Winston-Salem is an adorable town in North Carolina and we spent the most perfect month here… November! It truly was the best time to visit since the leaves were turning hues of yellow, orange, and red all month and the weather was transitioning to a chilly fall. Winston-Salem seems like a decently small town, which I enjoyed because it kept things quiet and quaint. My impression is that most people live in the surrounding suburbs, which we didn’t explore much, but also seem nice. If you find yourself here, check out my below recs!
Activities & exploring
We were lucky enough for our rental to be located directly on the Salem Creek Greenway, which took us to Salem Lake (below). This paved path totals 5.5 miles, providing a great place to walk, bike, jog, or run. There’s parking at both ends as well as a few spots along the way.
Highly recommend visiting the Salem Lake Trail, a 7.1 mile loop around Salem Lake. It was especially perfect to come in November to see the beautiful changing leaves, and we visited several times! The loop consists of a few hills, so be prepared for a little leg burn!
Again, the location of our rental was great because we were lucky to be directly across from Old Salem! A historic district originally settled by the Moravians in 1766, it’s full of historic culture and beauty. I spent several days strolling up and down Main street and exploring the old buildings. There are a few shops that offer experiences and workshops with a ticket purchase, but we simply walked the streets and enjoyed just as much. Definitely worth your while to walk around, especially on a nice day!
Hosting several restaurants & shops, Reynolda Village is a quaint place to walk around and grab a bite or some coffee and doughnuts (Dough Joe’s)! They also have Reynolda Gardens, which we didn’t get the chance to visit but heard it worth it. Plus, admission is free!
Brewery Hopping
If you know Sam and I, you know we love a town we can brewery hop around! We spent one Saturday visiting a few and enjoyed them all!
- Incendiary (with a delicious pizza place called Cugino Forno basically connected, grab a pizza & brew!)
- Wise Man
- Foothills Brewpub (also a great place to grab a bite!)
- Fiddlin’ Fish
Wake Forest Sporting Events
It was football season while we were in Winston-Salem, so we attended a game and had a blast! It was definitely cold, but we still had so much fun tailgating with some of the Residents and even had sweet seats for the game.
Hiking
There are several hiking trails within a few hours of Winston-Salem, but we sadly ran out of time to visit any of them. Here are ones we were recommended:
- Hanging Rock Park
- Grandfather Mountain
Food & Drink
A delicious place to grab food and chill bars with great vibes are my love languages. What I loved about Winston-Salem was that we rarely visited somewhere that was packed with people and required a wait. We were able to go to several different restaurants and bars during our time there.
- Camino Bakery – local coffee shop & bakery with yummy treats
- Vintage Sofa Bar – amazing cozy vibes with daily specials (like $5 Old Fashions on Fridays)
- Joyner’s Bar – another cozy cocktail bar with vignette seating and dark wood decor
- Bar Nola – a New Orleans inspired bar with themed cocktails and (sometimes) live music. Disclaimer if you’re trying to find via GPS – you’re better off searching “The Porch Kitchen & Cantina” and parking there. We had a hell of a time finding it!
- Mission Pizza Napoletana – yummy wood-fired Neopolitan pizza, yes please!
- 6th and Vine – we recommend the burger with mac n cheese
And of course, we had so many more places on our list that we ran out of time to enjoy. These came highly recommended:
- Sweet Potatoes – apparently some the best Southern food Winston has to offer, but they were booked when we tried to visit so try a reservation!
- Honey & Lavender Kitchen – CINNAMON ROLL
- Tate’s Craft Cocktails
- The Old Fourth Street Filling Station – especially for brunch!
And that’s all from me! It felt like our month here flew by and I wish we could’ve stayed a little longer. But alas, more adventure was waiting…