Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is known as North Carolina’s “City of Arts and Innovation,” priding itself on preserving history while fostering a spirit of reinvention. With over 5,000 area hotel rooms, 1,200 in our vibrant downtown alone, Winston-Salem is an ideal destination for your next getaway. Discover our award-winning downtown buzzing with an eclectic arts scene and more than 100 restaurants, bars, and diverse shopping options. After exploring the newly revitalized downtown, take a step back in time to Old Salem Museums & Gardens, where guests are immersed into the 18th century Moravian way of life at one of America’s most authentic colonial sites. You don’t have to look far for a day’s worth of art exploration, history tours and more. Just minutes from downtown, the Reynolda Mile – once home to Winston-Salem’s most elite families during the Roaring 20s – offers visitors a peek inside these historic homes. Visit the historic home of R.J. and Katharine Reynolds, now Reynolda House Museum of American Art. Make time to stop by the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA). Once home to textile industrialist James G. Hanes, SECCA features rotating exhibits that push boundaries and spark conversation.
LAM Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University
Winston-SalemDiscover North Carolina’s only museum dedicated to the study of global cultures.
Intimate exhibitions illustrate the story of humanity past and present through artifacts from the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Learn about people around the world through their everyday objects, ceremonial artifacts, and visual arts. A rotating schedule of exhibits highlights the LAM Museum’s diverse collections of artifacts from more than 90 countries and 350 cultures.
Exhibits include hands-on activities for children and adults. The LAM Museum is located on the campus of Wake Forest University and admission is free.
LAM Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University
Kaleideum
Winston-SalemInspired by the blending of art and science, Kaleideum is a perfect representation of a timeless space where children and adults can explore immersive exhibits that inspire wonder, curiosity, and lifelong learning outside the boundaries of a formal classroom. The name was inspired by the free choice learning experience of playing with a kaleidoscope.
By climbing the Beanstalk, exploring constellations in the Planetarium, creating a story in the Enchanted Forest, or discovering the forces of motion in our wind tunnel, Kaleideum is a place of constant change and challenges. Multifaceted, open-ended experiences prompt children to test theories, seek answers to questions, think critically, and explore at
their own pace — all skills that are necessary for their success in a world that constantly changes and continually surprises, yet remains wondrous for all ages.
Historic Bethabara Park
Winston-SalemThis Historic Park is the site of the first settlement in Forsyth County.
Founded in 1753 by German-speaking Moravians, Bethabara was the first European settlement in the North Carolina piedmont. Today, Historic Bethabara Park preserves the history and heritage of the “Old Town.” A National Historic Landmark and Local Historic District, the Park encompasses 183 acres of preserved wildlife, historic buildings and grounds, walking and birding trails, and protected wetlands.
Historic Bethabara Park has a blend of archaeological sites, restored original buildings, and reconstructions. There are over 40 stabilized archaeological ruins throughout the park. Guided tours includes 1788 German Church and reconstructed fort. Medicine Garden and nature preserve on site.
Historic Bethabara Park
Reynolda House Museum of American Art
Winston-SalemReynolda House Museum of American Art boasts one of the nation’s premier collections of American art viewed in the restored 1917 home of RJ and Katharine Reynolds.
Completed in 1917, Reynolda House Museum of American Art was originally the home of Katharine Smith and R.J. Reynolds, founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Promising a healthier lifestyle, the more than 34,000-square-foot historic home was the centerpiece of a 1,067-acre estate and model farm. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Reynolds family’s 64-room historic house stands as one of the few well-preserved, surviving examples of the American Country House movement.The museum has over 6,000 historic objects, but also a collection of world-renowned American art on view in the historic house and special exhibitions in the Babcock Gallery.
Reynolda House Museum of American Art
Old Salem Museums & Gardens
Winston-SalemWalk the cobblestone streets, stop in at Winkler Bakery for a wood-oven baked treat, explore the Winkler Book & Gift Shop to find one-of-a-kind treasures, and immerse yourself in the rich history of the early Moravian settlers.
Old Salem is a historic site telling the stories of people, including Moravian, Black, and Indigenous peoples, in the American South. As one of America’s most comprehensive history attractions, our museums—the Historic Town of Salem, the galleries at Frank L. Horton Museum Center, including the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), and the Gardens at Old Salem—engage visitors in an educational and memorable historical experience. The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) contains the finest collection of its kind in the nation, featuring architecture, furniture, ceramics, metalwork, needlework, paintings, prints, and other decorative arts made and used in the early American South. Old Salem Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.