WEEKEND ROAD TRIPS:
WEEKEND IN WINSTON-SALEM
WEEKEND IN WINSTON-SALEM
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| A children's tour of Old Salem, Winston-Salem, North Caarolina |
BREAKFAST: Mary’s Gourmet Diner (www.breakfastofcourse.com) features a funky and bright atmosphere, homemade biscuits with vegetarian or pork sausage gravy, and lines on weekends.
9 A.M.: Nearby and worthy of a morning or more, Old Salem Museum and Gardens (www.oldsalem.org) explores the historic restored Moravian community. A new visitor center, lots of interactive opportunities and costumed interpreters straight out of the 1800s. Winkler Bakery’s tasty offerings are cooked in wood-burning ovens, while Saturday’s Cobblestone Farmers Market (Saturdays-only, spring-summer) offers fruits, vegetables, meats, and more. The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts features period rooms and galleries showcasing paintings, furniture, ceramics and textiles.
LUNCH: The Tavern in Old Salem (www.thetaverninoldsalem.ws) offers a nice mix of 19th-century Moravian recipes and more modern cuisine. Meals are served on pewter plates by wait staff in period costumes. Reservations are highly recommended (even for lunch).
Originally published in the The Charlotte Observer
1:30 P.M. or 3:30 P.M.: Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours ( www.tastecarolina.net) features alternating downtown walking tours each Saturday that highlight local chefs and owners using locally sourced ingredients. The 1:30 p.m. tours go from downtown to the Arts District; 3:30 tours head from downtown to the West End. With about 3 miles of walking, both tours take three hours and 15 minutes and include lots of food and drink (including award-winning wines from the nearby Yadkin Valley, where many wineries and several adjacent restaurants welcome visitors as well).
DINNER: Charlotte residents will recognize the name Bernardin’s (www.bernardinsfinedining.com), since there also is a downtown location in the Queen City. Featuring creative beef and seafood, the upscale menu and atmosphere at Bernardin’s Fine Dining in downtown Winston-Salem is well worth a reservation or wait.
BREAKFAST (SUNDAY BRUNCH): Sweet Potatoes ( www.sweetpotatoes.ws) is the place to head for Southern brunch fare on Sundays starting at 10:30 a.m.. Sweet potato biscuits, sweet potato hash and more make this a Sunday brunch hotspot, as well as for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday (closed for dinner Monday nights).
NOON: The elegant shops at Reynolda Village ( www.reynoldavillage.com) are great for both window shopping and shopping in earnest, including a great home decor store called Nekkid Dave.
LUNCH: If you’re not too full, convenient Village Tavern ( www.villagetavern.com) is perfect for lunch before and after shopping.
2 P.M.: The “Reynolda Mile” provides an afternoon of exploration, with possibilities including the Reynolda House Museum of American Art ( www.reynoldahouse.org), the Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University ( www.reynoldagardens.org) and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art ( www.secca.org).
DINNER: Foothills Brewery ( www.foothillsbrewing.com) features tasting flights of their tasty beers (starting with the light Salem Gold), but locals also rave about the food for good reason. From fried pickle chips to creative worth-the-wait (20 minutes) pizzas, Foothills Brewery is a downtown institution.
WRAP UP: a/perture ( www.aperturecinema.com) is the place to head for a classic film experience, while BB&T Ballpark features classic Minor League Baseball with the Winston-Salem Dash ( www.milb.com).