Within a couple of hours of being in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, it came over me – the calm. Maybe it started with the easy-to-navigate, wide highways densely lined with a variety of trees and patches of wildflowers at some of the exits. Or the rolling hills. Or the fact that everything is in close proximity so it’s easy to get your bearings. Or the generally laid-back vibe of it all. In this city that celebrates what’s old and what’s new simultaneously, analysis isn’t really necessary. But relinquishing yourself to it is so as to thoroughly enjoy the variety of activities that await you when visiting. Here’s my guide to a perfect weekend in Winston-Salem.

Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan your trip.

Explore Artivity on the Green, featuring bright red “smokestack” beams. The red beams are on the same axis as the historic Reynolds building in downtown, which is the architectural prototype for the Empire State Building in New York.

Friday in Winston-Salem: Cookies, City Life, Chocolate, and a Sweet Sleep
Let’s start the weekend with cookies, shall we? Mrs. Hanes Moravian Cookies to be exact. Schedule a tour in advance and enjoy an informative (and fragrant) way to learn some history, get a behind-the-scenes look, some personal stories and, yes, sample some cookies! We had the honor of having Mr. Hanes give us the tour which was such a treat. He spoke of the family business and of his wife, Mrs. Hanes with such warmth and affection, it warmed our hearts, as did the ginger used to make their original flavor of Moravian cookies. Every family has their variation of the Moravian cookie recipe, handed down over the generations. Mrs. Hanes is no exception. Each cookie is rolled out and cut by hand just like it was more than 100 years ago. You’ll get to see the bakers in action.

Mr. Hanes gives one heck of a tour – he has lived this business for decades. He and his wife started Mrs. Hanes Moravian Cookies. Take a tour and stock up!

Cookies fresh off the baking sheet are cooled, then packaged and sold at the factory, stores, and shipped far and wide.

Sure, you just had cookies but it’s time for lunch at Mozelle’s “a fresh Southern Bistro” in a beautiful, historic west end neighborhood. Long and narrow, in former diner fashion, you’ll be sitting close to, well, everyone else in the place. The better to see what dishes they are having for a sneak peek of what you’re perusing on the menu. Hearing ooo’s and ahhh’s over meals helps the decision-making too. We opted for inventive Fennel Fries, Cheesy Tomato Pie and Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf. And yes, even though we had just left a cookie factory, we ordered Coconut Pie for dessert. Don’t judge. The popular restaurant is bustling but the cool colors and décor help maintain that sense of calm.

Tomato Pie with Creamy Succotash at Mozelle’s.

The chance to explore Winston-Salem’s Downtown Arts District (DADA) was our first glimpse into the variety of not only things to do but of the architecture, and the people. Those who are honoring history (more on that below) co-exist cohesively with those who are out to revitalize and shake things up a bit. The area combines working artist studios, shops, galleries, urban residences, and restaurants. Take a self-guided public art tour online with http://woodlandmoth.tripod.com/dtwsarttrail.html

Go from one kind of art experience to another – the art of chocolate with a tour and tasting at Black Mountain Chocolate Factory. In a hip, revamped building on Trade Street (that also has a distillery and brewery), Black Mountain makes chocolate from heirloom, fair trade cocoa beans and turns them into chocolate bars, bonbons, desserts and drinks, all of which can be enjoyed on-site. You can watch the chocolate-making process through big windows but I recommend a guided tour to really understand what goes into making delicious chocolate – it’s a long, attention-to-detail process that’ll make you appreciate the finished product even more. Take it a step further by doing a chocolate pairing activity with Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company across the parking lot. We were told it makes for a great date night.

A sampling of Black Mountain Chocolate bars in front of a cocoa bean roaster.

Time to check into your lodging, just to freshen up a bit and put your feet up before heading off to dinner. The Zevely Inn Bed & Breakfast is home base for the weekend, proving that an historical building can be very comfortable and inviting. Listed on the National Historic Register, the accurately restored building is part of the living history of the 18^th century restored Moravian town. You’ve visited living history museums before – but in Old Salem, museum buildings are on the same street as functioning restaurants, shops, inns and private residences! Named for Augustus T. Zevely (1816-1872), a saddler, doctor and mayor of Salem, the house was Dr. Zevely’s office and also an inn for travelers that the Salem Tavern couldn’t accommodate. My room was elegant, comfortable, and quiet. My favorite place to sit was on the three-level, wrap-around porch overlooking the back gardens and white picket fence.

