Holiday Travel: Winston Salem Day 2

Day 2: Winston Salem

Today my family and I decided to step back in time and explore Old Salem to start our day. Old Salem Museums & Gardens, located in downtown Winston Salem, is a wonderful place to learn about the life of Moravians and early Southerners living in the 18th and 19th centuries. Before we began our exploration, we attended a musical performance in the auditorium located in the visitor’s center.

Peter and the Wolf is a musical performance that is part of the Winter Music Festival performed by Carolina Chamber Symphony Players. The half hour performance was a musical storytelling experience which featured a flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and percussion instruments. The music was exceptional and we thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Old Salem was like a living history museum. We visited several sites such as the gunsmith shop, the tavern, the bakery and several houses and gardens. Most of these sites were attended by people in period costumes who were eager to talk to visitors about the ways of life in the 1800s. The Salem Tavern Museum was a favorite of our daughter who was fascinated by the way beds looked and were made in the 1800s. She also enjoyed speaking to the attendant in the kitchen who taught her how dishes were cleaned 200 years ago.

On the grounds of Old Salem there are 2 restaurants and several friends had recommended that we try The Tavern. However, there was a two hour wait for a table. We decided to order take out and eat on the back porch of the restaurant. I tried the traditional Moravian chicken pie and my husband had a bratwurst sandwich with homemade sauerkraut. We also had a cup of beer cheese soup. The food was amazing and I would certainly recommend it to anyone visiting Old Salem.

After spending several hours in Old Salem, we headed back to the Brookstown Inn which is about a 10 minute walk away. My husband decided to relax a bit but my daughter was ready to explore something new. She and I decided to check out the Children’s Museum which was just 2 blocks away.

The Children’s Museum of Winston Salem was a big hit with my daughter. Upon arrival, she climbed a giant beanstalk to get to the exhibits on the second level. She spent time in the veterinary clinic, an enchanted forest, an art studio, an exhibit called amazing airways and a doughnut factory. She loved going through the steps of “making” Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

We then spent some time downstairs in an indoor sock skating rink, climbing on a structure called a “Luckey Climber” and relaxing to enjoy a book in the library. Our final stop at the museum was an outdoor play area which featured a giant hand crocheted climbing structure. My daughter could have spent hours climbing and playing in this colorful “kaleidoscope”.

To conclude a great day, we all headed to the Festival of Lights at Tanglewood Park. This is a drive-through holiday light extravaganza. Even though it was 2 days after Christmas, this event was very crowded. We arrived about ten minutes before opening and there were cars lined up for at least a mile. Once we finally got the tour underway, we were excited to see hundreds of displays that ranged from traditional Christmas icons to mermaids and peacocks. The entire route took us almost 2 hours to complete. It was a great show and a perfect way to end a great day in Winston Salem.

When planning a trip to Winston Salem, make sure you visit www.VisitWinstonSalem.com for all the attractions, accommodations and local restaurants in Winston-Salem.