Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Although I spent much of our time in meetings and at a conference, I know that every trip to a new city should involve seeing something historic about the area. A visit to Old Salem is well worth the afternoon trip.

What to Know about Old Salem

You can purchase a ticket for the full experience or simply take a free walking tour.

If you are coming from downtown, you can put in the Old Salem Visitor Center as your destination in a GPS or for the Uber Driver.

The Old Salem Visitor Center

The Visitor Center has a gift shop and is a great place to start your free walking tour.

It is also home to the Old Salem Marketplace and Souvenir Shop, a Candy Shop, and the James A. Gray Auditorium which houses the 1800 David Tannenburg Organ. Occasional displays of historic objects from our collection are also shown there, currently on exhibit are the original printing press and tools brought to Salem by John Christian Blum in the 19th century.

You will cross a beautiful bridge that takes you from the visitor center across the street to Old Salem.

What to Expect at Old Salem?

Old Salem is a historic street basically frozen in time. Some of the houses are inhabited by local residents but everything is exactly as it appeared before the Civil War.

You can purchase the ticket and enter each of the buildings or simply view them from the outside. The Tavern, Tea Room and Bakery are all open to the public without a ticket.

Don’t stop your walking tour early. Every visit simply must include a stop in the Bakery where the sweet bread is baked in the historic brick oven that dates back 200 years.

While on our visit, I took the time to talk to the baker and learn about how he bakes the bread each day for the past 17 years. Not only did we get to enjoy the fresh bread he had just pulled out of the oven, but he showed me up close how the brick oven works and operates.

And don’t miss out on the opportunity to enjoy the other baked goods such as the classic Moravian Cookies or coconut puffs!

Whether you are interested in historic Old Salem or simply looking for a beautiful walk along the brick paths, this is definitely a must see in Winston-Salem.

Visitor Center:
900 Old Salem Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: 336-721-7300

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Have you ever visited Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina? What is your favorite part of the experience? I’d love to hear!