Lexington, NC Road Trips
Plan drives from Lexington, NC with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trip Routes
2
Longest Drive
218 mi
Jacksonville, NC
Quickest Drive
4h 13m
Wilmington, NC
Plan Around Lexington, NC
Continue From Lexington, NC
Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.
Trips from Lexington, NC
Lexington, NC by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
19,691
Median Income
$41,775
Median Home Value
$158,100
Median Age
35.9
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Lexington, NC at a Glance
Founded
1775
Elevation
809 ft
Area
18 mi²
Notable People from Lexington, NC
A sampling of people born in Lexington, NC.
Robert Sink
1905–1965
United States Army officer (1905–1965)
Rick Harrison
1965
American TV star
John H. White
1945
American photojournalist
William Caskey Swaim
1947
American actor
William L. Swing
1934–2021
American diplomat (1934–2021)
Carlos Terry
1956–1989
Professional basketball player (1956-1989)
City data from Wikidata (Q181370), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Lexington, NC
Lexington, North Carolina, is the self-proclaimed "Barbecue Capital of the World". Besides its famous barbecue, celebrated at the annual Lexington Barbecue Festival in October, Lexington is also distinctive for all the statues of pigs it has downtown.
Pigs in the City. A public arts initiative that placed numerous fiberglass pigs in various locations in Lexington. Some tourists get a checklist and visit each and every pig, checking them off the list. (updated Nov 2015)
1 Lexington Barbecue Festival, Main Street (Uptown Lexington). 8:30AM–6PM. An annual festival held each October that features singing, contests, and of course, barbecue. (updated Nov 2015)
Lexington is famous for its barbecue, which is typically made from pork shoulder. It hosts an annual barbecue festival in October. The 2019 festival takes place on October 26. 1 Main Street Pizza & Deli, 13 North Main Street, ☏ +1 336-249-2233. M 10:30AM–2PM, Tu–Th 10:30AM–7PM, F 10:30AM–8PM. 2 Fancy Pastry Shop, 407 East Center Street, ☏ +1 336-248-2279. M–Sa 8AM–6PM. 3 Char's Hamburgers, 400 North Main Street, ☏ +1 336-248-2026, [email protected]. (updated Feb 2026) 4 Barbecue Center, 900 North Main Street, ☏ +1 336-248-4633. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. (updated Feb 2026) 5 Shoto Japanese Steakhouse & Seafood, 17 N Main St (+1 336 238-5733). M–Th 11AM–9PM, F Sa 11AM–10PM. (updated Feb 2026)
1 Perfect Blend, 1 North Main Street, ☏ +1 336-243-7206. M–F 7AM–7PM, Sa 8AM–4PM.
1 Quality Inn, 101 Plaza Pkwy (I-85 Exit 91), ☏ +1 743-734-9831. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Feb 2026) 2 Days Inn By Wyndham Lexington/Columbia, 1015 South Lake Drive, ☏ +1 803-356-6533. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Feb 2026)
Lexington is directly connected by highway with Greensboro (Interstate 85), High Point (US 29), Thomasville (Interstate 85), Winston-Salem (US 52 / Interstate 285), Raleigh (US 64), and Charlotte (Interstate 85). PART Route 9 provides bus service from Thomasville and High Point, with connections from other cities in the Piedmont Triad. For the most part, train service to Lexington is no more. But once a year, Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont make a special stop here for the Lexington Barbecue Festival.
Lexington has limited bus service around town and to Thomasville.
Travel tips adapted from Lexington (North Carolina) on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
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