The Zevely Inn is in the heart of Old Salem so you are part of living history.

Sit a spell on one of the wrap-around porches at Zevely Inn.

Don’t get too comfortable though because dinner awaits just across the street at The Tavern in Old Salem. Built in 1816, it’s the annex to the original 1784 Tavern next door. Here again, old meets new with the décor, classic dishes like Moravian Chicken Pie and the new like steak, pasta, craft beer and wine, and ingredients picked from the historic Old Salem gardens nearby. Eat on the early side or make a reservation or you’ll be joining others waiting on the patio (not a bad place to be, watching a horse-drawn carriage drive by).

Just imagine how many people have dined in the historic Tavern in Old Salem.

Saturday in Winston-Salem: History, Honey, Wine, and Elegance

Although bed is so inviting, there’s a full day ahead and you need fortification in the form of a hot breakfast included with your stay at The Zevely Inn.

Walk down the street to the Old Salem Cobblestone Farmer’s Market where regulars greet each other warmly and newbies, such as yourself, are welcomed by vendors selling everything from produce to plants, pastries to jewelry. Awarded one of “America’s Best Farmers Markets” by U.S. News and World Report, the vendors are the producers and are guaranteed to meet sustainable, naturally-grown, and humane practices. Margaret Norfleet Neff, is one of the founders and can be found making the rounds, greeting vendors and customers. She wanted to share this greeting with you:

Stash the goodies you bought back in your room then walk over the beautiful bridge (notice the Moravian star hanging at its peak), to the Old Salem Visitor Center. There, look around, watch the short video, and get tickets to tour the Old Salem Museum & Gardens. We recommend the All-in-One ticket to get access to the most stops. Costumed interpreters are hard at work cooking, making furniture, gunsmithing, and baking. You’ll likely be able to take a turn at some work or have a taste of something delicious. Be sure to stop at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) and the St. Phillips African American Heritage Center on Church Street to learn about the Hidden Town Project. The history in Old Salem is very interesting and, with the original structures, costumed interpreters who never break character, it’s a very unique, non-commercial-feeling way to step back in time.

A costumed interpreter cooks food of the day in the back kitchen of an Inn where travelers would rent a place in a bed for the night, even if it meant sharing.

Be sure to stop into Winkler Bakery to see bakers rolling, kneading, and pulling traditional and more modern treats out of the hot oven. Wait patiently and you’ll get to try everything.

You’ll need to step out of history and into your car for this next stop to JOLO Winery & Vineyards. A pastoral drive of curved roads, lush trees and green meadows gives way to the site of a vineyard. The family-owned winery with restaurant and vineyard is owned by husband and wife team JW and Kristen Ray (JOLO is named for their sons, Joey and Logan). They’ve dabbled in other businesses, including the restaurant biz, but owning a winery was a dream. The couple found that the rocky soil and hilly nature of the property had not been good for general agriculture but was ideal for growing grapes. Enjoy a delicious lunch at their restaurant EndPosts and then a wine-tasting. Weekends can be very busy though so make a reservation. Note, when you’re at JOLO, build in a little extra time to go into nearby Mt. Airy, outside of Mt. Pilot which you see in the background of our photo below. This article tells you what you can do there, including visiting everything Andy Griffith Show-related!.

Enjoy lunch while sipping wine produced on site at JOLO Winery.

Languish the evening away at an elegant dinner at Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen & Bar. Go early and have a cocktail in their gorgeous lounge or have a nightcap after dinner. It’s sultry and romantic. The restaurant itself is light and stately – we sat in a front room with paned windows overlooking their garden. Built in 1920, Spring House was originally the home of Agnew Bahnson, a Winston-Salem entrepreneur who created technology that kept tobacco from molding in the warehouses. Today, it’s the last remaining mansion on the former “Millionaire’s Row.” Executive Chef and Co-Owner Timothy Grandinetti puts a new twist on Southern classics. He works closely with area formers and producers and he loves to grill. Here’s what we enjoyed the night we went.

In a mansion, enjoy modern twists on Southern Favorites at Spring House Kitchen & Bar.

Fried Green Tomatoes mingle with BBQ Pork at Spring House Kitchen & Bar.

