Winston-Salem, North Carolina Travel Guide

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Travel Guide

I finally made my way up to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for my first visit with my girl Laura of Louelle Reese! I can’t tell you how excited I was for this trip 1. because I was reuniting with one of my favorites and 2. because I had done so much research on this super cool town and couldn’t wait to explore!!

If you’re not familiar with Winston-Salem (like I was prior to my trip), it’s time to get familiar because this is one gem of a city. From food to history to shopping, this city has something for everyone and is only growing.

Visit Winston Salem went above and beyond and provided us with the perfect itinerary that really allowed us to see the best of Winston-Salem. Therefore, I wanted to take you through our entire schedule to help you get an idea of how to spend your next vacation in this charming little town!

 

FIRST DAY

11:30am: Lunch at Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro

This was the perfect way to kick off the trip! Mozelle’s has created the cutest and coziest environment. It’s obvious they care about the ingredients they are using and are dedicated to creating quality food for their customers. I ordered the pimento grilled cheese with tomato soup and honestly, I’m drooling just thinking about how glorious this was! We also got edamame hummus as an appetizer which was so yummy! P.S. How cute is Laura?!

1:30pm: Explore Reynolda House Museum of American Art

I was really looking forward to this portion of the trip because hello how gorgeous is this entire house?! The Reynolda Estate was built in 1917 and home to Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and his wife Katharine Smith. The beautiful green and white exterior instantly drew us in as we drove through the grounds. The entire home including the furniture and decor is still in such great condition – Laura and I especially loved the many ginger jars throughout the home! The family’s clothes, shoes, accessories, and even the children’s toys were on display (as a fashion major in college, I obviously was in love with this part of the tour!). The home also includes an indoor pool, bowling alley, shooting range, and squash court.

3:00pm: Explore Reynolda Village

Reynolda Village is just a quick stroll from Reynolda House. What once was an area for blacksmith shops, dairy barns, a school, and a post office (just to name a few) for the Reynolds family is now a shopping center housing well-known shopping destinations and favorite local restaurants. We received a lovely tour of the area from Jodi Tonsic, Reynolda’s Associate Director of Marketing. Joni was able to show us which buildings exactly were what back in the day which was really neat! We stopped at a few shops along the way including Monkee’s of the Village, the Garden Boutique, A Proper View, and Gazebo.

Monkee’s of the Village

A Proper View

 

4:00pm: Arrive and check-in at the Historic Graylyn Estate and International Conference Center

It was such a treat to be able to stay at Graylyn and y’all, I can’t recommend this hotel more!! To say this place is unique would be an understatement. Built in 1928, Graylyn Estate sits upon 55 acres of beauty and is the second largest house in North Carolina (next to the Biltmore, of course). As soon as you turn onto the long driveway that leads to the main Manor House, you feel as if you have escaped the suburbs and entered a relaxing getaway.

We stayed just a short drive from the Manor House at the Mews. This little community felt like a scene straight out of Beauty and the Beast! The French-inspired cottages were as charming as ever with a lovely fountain area to sit and enjoy a morning cup of tea or an evening sunset. Of course, I have to share my bed test results and the Graylyn received an A+. I slept beautifully both nights, which is very important to me when it comes to hotels! Plus, the Mews has its own gift shop complete with complimentary ice cream!! If that isn’t perfect then I don’t know what is!

We were also greeted with the sweetest welcome gift from Visit Winston-Salem including all locally made products! The Moravian Cookies were eaten instantly and I’ve had my TCH Home candle lit ever since I got back. This was the best way to get to know the town and it’s people right away!

SHOP THE LOOK

5:30pm: Butler Tour of Graylyn Estate

This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip! I can be a bit of a history nerd, so learning about the history of the exact place we were staying was really cool. It is obvious that the Graylyn staff is incredibly knowledgeable and truly loves the home. We often found ourselves chatting with the staff about the history of the family, their home and all of its wonders.

SHOP THE LOOK

 

6:30pm Dinner at Graylyn Estate

Executive Chef Gregory Rollins made us a lovely 5-course dinner on our first night! Every portion was so good, I never wanted it to end! Gregory also took the time to speak with us over dessert and tell us about his journey from his home in Barbados to the United States and thus ending up at Graylyn. I loved hearing about his passion for food and how much he enjoys his work with his team at the estate.

SHOP THE LOOK

 

SECOND DAY

9:00am: Breakfast at Village Juice

It’s no secret that us bloggers love an aesthetically pleasing restaurant. Village Juice is just that. We couldn’t stop oohing and awing over the all-white atmosphere and decor. Then they continued to impress us with our beautiful and tasty breakfast. I opted for the avocado toast while Laura ordered the nut butter and banana toast. We both split their amazing acai bowl!

 

10:30am Self-Guided Tour of Old Salem

Old Salem feels like you’ve truly taken a step back in time! The area is made up of historic buildings, gardens, and museums. This is definitely a must on your Winston-Salem bucket list!

12:30pm: Lunch at Canteen Market and Bistro

After browsing around Old Salem, a nice relaxing lunch was exactly what we needed and Canteen delivered just that! In addition to the restaurant, Canteen also has a cute little market area! I made my own sandwich that filled me right up and Laura ordered a market plate with hummus that I couldn’t keep my eyes off of!

2:00pm: Explore Winston-Salem’s Downtown Arts District

Winston-Salem’s Downtown Arts District has an eclectic group of artwork with lots of colorful graffiti and galleries. Definitely check out Artivity on the Green while you’re in the area!

SHOP THE LOOK

 

6:30pm: Dinner at Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen, and Bar

Our second and final dinner was at the lovely Spring House Restaurant. Spring House was originally the home of Agnew Bahnson, a Winston-Salem entrepreneur who engineered technology to keep tobacco from molding in the warehouses. The home has since been restored and is the last standing house on the street that was once called “Millionaire’s Row”. As we were walking into the restaurant, we were admiring their produce garden and ran into Spring House’s Executive Chef, Timothy Grandinetti! (He took a photo of us!) As you can imagine, the food was wonderful and overall it was a great experience!

 

THIRD DAY

9:00am: Breakfast at Krankies Coffee

There’s nothing like starting your morning at a coffee shop! Krankies has huge sunflowers right outside the shop so we were already excited before even stepping inside! We had a super yummy breakfast and chatted over two rounds of coffee and tea. I love a place that is vegetarian-friendly so I was so excited to be able to order biscuits and gravy! (I’ve only had vegetarian biscuits and gravy one other time and it didn’t come close to how good Krankies was!)

 

10:30am: Explore the Reynolda Gardens

We didn’t get a chance to see the gardens on our first day when we were at the Reynolda House, so we made a point to go before we left! I’m so happy we did because the flowers were beautiful! I could’ve sat here all day!

12:30pm: Wine Tasting and Lunch at Childress Vineyards

A visit to Childress Vineyards was the perfect way to end our already amazing trip! We had a fun time at our wine tasting trying the various different white wines Childress has to offer. We then sipped on a glass of wine during lunch while overlooking the vineyards! Talk about picture perfect!

 

 

We were gifted a stay and meals from Visit Winston Salem in exchange for a review. All views and opinions are my own!