Published by Christina. Last Updated on August 8, 2024.
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Goldsboro is in the heart of Wayne County, in Eastern North Carolina, and one of our favorite places to spend a weekend. The small town prides itself on the 4 Ps: Pigs, Pickles, Planes, and Poultry.
These Mount Rushmore-esque pillars of the community deserve attention because of their importance to the area, but also because we like them. So that’s why we’re laying out this homage to the four Ps of Goldsboro.
Oh, and if you read all the way to the end, you’ll find a little something extra added in, too.
This post is part of our series on Goldsboro and elsewhere in Eastern North Carolina.
The Four Ps of Goldsboro
Pigs
Food is a big deal throughout North Carolina and Goldsboro’s pigs support a lot of it. Not only do Wayne County farmers play a part, but there are some awesome pig-heavy restaurants worth mentioning, too.
Grady’s Barbecue in Dudley is included in our guide to North Carolina barbecue, which spans from the mountains to the coast.
For even more background on this NC staple, check out Holy Smoke. It made our list of essential cookbooks and books by NC food writers.
Pickles
Found on the corner of Cucumber & Vine, Mt. Olive Pickle Company is kind of a big dill. Founded in 1926, Mt. Olive manufactures and distributes the best pickles, peppers, and relishes in the US. This nation-wide pickle company also has a sweet spot for NC Farmers.
One-third of the pickles that they produce (which is a ton!) comes from North Carolina, which we find absolutely dill-lightful! (If you know me, you’ll know that I’ll be here all week throwing out pickle-related puns.)
More Pickle Events
If you can’t watch the Pickle Drop on New Year’s Eve, then you definitely cannot miss the NC Pickle Festival! Occurring downtown every April, Goldsboro fills with thousands of pickle enthusiasts!
Whether it’s to watch (or participate!) in the Pickle Eating Contest, Tour De Pickle (25, 53, or 75-mile bike races), or the Cuke Patch 5k there is plenty to experience!
Not in a competitive mood? Downtown is packed with events, special vendors, and all things pickle!
Planes
Planes make the “Four Ps of Goldsboro” because of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, a training and operational mission base with the world’s largest inventory of F-15E Strike Eagle planes.
These planes are critical to the national defense and are capable of deploying worldwide on short notice for combat.
Public tours of the base are available once a month and preregistration must happen three weeks prior to your visit.
Wings Over Wayne
Every two years (odd-numbered years) Wings Over Wayne Open House and Airshow takes place in April.
Air shows performed by the USAF Thunderbirds, the US Army Black Daggers, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Combined Arms Demo and more as well as dozens of aircraft on display on the ground including the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor and F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Poultry
What’s on your Thanksgiving table every year? I bet it’s a Butterball turkey! Carolina Turkeys (formerly Goldsboro Milling Company) is based in Mount Olive and bought Butterball in 2006, which means the largest turkey brand lives in Wayne County.
Case Farms is one of the largest employers in Wayne County, with two processing plants, a hatchery, and a feed mill producing one billion pounds of poultry products a year.
NC Poultry Festival
Another reason “Poultry” makes the “Four Ps of Goldsboro” is because they used to host an NC Poultry Festival every September, which recognized their poultry heritage by showcasing local artisans, vendors, and all things poultry!
One Last P
The four Ps of Goldsboro deserve a lot of credit for everything this small town has to offer its citizens, but I think we’re leaving out one crucial component—the People of Goldsboro and Wayne County.
These are some of the hardest working and proud people, but also among the friendliest that we’ve encountered while traveling through North Carolina.
That combination is why we thought you couldn’t mention those other four Ps of Goldsboro without including one more.
What’s Your Favorite P?
What do you think, though? Got a favorite of the four Ps of Goldsboro? We’d love to know about it in the comments section. And if you want to tell us about it over some barbecue or pickles, we’d love to meet up sometime!