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Lexington Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Visit Lexington, barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Barbecue Center, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
How we check: editorial standards. Spot a mistake or a closure? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “North Carolina Barbecue Road Trips”, itsnorthcarolina.com/barbecue/road-trips/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.