Winston Salem, NC

You've got the Guilford Courthouse Battlefield in that area if you are into history.

Other than that its minor league baseball and tour Wake Forest University pretty much.

As far as food goes, havent been since before COVID, but remember BLEU being pretty solid, but not something to drive across town for if you know what I mean?

Wakes campus is ok, but you'll be close to downtown so go down to Foothills Brewery, and then check out Truist Stadium to watch the Dash (minor league High A) if you like baseball. Plenty of BBQ places to check out if you like Lexington NC style..i know that's a point of contention on these boards. A lot of people like to tour Old Salem (historic). If you're outdoorsy see if you can get up to Hanging Rock about 30 minutes north of Winston.

Used to live there until 2001 so thing have changed a bit. But here are some things that are still good that I know. Definitely go to Reynolda Village. Cool place to walk around. It's the old servants quarters of the Reynolds family of tobacco fame. Drive around Buena Vista neighborhood to gawk at tobacco money houses if that's your thing. There are some really great public parks paid for with tobacco money. Many are small and in neighborhoods but are beautiful and great places to relax. Go eat and drink at the Village Tavern in Reynolda Village. It is really cool. Don't go to the one by Hanes Mall. It's like just another chain restaurant. If you are a brunch guy, get the French Toast at Village Tavern. I don't know why W-S is a French Toast hub but it is legit. It's even great at Hilton Garden Inn. If you need some beer or wine while there, go to City Beverage near downtown. Still my favorite beverage store of all time. Have some pints while you shop. The minor league games (the Warthogs now the Dash, so lame) used to be near Wake's campus but now it's downtown. When I was there, it was the place to be. Thirsty Thursdays were legendary with plenty of talent around. There's not that much to do in W-S so the baseball games were packed on Thirsty Thursday. Old Salem is worth a visit. The Wake campus is nice but nothing special. If you need some outdoor time, both Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock are good. You are near Mt. Airy, NC which is inspiration for Mayberry in Andy Griffith Show. It's everything Andy there. Foothills Brewery is really good. Another great bar/restaurant is 4th Street Filling Station where you can sit outside. Another under the radar restaurant is the Szechuan Palace. It's a "Chinese" place that has hung around for over 20 yrs. Doesn't look like much but they have Thai specialties (the owner lived in Thailand) that are incredible. I eat there every time I go back. Ask for the cilantro/garlic sauce (not on the menu) to go with dumplings. Also don't forget that Boone, NC is relatively close with some awesome mountain activities. Have a great time. I'll try to check thread if you have some questions.

Welcome to Camel City! Birthplace of Camel Cigarettes, Krispy Kreme, Hanes Brands and Texas Pete Hot Sauce. I’m a SC transplant but have loved living here for 12 years. Alot has changed in the last 10 years so some of these recommendations by others are lacking/dated.

Wake’s campus is nice. The school moved to Winston-Salem from Wake Forest, NC (near Raleigh) in the 50’s. All of the buildings are the same type of brick (Deacon blend). Wake students have an infamous history for not leaving campus so there really isn’t a college downtown or college bars. There is one that they do frequent close to campus and it’s one of my favorites, Putters. They have great sandwiches (and alcohol).

Starting close to campus you’ll want to check out Reynolda Village which houses The Reynolda House and Gardens (along with restaurants, shopping and a walking trail). It’s directly next to campus (you can get to it by car or the walking trail). The Reynolda House is RJ Reynolds’ country home and can be toured. The gardens are free and very nice. Village Tavern is a good restaurant for dinner or a weekend. It’s small and can get busy.

The main restaurant/retail streets in downtown are 4th St and Trade St. 4th is mostly restaurants. I frequent Foothills Brewpub. Foothills is one of the larger producing craft breweries in NC. Trade St and “Industry Hill” are home to most of the other breweries. Wiseman and Fiddlin’ Fish are good ones to check out. Sweet Potatoes is a really good southern/soul food restaurant on Trade. Earl’s is a honky tonk inspired restaurant/whiskey bar that has live music regularly. It’s located across from Wiseman.

You’ll want to check out the Reynolds Building on the corner of 4th and Main. This beautiful Art Deco building (especially inside) was designed by the same architect and was the smaller scale model of the Empire State Building. It receives a Fathers Day card from the Empire St Building every year. Once the headquarters of RJ Reynolds it is now a 4 star hotel. The restaurant inside, The Katharine, is really good if you want a higher end meal.

Wake Forest’s Downtown Campus “Innovation Quarter” recently won a Urban Design Award. They have revitalized the former tobacco warehouses and power plant into med school buildings, retail and restaurants. Definitely check out Bailey Power Plant. There is an awesome brewery, Incendiary Brewing, and Neapolitan Pizza place next to each other. They share an outside beer garden space which is a 30 ft deep former coal pit under two train trestles with two huge smokestacks. There is also a high end restaurant, Tex Mex and Chocolate Factory in this building. This area is really cool with a nice modern park across the street with food trucks and live music sometimes. The parking deck directly adjacent on 5th St is free after 6 on weekdays and free on weekends.

Last but not least is Old Salem. Old Salem is a historic district dating back to 1776. It’s very similar to Williamsburg or a New England town. Prior to Covid it was bustling with reenactors and tourists. They’ve dialed back their museum/employee hours to Wednesday-Saturday but you can still walk through the town for free and get the same experience. We go here and walk our dog 5 days a week. Park at the visitors center and cross the wooden bridge to go into Salem.

Others mentioned similar and worthwhile spots. Unless you’re in a hotel over there I wouldn’t bother to venture over to Hanes Mall Blvd area. It’s mostly chains you can find anywhere.