We’ve added two more greenways to our greenway guide, both of which offer a potential day of escape, especially for young families.

Smithfield: Buffalo Creek Greenway. When we stumbled across this work-in-progress in spring 2010, we were surprised by the audacity of such a project (a $1.2 million, 3.3-mile greenway) in a relatively small town (population 13,000ish). The greenway joins the  city’s historic center with new development on the north side of town. Starting at Bob Wallace Kiddie Park (and Riverside Cemetery, worth a visit in itself), the greenway skirts the Neuse River (passing the Neuse Little Theatre), then follows Buffalo Creek out to Smithfield Community Park, home of the new (2009) Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center, complete with indoor pool and splash park, indoor track, racquetball, basketball courts and more. Meanwhile, back downtown Smithfield’s wide streets and minimal traffic make exploring by bike enjoyable even for the newest of peddlers. Destinations include the Ava Gardner Museum and 75-year-old Howell Theatre and $3 movies.

Winston-Salem: Salem Lake/Salem Creek/Strollway trails. These three paths connect to form a 14.6-mile trail offering everything from sylvan escape along Salem Lake to urban exploring in downtown Winston-Salem. The Salem Creek Trail, which links the aforementioned, takes in three parks (Civitan, Washington, Reynolds) and passes Winston-Salem State University and Salem College. The network is also attractive to runners looking to get in some long miles minus the long hills.