Stand on the brick sidewalks of the West End Historic District at dusk, when the porches along W. Fourth Street fill with people and the streetcars that shaped this neighbourhood are long gone but the scale of the place remains. Winston-Salem rewards a visitor who wants to walk a historic district in the morning and stand in front of American paintings by the afternoon.
The city suits travellers interested in Moravian history, American art, and the manufacturing fortunes of tobacco and textiles, as well as families looking for a ballgame or a science museum. This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, followed by a plan for a single day.
Top things to do in Winston-Salem
1. Old Salem Museums & Gardens
A restored historic district and living history museum where blacksmiths, carpenters, cobblers and other interpreters practise their trades and explain Moravian life in 18th- and 19th-century Salem. The district includes the Salem Tavern, built in 1784, where George Washington spent two nights in 1791, and St. Philips Moravian Church of 1861, the oldest surviving African American church building in North Carolina.
Most of the site runs Wednesday to Saturday, 10AM to 4PM, though some shops keep different hours, so check before you commit to a day. The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) is part of the same visit.
2. Reynolda House Museum of American Art
The historic home of R.J. Reynolds and his wife Katherine, with a collection of American masterpieces from the colonial period to the present, vintage clothing, original furnishings and family memorabilia in the restored house. A newer wing holds exhibitions and a visitor centre.
It is open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30AM to 4:30PM and Sunday 1:30 to 4:30PM, and admission is $18. Pair it with a slow morning, since the house and the new wing together take a few hours.
3. West End Historic District
Winston-Salem's West End began as a regional spa resort and an exclusive community of wealthy tobacco and textile families, and it is now a dining and shopping centre. It was built around one of the first electric streetcar lines in the country, and "Millionaires' Row" held the Reynolds and Hanes family homes. The houses date from 1890 to 1930, and the neighbourhood has the area's largest and most varied concentration of front porch designs.
Most shopping runs 10AM to 6PM and most dining 11AM to 9PM. Entry is free, and the district is best explored on foot, so wear something you can walk in.
4. Historic Bethabara Park
The first North Carolina Moravians settled here in 1753, making this the founding site of Forsyth County. Costumed guides lead visitors through a furnished 1788 church, and you can also see two period buildings, a restored French and Indian War fort and a restored medicinal garden.
Greenways and paths cross the 175-acre preserve, so allow time to walk rather than just tour the buildings.
5. The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA)
SECCA shows changing exhibitions of regional and national contemporary artists, with past shows featuring figures such as William Wegman and Yoko Ono. The modern galleries sit inside a Tudor-style house that was once the estate of industrialist James G. Hanes.
It is closed Monday and Tuesday, open Wednesday 11AM to 4PM, Thursday 11AM to 8PM and Friday to Sunday 11AM to 4PM. Admission is free, and the Thursday evening hours suit a late-afternoon visit.
6. The Diggs Gallery
Located on the lower level of the O'Kelly Library at Winston-Salem State University, the gallery holds one of North Carolina's largest displays dedicated to the arts of Africa and the African Diasporas. It also hosts musical performances, dance, drumming, artist workshops, theatre productions and film screenings.
It is open Tuesday to Saturday 11AM to 5PM and closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is free.
7. Downtown Arts District (DADA)
An eclectic collection of working studios, galleries, shops and restaurants around Sixth and Trade Streets downtown, a block from the Benton Convention Center. You will find jewellers, fibre artists, wood and metal workers, antique dealers and sculptors at work.
Because the studios are working spaces, go when you have time to browse rather than rush through between other stops.
8. Delta Arts Center
Opened in 1982 by the local alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Society, the centre emphasises the contributions of African Americans and hosts exhibitions, lectures, performances and programming in visual arts, music, literature, history and folk arts.
Hours are Tuesday and Friday 2 to 5PM and Wednesday and Thursday 3 to 6PM, closed Saturday to Monday, with tours and visits on other days by appointment. Admission is free.
9. Kaleideum North (SciWorks)
A science museum with a state-of-the-art planetarium, a 15-acre Environmental Park and 45,000 square feet of exhibits. You can see a planetarium show, visit barnyard animals or come face to face with a North Carolina river otter, and there are hands-on special exhibits and programmes for all ages.
During the school year it is closed Monday and open Tuesday to Friday 9AM to 5PM, Saturday 10AM to 5PM and Sunday 1 to 5PM; in summer it opens Monday to Saturday 10AM to 5PM and Sunday 1 to 5PM. Adults and youth aged 1 to 19 pay $10, seniors 62 and over $9, and military personnel with ID get $1 off during the school year.
10. Lam Museum of Anthropology
At Wake Forest University, this is North Carolina's only museum dedicated to the study of global cultures, with permanent exhibits of objects from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It is found in Palmer Hall off Carroll Weathers Drive.
It is open Tuesday to Saturday 10AM to 4:30PM and admission is free.
11. Charlotte and Philip Hanes Art Gallery
Dedicated in 1991 at the Scales Fine Arts Center of Wake Forest University in recognition of Philip Hanes and his wife Charlotte, the gallery runs an ongoing schedule of diverse exhibits and has housed showings including works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.
It is open Monday to Friday 10AM to 5PM, with Saturday and Sunday visits by appointment only. Admission is free.
12. Winston Salem Dash
Advanced Single-A minor league baseball at the ballpark that opened in the spring of 2010, with the season running April to September. The team is an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, and a game is an easy source of family entertainment downtown.
Tickets run $7 to $13. Combine a game with an afternoon in the Downtown Arts District, which is nearby.
13. University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA)
There is almost always a production or performance happening at this fine arts university on South Main Street. Check what is on during your dates and build an evening around it.
14. Last Shell Oil Clamshell Station
A former service station built in the shape of a giant scallop. Of the eight built in the 1930s, this is the only one that remains. It is free to see and makes a quick stop rather than a destination in itself.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Old Salem Museums & Gardens when it opens, since most of the site runs from 10AM, and give the interpreters and the historic buildings a proper stretch of the morning. If you have time before or after, the West End Historic District is a walkable neighbourhood for a late-morning stroll, with shopping from 10AM.
Afternoon: Move to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, open from 9:30AM Tuesday to Saturday, and spend the early afternoon with the collection and the exhibitions in the new wing. If you are visiting on a Sunday, note that it opens at 1:30PM, so use the earlier part of the day for the West End instead.
Evening: Return downtown to the Downtown Arts District for galleries, shops and dinner, or time your visit to a Winston Salem Dash game, with the season running April to September. If a performance is on at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, that makes a good close to the day.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see Old Salem Museums & Gardens?
Most of the site is open Wednesday to Saturday 10AM to 4PM, though some shops keep different hours, so a weekday or Saturday visit gives you the fullest access.
Which museums in Winston-Salem are free?
The West End Historic District, the Charlotte and Philip Hanes Art Gallery, The Diggs Gallery, Delta Arts Center, The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), the Lam Museum of Anthropology and the Last Shell Oil Clamshell Station are all free. Reynolda House Museum of American Art charges $18, and Kaleideum North charges $10 for adults and youth aged 1 to 19.
Can I see a baseball game in Winston-Salem?
Yes. The Winston Salem Dash play Advanced Single-A minor league baseball from April to September, with tickets from $7 to $13.
What can I do in Winston-Salem on a Monday?
Several museums close on Monday, including The Diggs Gallery, Delta Arts Center, The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) and Kaleideum North during the school year. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is open Wednesday to Saturday, so a Monday is better spent in the West End Historic District or the Downtown Arts District.
Pick your dates around the opening days above, and start planning your trip to Winston-Salem.