For a city its size, Winston-Salem boasts a large number of respected art galleries. Wake Forest University runs three galleries: The Hanes Gallery (rotating exhibits in the Scales Fine Art Center), Reynolda House Museum of American Art, and the START: WFU Student Gallery. Reynolda House is the main attraction, with a collection spanning three centuries of American work housed in the historic Reynolds family estate.
The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art is on the cutting edge of contemporary galleries with its frequently changing exhibitions. Past exhibits have featured work by William Wegman and Yoko Ono. SECCA is housed in the lovingly restored Hanes estate.
A must-visit is the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem University, which is dedicated to African and Black American art. The museum also hosts music, dance, and theatre performances.
To see local artists at work, visit the Downtown Arts District, an exciting neighborhood full of studios, galleries, antique and jewelry shops, and cafes.

This National Historic Landmark celebrates the 1753 establishment of Forsyth County by German-speaking Protestant settlers. The 175-acre park includes a historic church built in 1788, period buildings, a fort from the French and Indian War (The Seven Years’ War), and a traditional medicinal garden. The park is animated by costumed guides.

Housed in the historic Woolworth building where a 1960 sit-in became a flashpoint in the American civil rights movement, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in nearby Greensboro is a fascinating experience. The museum collects artifacts and stories related to the international struggle for civil rights and the nonviolent protest movement.

Winston-Salem’s old quarter in the west-end was once an exclusive enclave for the wealthy tobacco and textile families that once dominated the region and is now a charming pedestrian neighborhood with winding, tree-lined streets and shops. The main attraction here is “Millionaires’ Row,” where the Reynolds and Hanes families kept homes built with their cigarette and underwear fortunes, respectively. The houses are privately owned but a walk through the neighborhood reveals lovely architecture dating from 1890-1930 with a surprising variety of front porch designs.