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HIGH POINT — Known as the "Furniture Capital of the World," High Point offers more than just sofas, patio sets and desks.

High Point Museum and Historical Park at 1859 E. Lexington Ave. provides a look into the city's history and will soon have an exhibit on John Coltrane, the famous jazz saxophonist who grew up in the city.

The Doll & Miniature Museum of High Point at 101 W. Green Drive has a Coltrane doll and other dolls and miniatures collected over many years.

High Point offers a lot in the way of recreation. Neighborhood parks are sprinkled throughout the city, and the Piedmont Environmental Center at 1220 Penny Road features trails and educational programs for children and families.

The High Point Greenway Trail, winding 9.5 miles through the city, offers biking, walking and skating opportunities. It begins at Armstrong Park on East Parkway and connects to the Piedmont Environmental Center. The city is considering an expansion to the greenway in the next year.

Annual events in High Point include boat races and a fall leaf boat tour on Oak Hollow Lake, the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival from September through October and the Arts Splash Summer Concert Series.

Small businesses are attracted to High Point, especially in the northeast area of the city where development has exploded in the past few years.

New businesses frequently crop up in empty storefronts and new facilities are built.

Home to High Point University, John Wesley College and a GTCC campus, the city will soon have its own beauty salon school. Fila Academy is expected to open this fall.

To help protect what's left of Main Street, High Point recently created a Core City plan that specifies uses for the Washington Mixed Use Center Overlay District and the Main Street

District along Washington Drive and North and South Main streets, where property will be protected from encroaching furniture showrooms.

Yes, the market is High Point's bread and butter, but the city no longer has a defined downtown area. Planners hope that designating specific areas for medical offices and facilities, retail spaces, businesses and market showrooms will create a cohesive look for the city.

Though it faces a challenge from Las Vegas' World Market Center, High Point isn't giving up.

The Nevada city may have glitz and glamour, but High Point Market, established and steeped in tradition, still draws a larger crowd to markets than Las Vegas.

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth.seagraves@news-record.com