Reidsville is a historic small city near the center of Rockingham County, NC — and, as the home of The Sociable Home, the closest thing we have to a hometown. Named for David Settle Reid, who became the village’s first postmaster at 16 and went on to serve as Governor of North Carolina and a U.S. Senator, the town was incorporated in 1873 and grew up around the railroad and tobacco.
For much of its history, tobacco was Reidsville. The city’s story is tightly woven with the American Tobacco Company, its largest employer for generations and the maker of Lucky Strike cigarettes. That heritage is still impossible to miss: the iconic Lucky Strike smokestack looms over the edge of downtown, a landmark visible from across the city. The factory itself closed in 2020, but the sprawling facility has since been repurposed as a logistics and e-commerce hub, part of Reidsville’s ongoing reinvention.
No family shaped that tobacco era more than the Penns. Charles Penn, vice president of American Tobacco and the man credited with developing the Lucky Strike toasting process, built the Penn House — a 12,500-square-foot Colonial Revival mansion on landscaped grounds, now on the National Register and serving as one of the area’s premier event and wedding venues.
Reidsville has leaned hard into revitalization, and it shows. The city was named an All-America City by the National Civic League in 2008, and in 2009 it opened Market Square, a downtown park and amphitheater that anchors the historic district and hosts events year-round. One of the biggest is the F.A.B. Festival — short for Food Trucks, Art, and Brews — held in the historic downtown each October, bringing together food trucks, local breweries and wineries, artisan vendors, and live music for a day that’s become one of the county’s favorite fall events. The city’s motto, “Live Simply. Think Big,” fits the place well.
Beyond downtown, Reidsville offers real outdoor draws. The Chinqua-Penn Walking Trail — once part of the grand Chinqua Penn Plantation estate — winds through old-growth forest and pasture and is free to the public, while Lake Reidsville delivers 750 acres of fishing, boating, camping, trails, and disc golf just outside town.
As the community we call home, Reidsville is one we know well — and we’ve enjoyed watching its downtown come back to life. Check out some of what we got up to below.
Photos of Downtown Reidsville
Things to do in Reidsville
