A Melding of Old World and New Arts
Travels on a Tank by Marcy Hege, Managing Editor

I have fond memories of Winston-Salem from my very first visit. Still in high school, it was my first opportunity to live away from home for the summer. I was attending Governor’s School, a program for high school students at Salem College in the heart of the historic district called Old Salem in Winston-Salem.

I am not sure if I realized I was in the one place in the world that one is awakened to the aroma of Moravian Ginger Cookies baking in a wood-fired oven. That aroma is just one of those uniquely Winston-Salem experiences that I have come to love over the years. By the time I make that short drive west on Interstate 40, I am ready to make my first Winston-Salem stop at Winkler’s Bakery.
The bakery is in the same location that it has been since 1800 when they began baking Moravian specialties. Located in Old Salem, with its museums and gardens, you can not help but be taken away. The Toy Museum is a great new experience at Old Salem. Walking through these historically accurate gardens is a treat that visitors from all over the world come to experience.

Old Salem

After spending time in this historic setting, move forward in time to Winston-Salem’s revitalized downtown. With evening music events every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night from May through October, downtown is more than alive, it is kicking with the sounds of regional and national jazz, blues and roots musicians. If you happen to end up in Winston-Salem on the first Friday of the month you have hit the jackpot, at least if you are interested in hanging out in the trendiest of art galleries, and enjoying wine and snacks with locals who inhabit this area. With more than 20 galleries and shops, like Piedmont Craftsmen, the Downtown Arts District makes a visitor feel welcome. If you need to feed something more than the artisan in you, try Sweet Potatoes restaurant with is “new age southern” fare. This is more than a restaurant; it is a community crossroads, where everyone is welcome.

Every weekend morning in Winston-Salem should start with a hometown treat, a Krispy Kreme doughnut hot off the line. These days, you will still find that there is something magical about these little gems when you have them in their hometown. If you are more into coffee that takes a dictionary to order, try one of the local coffee shops, like Ollie’s Bakery. This spot named for the owner’s pet is one that should not be missed, and with their array of European baked goods, you will want to sample, and purchase treats to enjoy on an afternoon tour of the wine country.

With all of the things you thought you knew about this piedmont community, bet you didn’t know its importance to our state’s growing wine industry. Winston-Salem is the gateway to the Yadkin Valley, North Carolina’s wine growing region. With 19 wineries within minutes of Winston-Salem, visitors enjoy venturing out and exploring. The most interesting aspect of this area of the state is that the grapes are not muscadines and scuppernongs, familiar to many North Carolinians, but these are French Varietals. Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet all make their home here in the valley. The Winston-Salem Visitor Center staff is more than happy to help you plan your adventure through the wine country. They are there seven days a week, at 200 Brookstown Ave, just blocks from historic Old Salem Museum and Gardens.

When you return from your wine adventure, check out one of the many restaurants in the area that feature Yadkin Valley wines. I enjoy spending time in an area of Winston- Salem called the West End. As with most of Winston-Salem, the history here has been preserved and enhanced with beautiful parks, gardens, and some great restaurants, along with some wonderful antique stores and galleries. This historic neighborhood, designed in 1890, was home to the upper-management of local companies including R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Originally built as a resort and residential community, its curvy streets and terraced lawns blend beautifully with its Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Craftsmen and Victorian style homes. The extraordinary economic growth of Winston-Salem from the late 1800s through the 1920s is reflected in the unique and substantial residences in the West End. Originally traveled by streetcar, motorized trolleys run in the neighborhood today. Businesses and residences neatly meld together in these incredible turn-of-the-century homes and shops. For dinner, try the Zevely House, or the Fourth Street Filling Station; this time of the year, the outdoor dining will be calling your name.

Most any evening, this community has more activities than a visitor or local could even imagine taking in. Home to the North Carolina School of the Arts, you will be in heaven here if you have an interest in drama, film, opera, or music. The productions by the students are always cutting edge. With a film school on campus, there are student films or a film series called Films on Fourth, that will make you think you are on the other coast. I am always thrilled by the productions at the school, as these students are one of North Carolinas great gifts to the country, all from a school that was the first publicly funded arts conservatories in the country. Way to go North Carolina!

Sundays are slower paced in Winston-Salem as they are in most Southern communities, but that does not mean that you won’t find wonderful spots to enjoy brunch. Make time for a walk in the magnificent Reynolda Gardens. These gardens and the adjacent Reynolda Village are a must. After your walk and meal in one of the many restaurants in the Village, make you way to Reynolda House, Museum of American Art. This is a national treasure of American art set in the 1918 home of Katherine and R.J. Reynolds.

Reynolda House

After being closed for three months, Reynolda House unveiled the newly constructed Mary and Charlie Babcock Wing and the restored museum in April 2005. The new 33,000 square-foot wing, located behind the guesthouse and indoor swimming pool, is almost invisible from the front of the house. The entire main level of the guesthouse has become a large reception area, bookshop and visitor orientation area.

In addition, Reynolda House has undergone a restoration project under the direction of Barbara Millhouse, Reynolda House board president and granddaughter of R.J. and Katharine Smith Reynolds. The restoration coincided with the opening of the new wing. Several rooms have been returned to their 1922 appearance, with fabrics carefully chosen to duplicate those used during Katharine Smith Reynolds’ lifetime. The library, for example, has its original furnishings covered in dark blue damask during the winter and in bright floral-patterned slipcovers during the summer. Every detail has been recreated, down to gilt sofa feet shaped like crouching lions. In addition, the butler's pantry, private kitchen and swimming pool changing rooms have been opened to the public for the first time.

Through the summer months, visitors may enjoy the exhibit “Moving Pictures”. Covering the 1880-1910 time period, this exhibit explores the relationship between American art and the new medium of film at the beginning of the twentieth century, and it is amazing.

Each time I come home from Winston-Salem and chat with friends, I am reminded of how much there is to see and do in this place known as North Carolina’s City of the Arts. Before you make your way to Winston-Salem, consult the calendar of events at www.visitwinstonsalem.com for up-to-the-minute details on what is happening. You will never be able to take it all in. I am even told by the locals that they have to pick and choose between all the arts and cultural opportunities in this community.

Beginning with the excitement of being away from home for the first time, I still find myself intrigued with my visits to Winston-Salem. While kids in other parts of country were deep in the British invasion, I was dancing to beach music in Salem Square. The square is pretty much the same, and the city keeps getting better.

Many thanks to Stephan Dragisic with Winston-Salem Convention & Visitors Bureau for his assistance with this article.

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