North Carolina
Winston-Salem is two cities stitched into one: Salem, the Moravian settlement founded in 1766 and now preserved as the living-history district of Old Salem, and Winston, the tobacco-and-textile boomtown that gave America the Camel brand and the Art Deco Reynolds Building.
Today the Twin City trades on arts and innovation, with a walkable Arts District, a downtown that fills the old factory floors with labs and breweries, the Reynolda estate with its gardens and American art, and Moravian sugar cake still baking in a 1800 bakery. Twenty minutes down the highway, High Point is the Home Furnishings Capital of the World, host of the huge twice-yearly Market and home to showrooms, a city museum, and the roots of John Coltrane. This guide covers both halves, including the Twin-City Trolley Tour and the Furniture City Trolley Tour, pairs them with ghost walks, state-park summits and day trips, and matches you to the right historic inn, mill conversion or downtown tower.
Carolina History & Haunts Ghost Tour
A two-hour evening walk through the Historic West End, mixing local ghost lore with researched history. Runs year-round on most nights, and reservations are required.
Reynolda House Museum of American Art
The 1917 bungalow-mansion of Katharine and R.J. Reynolds, now a museum of American art with 64 rooms of period interiors, a celebrated collection and a garden estate on the edge of Wake Forest University.
Winston-Salem Historic Guided Walking Tour
A guided walk through Winston-Salem's historic core, with a local storyteller connecting the Moravian founders, the tobacco barons and the arts-and-innovation city that followed.
Whispers, Wraiths and Widows Ghost Tour
A themed Winston-Salem ghost tour built around the haunted stories of the city's widows, wraiths and whispered legends, for travelers who want a second helping of local lore.
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
A narrated trolley loop through Winston-Salem's greatest hits: Old Salem, the Innovation Quarter, the Arts District, the Historic West End, Graylyn, Reynolda Gardens and Wake Forest University, with a guide doing the storytelling.
A guided trolley tour of High Point, the Home Furnishings Capital of the World: historic landmarks, design studios, showroom districts and the stories behind the town that furnished America.
A guided walk through Winston-Salem's historic core, with a local storyteller connecting the Moravian founders, the tobacco barons and the arts-and-innovation city that followed.
A two-hour evening walk through the Historic West End, mixing local ghost lore with researched history. Runs year-round on most nights, and reservations are required.
A themed Winston-Salem ghost tour built around the haunted stories of the city's widows, wraiths and whispered legends, for travelers who want a second helping of local lore.
A phone-guided, go-at-your-own-pace ghost walk through the outdoor streets of Old Salem, with stories of the Moravian town for travelers who prefer to wander when they like.
Nearly 100 acres and more than 100 restored structures: the living-history Moravian town of Salem, founded in 1766, with costumed interpreters, craft trades, Winkler Bakery's sugar cake and a free self-guided stroll through the streets.
The 1917 bungalow-mansion of Katharine and R.J. Reynolds, now a museum of American art with 64 rooms of period interiors, a celebrated collection and a garden estate on the edge of Wake Forest University.
FreeFree formal gardens, wooded trails and a historic greenhouse on the Reynolds estate, plus Reynolda Village's shops, restaurants and doughnuts in the old farm buildings.
A hands-on learning museum in nearly 70,000 square feet across five stories downtown, with a rooftop area, built for curious children and the adults who come with them.
Walkable blocks along Trade and Liberty Streets lined with murals, sculpture, galleries, indie shops and restaurants, starting at Artivity on the Green with its red smokestack towers.
Eight craft breweries within walking distance downtown, from Foothills to the Industry Hill cluster, with family-friendly patios and non-alcoholic options.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Downtown
A boutique hotel inside the 1929 Reynolds Building, the Art Deco tower that served as a prototype for the Empire State Building, in the middle of downtown.
Check rates →Downtown
A neighborhood-style boutique hotel in the 1929 Pepper Building, downtown, within walking distance of the Arts District, restaurants and galleries.
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$$Old Salem / Brookstown
An inn in a restored 19th-century cotton mill with exposed beams and brick, close to Old Salem and the Visitor Center on Brookstown Avenue.
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$$$Reynolda / Wake Forest area
A 55-acre estate with the second-largest home ever built in North Carolina, now a luxury stay near Reynolda and Wake Forest University.
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$$Downtown
A full-service downtown hotel connected to the city's convention district, convenient for events, business stays and walking to downtown dining.
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A value-oriented downtown hotel with suite options and a location that keeps the Arts District, breweries and ballpark within reach.
Check rates →Old Salem
A small historic inn in the heart of Old Salem, so close to the museum streets and the bakery that you can wake up inside the Moravian town.
Check rates →Historic West End
A small inn in a preserved historic home, offering an intimate stay close to downtown and in the neighborhood of Victorian houses.
Check rates →Downtown High Point
A Trademark Collection by Wyndham inn in High Point, convenient for the Market district and a good base for the Furniture City.
Check rates →High Point
A dependable chain hotel in High Point for Market visitors, business travelers and families touring the Furniture City.
Check rates →How to make sense of Winston-Salem on a first visit: the Moravian and tobacco halves of the city, the neighborhoods to know, and the sights worth your time.
A three-day plan for Winston-Salem covering Old Salem, Reynolda, the Arts District, ghost tours and a day trip, with timing and pairing tips.
Who the Moravians were, what to see at Old Salem Museums and Gardens, and how to plan tickets, food and an overnight stay in the historic district.
How to visit High Point: the Market calendar, the Furniture City Trolley Tour, the museum, furniture shopping and how to combine it with Winston-Salem.
A food and drink guide to Winston-Salem: Moravian baking, Lexington-style barbecue, the Arts District, eight downtown breweries and Reynolda Village treats.
The best day trips from Winston-Salem, from Pilot Mountain and Tanglewood to Korner's Folly and High Point, with drive times and pairing ideas.