Sunday: Gratitude, Brunch, Brews, Flowers and a Butler

When we found Twin City Hive Coffee Lounge, we found a charming nook of a neighborhood, a cute coffee shop to linger in (thus the Lounge in the name), and a purveyor to melt our hearts. Terry Miller chatted with us a bit and told us about the business (they feature coffee from six North Carolina roasters, offer loads of coffee drinks, beautiful pastries and chocolates and have a vibrant pay-it-forward program). Besides great food and coffee drinks, Terry impressed us with his gratitude toward life, his shop, staff, and the community of his customers. It creates a very positive vibe in which to enjoy a cup of coffee. Take home a bag of his coffee to keep that contagious feeling going. Buy some Fool’s Gold honey too which opened our eyes to the many different kinds of honey there are, including spicy!

Brunch at Krankies affords the perfect opportunity to experience the rehabbing of old factories into hip places that mix well-conceived, southern comfort food in a raw, industrial atmosphere downtown. It totally works. The place is really popular so reservations are recommended.

You can’t be cranky with a Salmon Benedict like this one from Krankies.

We were lucky enough to be taken upstairs to see the Wherehouse Art Hotel, a live/work/Airbnb/gallery/meeting space project that further emphasized how Winston-Salem is embracing the new while still honoring the old. We got to see the rooms which were that kind of Bohemian, haphazard-but-totally-works kind of décor. Book a night there, in addition to the Zevely to get the best of both worlds.

Walk around downtown some more, hitting the shops on West Fourth Street where you’ll find Foothills Brewing. You’ve worked up a thirst and worked off breakfast so time for some nibbles. We enjoyed dry-rub wings, fried pickles, a fresh salad and hummus dip – and beer, of course!

Grab a cup of coffee to go at sister café, Footnote, just next door, and maybe a baked in-house pastry for the road. You still have a big afternoon ahead!

Stroll the neighborhood and stop into Foothills Brewing for some beer, a bite, and live music.

Elevated bar snacks like fried pickles and dry-rub wings, hummus and veggies and a seasonal strawberry-spinach salad prove Foothills Brewing is also about the food.

If the “Reynolda” part of the name “Reynolda House Museum of American Art” seems familiar, it’s because it was the country manor of R.J. Reynolds and his family. The 50-year-old museum in the center of Reynolda’s 180 acres houses an impressive collection of American art. See works by Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, John Singer Sargent, Grant Wood and others. Stroll the vast gardens which vary from formal and structured to wild and pastoral. Many of the Villages’ buildings were former service buildings for the estate.

Nearby, for even more opulence, experience a Butler Tour of Graylyn Estate. Book it ahead to ensure a time. The Butler will cater the subjectmatter and length of the tour to the guest’s interests and questions are welcome – we had many. Graylyn Estate is the second-largest private home in North Carolina. Don’t miss the swimming pool room for its murals, or The Persian Card Room! People can stay at Graylyn so certain guest areas are off-limits. Take a stroll of the grounds before enjoying dinner there, overseen by Chef Gregory Rollins who brings a touch of his native Barbados to the south. He incorporates North Carolina products into his cooking as well as sourcing from his own Chef’s garden on the Estate. You’ve experienced opulence all afternoon and into the evening. Time to turn in for dreams of the rich and famous.

Relax in elegant surroundings that have been the site of lively conversations and impromptu concerts for decades at Graylyn Estate.

Dinner with a view of the gardens at Graylyn Estate.

Before you leave Winston-Salem the next morning, grab a bite at Mary’s Gourmet Diner, back downtown. The place is a happy mish-mash of hippy, retro, artsy, local, and chef-driven. There’s a lot to take in at Mary’s including very friendly service, hearty meals and local art on the walls.

Get a bowl of Down Home Gritz at Mary’s Gourmet, served with country ham, two eggs, jalapeno-pimento cheese and a huge, heart-shaped biscuit.

In just three days, you’ve seen and experienced so much in, and about, Winston-Salem. As their Visitor’s Bureau website tagline says: “Look forward. Travel back.” It’s formal, it’s free-wheeling. It’s historic, it’s cutting edge. It’s elegant, it’s fun. It’s one of the best weekend getaways you’ve had.

— Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, RealFoodTraveler.com Publisher and Managing Editor

Hungry for more? Find out where to eat when you go to Asheville, only about an hour away from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Editor’s Pick, St. Augustine, Florida.

PIN it, to keep these Weekend in Winston-Salem ideas handy on Pinterest!