Winston-Salem folks were crafting beer and eating out of trucks before it was “cool.” There’s a brewery or three in every part of the city, usually with a food truck parked nearby if you’re hungry.
In Winston-Salem, Krispy Kreme is preferred over Dunkin’. Locals don’t care that Krispy Kreme moved its corporate headquarters to Charlotte in 2017 because the original flagship store will always be on South Stratford Road in Winston-Salem.
Winkler is the oldest bakery, but Dewey’s usually comes to mind first for those who live in Winston-Salem. You can’t beat Dewey’s cake squares, especially the pink lemonade kind, and Peppermint Ginger Ice Cream Sandwiches with Moravian Cookie Thins during the holiday season.
Cigarette machines in Winston-Salem are still active but not dispensing cigarettes. Art-O-Mats are old cigarette vending machines repurposed into original art vending machines, proper emblems of Winston-Salem’s past and present.
Those who grew up in Winston-Salem might still call the children’s museum SciWorks, even though the name changed to Kaleideum in 2017.
Winston-Salem was built on tobacco, an industry still alive and well. Coe & Hartman Signs, a prominent sign company, once owned the space where Robert Hall is located in Innovation Quarter, and this old sign surfaced during renovations of the Robert Hall building.
Sexual Chocolate is a delicious imperial stout that is only available in February. Sexual Chocolate Release Day is a big event that attracts hundreds to Foothills Brewery; some even camp overnight to get their hands on this limited-release brew.
If you hang around Winston-Salem very long, a Greek will feed you. And don’t assume that because a restaurant is Greek-owned, it will have a menu packed with authentic Greek dishes.
Winston-Salem’s urban parks are a reprieve for locals, especially those living, working, or studying downtown. They are unexpected finds in an urban area and uniquely reflect the city’s artistic culture.
Winston-Salem is filled with historic landmarks, 144 of them, according to the City of Winston-Salem. View the Local Historic Landmarks designated in Forsyth County (see interactive map).
As you walk around Winston-Salem, look up to catch the 70 historical markers sprinkled across the city. View an Interactive Map of Placed Historic Markers.
In Winston-Salem and the surrounding areas, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and hayrides begin opening at the start of the season, before the summer heat begins to cool.
