By Winston-Salem wears its history and its creativity in equal measure, and most first-time visitors never get past the obvious stops. Look a little closer, though, and the Twin City reveals a string of quiet surprises: a colonial settlement older than Old Salem itself, art that tumbles out of repurposed cigarette machines, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker downtown, and a Victorian mansion just up the road that defies every expectation of a historic home. These are the hidden gems worth carving out time for.
Historic Bethabara Park: The Moravian Settlement That Came First
Everyone knows Old Salem, but few realize the Moravians built here first, nearly two decades earlier, a few miles to the northwest. Founded in 1753, Historic Bethabara Park was the first European settlement in the North Carolina Piedmont, and today its 183 acres are a National Historic Landmark wrapped in walking trails, restored colonial buildings, a reconstructed 1750s fort, and protected wetlands rich with birdlife.
The reconstructed Gemeinhaus church, the 1782 Potter’s House, and a meticulously kept community garden recreate frontier life with far smaller crowds than you will find downtown. Bird-watchers and walkers love the trail network that loops through the wetlands, and the grounds make a peaceful place to spread a picnic blanket on a mild Carolina afternoon.
Plan your visit: 2147 Bethabara Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106. The park grounds are open free of charge, year-round, from dawn to dusk. The visitor center and historic buildings keep seasonal hours (generally Tuesday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.), so check ahead before a building tour. Learn more through the City of Winston-Salem’s Historic Bethabara Park page.
The Art-o-mat: Original Art From a Vintage Vending Machine
Here is a Winston-Salem invention that has quietly spread across the country and beyond. The Art-o-mat started here in 1997 when a local artist retrofitted a retired cigarette vending machine to dispense small, affordable works of art. Pull a knob, and out drops an original piece (a tiny painting, a sculpture, a print) for about $5. You choose the artist, but the specific piece is a surprise, which is half the fun.
The machines are scattered around town inside coffee shops, galleries, and breweries, so a hunt for them doubles as a tour of the city’s creative corners. Reliable spots to find one include Krankies Coffee, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), the Reynolda House gift shop, and a/perture cinema downtown. Bring small bills or look for a token machine nearby.
The project now supplies hundreds of artists and machines worldwide, but it remains proudly rooted here. You can read its origin story and see the network through the local feature at My Winston-Salem’s Art-o-mat guide. For a current list of machine locations, the Visit Winston-Salem attractions directory is a good starting point.
Black Mountain Chocolate: Bean-to-Bar Downtown
Tucked into the heart of downtown, Black Mountain Chocolate makes chocolate the slow way: importing cacao beans, then hand-sorting, roasting, winnowing, and grinding them in small batches before turning out bars, truffles, and decadent drinking chocolate. The shop pairs its confections with premium coffee and craft cocktails, making it equally good for a midmorning treat or an evening stop.
If you want to see the process up close, the company offers behind-the-scenes factory tours that walk you through the entire bean-to-bar journey in about 40 minutes. Tours run on a limited schedule and require advance reservations, so contact the shop before you go rather than dropping in expecting one.
Plan your visit: The chocolate bar and shop sit in downtown Winston-Salem; confirm the current address, daily hours, and tour availability directly through Black Mountain Chocolate’s contact page. Hours generally run Tuesday through Sunday with the shop closed Mondays, but factory tours are scheduled separately and fill quickly.
Reynolda Gardens: A Free Formal Garden With Olmsted Roots
Most visitors come to the Reynolda estate for the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, and it is worth a look, but the gardens next door are the genuine hidden gem, and they are free. Reynolda Gardens, owned and maintained by Wake Forest University, centers on a four-acre formal garden designed by Thomas Sears, a protege of the Olmsted landscape tradition. Add a restored greenhouse conservatory, wooded trails, and open meadows, and you have one of the most serene escapes in the city.
The grounds are a lovely walk in any season, from spring bulbs and roses to the quiet bare structure of the formal beds in winter. Pair the gardens with a stroll through adjacent Reynolda Village, a cluster of the estate’s original outbuildings now home to shops and cafes.
Plan Your Visit to Reynolda
- Reynolda Gardens address: 100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
- Phone: 336-758-5593
- Garden hours: Grounds open daily, sunrise to sunset, free of charge. The Conservatory and Welcome Center keep limited hours (generally Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
- Reynolda House Museum: 2250 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106; ticketed admission applies. Note that the historic house wing is closed through August 2026 for preservation work, though the Babcock gallery exhibitions remain open.
- Website: reynolda.org/gardens
Korner’s Folly: The Strangest House in the Carolinas
A short 15-minute drive east into neighboring Kernersville rewards you with one of the most genuinely surprising buildings in the state. Korner’s Folly, built in 1880 by artist and designer Jule Gilmer Korner, is a 22-room Victorian fantasy spread across seven levels, with ceiling heights that range from barely six feet to more than 25, fifteen fireplaces (no two alike), and the first private little theater in the United States tucked under the roof.
The house earned its teasing nickname from skeptical neighbors who doubted Korner’s wild vision would ever cohere. It did, gloriously, and a self-guided tour through its hand-painted walls, hidden nooks, and idiosyncratic staircases feels like wandering through one man’s imagination made permanent.
Plan Your Visit to Korner’s Folly
- Address: 401 South Main Street, Kernersville, NC 27284
- Phone: (336) 996-7922
- Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the last entry at 3:00 p.m. daily. Closed Mondays.
- Admission: $14 for adults (18+), $7 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under 6.
- Website: kornersfolly.org
Round Out the Trip in Old Salem and Beyond
Even the famous stops have quieter corners. While the cobbled streets of Old Salem Museums & Gardens draw the crowds, its heirloom gardens and the working bakery (where Moravian sugar cake and wood-fired bread come straight from a 19th-century oven) reward a slower, off-peak visit. Old Salem sits at 900 Old Salem Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27101; reach the visitor center at 336-721-7350. The 2026 season runs roughly mid-February through early November, with two-stop tickets around $22 for adults and $12 for students and children, and full-access tickets running higher. Children ages 0 to 3 enter free. Confirm current pricing and the venue schedule on the Old Salem ticket information page.
While you are downtown, hunt for the city’s quirkier touches: the giant “Mickey” coffee pot, a seven-foot tin landmark crafted in 1858 to advertise a Moravian tinsmith, still stands near Old Salem, and a self-guided downtown art trail threads murals and sculptures through the arts district. For an up-to-date roundup of these and other attractions, the regional I Love Carolina destination guide is a handy companion.
Planning tip: Several of these gems (Bethabara, Old Salem, Reynolda’s conservatory, Korner’s Folly, and Black Mountain Chocolate tours) are closed on Mondays or keep limited weekday hours, so build your itinerary around Tuesday through Saturday for the fullest experience, and reserve any factory or building tours before you arrive.