Winston-Salem

The bakeries of Old Salem fill the air with the scent of wafer-thin ginger cookies, made from a recipe that German-speaking settlers brought with them in the 18th century. A trip to Winston-Salem combines the history of the Moravian Church with a tobacco and textile past, art museums, and the rolling hills of the Piedmont.

Moravians and Tobacco Barons

In 1766, members of the Moravian Church, which came from Saxony, founded the settlement of Salem as an orderly community with craftsmen, a school, and a church. To the north, the town of Winston grew up in the 19th century, where R. J. Reynolds built a tobacco empire—brands like Camel come from here. The two towns merged in 1913. The Art Deco Reynolds Building, completed in 1929, is considered a model for the Empire State Building. Today the city is shaped by its large university hospital, Wake Forest University, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Sights in Winston-Salem

Old Salem Museums & Gardens is a living open-air museum with restored houses, workshops, and gardens, where costumed interpreters demonstrate traditional crafts; the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts displays furniture and decorative crafts of the early South. The Reynolda House Museum of American Art, the former country estate of the Reynolds family, houses works from Georgia O'Keeffe to Jacob Lawrence, and the surrounding Reynolda Gardens invite you to stroll. SECCA shows contemporary art. Bethabara Park holds the remains of the first Moravian settlement, dating from 1753.

Eating and Going Out in Winston-Salem

The first Krispy Kreme shop opened here in 1937, and freshly glazed doughnuts are part of the city's identity. In Old Salem, Winkler Bakery sells Moravian sugar cake and ginger cookies. Lexington-style barbecue with a vinegar-and-tomato sauce is served at many restaurants in the region. Fourth Street and the Arts District on Trade Street make up the nightlife area, with restaurants, galleries, and bars, and the Innovation Quarter around former tobacco factories has brought breweries and food halls.

Art and Festivals in Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem calls itself the "City of Arts and Innovation." The University of North Carolina School of the Arts trains musicians, dancers, and filmmakers, and many of its performances are open to the public. Every two years in summer, the National Black Theatre Festival brings ensembles from across the country to the city. The Sawtooth School for Visual Art offers classes, and the galleries in the Arts District on Trade Street open on the first Friday of each month. A special feature is the Moravian lovefeasts and candle services during Advent, when beeswax candles with red ribbons are handed out in Old Salem.

Getting Around Winston-Salem and the Best Time to Visit

Piedmont Triad International Airport is about 30 minutes to the east; Charlotte is roughly an hour and a half away by car. Buses run within the city, but for excursions you'll need a car. The best times to visit are spring and fall, when the grape harvest takes place in the vineyards of the nearby Yadkin Valley. Day trips lead to Pilot Mountain State Park with its distinctive rock knob, Hanging Rock State Park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, which you can reach in about an hour.