Landmarks give us a true sense of place. Monuments and historic locations help connect us to a destination and bring us an understanding of its past as well as its present. These special locations are part of the fabric of Forsyth County and learning more about them allows us to better appreciate and love where we live.
Old Salem Museums and Gardens
Before it was Old Salem, it was simply Salem, a settlement conceived for a desire for religious freedom and carved out of the North Carolina wilderness by the Moravian community in 1766. Today’s Old Salem has been carefully preserved as the city grew up around it. A visit to Old Salem offers a look at authentic early-American life through storytelling, original buildings, hands-on activities, music and events. Visit the town along with its award-winning heirloom gardens, and gain historical understanding about those who lived and worked there in the earliest days of this charming community. While you’re there, stop in at Winkler Bakery, the oldest continuously operating bakery in the US.
Old Salem Heritage Bridge
This modern covered pedestrian bridge was built in 1998 for nearly $2 million, and it is named for the road that it covers, Old Salem Road. It is located at the site of North Carolina’s first Moravian community and is next to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. The structure spans approximately 120 feet over Old Salem Bypass with 17-foot vertical clearance over the roadway and a 12-foot walkway.”
Wait Chapel
Wait Chapel is the largest non-athletic indoor setting on the Reynolda Campus with a seating capacity of 2,250. The Chapel space is home to The Williams Organ, a four-manual Möller instrument with a Schantz console controlling more than 4,600 pipes. The building also holds the Harris Carillon, a classically controlled grand carillon of 48 cast bronze bells weighing 12 tons. Wait Chapel has been the venue for the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra’s production of Handel’s Messiah for the past two years.
World’s Largest Chest of Drawers
Whimsical 32-foot Victorian dresser-shaped building in “the furniture capital of the world.” Located in High Point.
Historic Bethabara Park
Historic Bethabara Park features a unique, restored 1788 church, archaeological ruins, exhibits and tours with costumed guides, a reconstructed colonial village and community and medicinal garden, and a French and Indian war fort. Greenways and paths traverse the 183-acre preserve and wetlands. Grounds, gardens and trails are open from sunrise to sunset year-round.
R.J. Reynolds Auditorium
Completed in 1923-1924, R.J. Reynolds High School and Auditorium are among the most significant high school complexes and cultural facilities built in North Carolina during the first half of the 20th century. R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium is a 1,900-seat theater with a mezzanine and balcony. The performance area has a 39-foot forestage arch and is about 66 feet wide and 35 feet deep, not including the five-foot curved apron. The beauty of this space and the historical feel of the place has to be experienced to be appreciated.
Winston-Salem Tobacco Historic District
The Winston-Salem Tobacco Historic District consists of the largest industrial section in downtown Winston-Salem. The district encompasses approximately 31 acres and comprises nine full blocks and one partial block. The buildings date from about 1890 to 1959 and include buildings relating to the tobacco industry, specifically R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Also in the district, are a once-thriving African American wholesale commercial business district that once catered to the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company workers.
Shell Service Station
The Shell Service Station in Winston-Salem is a former filling station constructed in 1930 following a decision in the 1920s by the new local Shell distributor, Quality Oil Company, to bring brand awareness to the market by building a series of shell-shaped service stations. The building is an example of representational or novelty architecture and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1976. It is located at the corner of Sprague and Peachtree Streets. Although there were at least eight stations like it built in the Winston Salem area, the station at Sprague and Peachtree is the only one remaining.
Graylyn
Graylyn was once the country estate of Bowman and Nathalie Gray, who built the Norman Revival-style Manor House in the late 1920s. Today, Graylyn endures as one of the country’s most captivating and historic hotels, doubling as a sophisticated and exclusive executive conference center with 85 guest rooms and distinctive event space. Associated with the house are several contributing outbuildings including a garage-guest house and farm complex. Today, Graylyn estate is a member of Historic Hotels of America.
Reynolda Historic District
Reynolda Historic District is a 178-acre national historic district located on Reynolda Road. Reynolda’s historic estate comprises Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Reynolda Gardens and Reynolda Village Shops and Restaurants. Reynolda Historic District is located near the campus of Wake Forest University. Visitors may park at any of the attractions listed and explore the grounds using walking paths.
Tanglewood Park
Tanglewood has something for just about everyone. Playgrounds, dog park, horseback riding, pedal boats on the lake, tennis, BMX and mountain bike trails, 26 spectacular gardens, access to the Yadkin River and the Manor House Bed and Breakfast. Tanglewood is rich in history, beauty and southern charm. The property now known as Tanglewood Park was part of land claimed by Sir Walter Raleigh for Queen Elizabeth on March 25, 1584. It has a vivid history which includes the land being acquired in 1921 by William Neal Reynolds (brother of tobacco entrepreneur R.J. Reynolds). Mr. Will, as he was called, had a love of horses and raced thoroughbreds which led to the establishment of Tanglewood Farm. Today, trail rides, hayrides and carriage rides are available by reservation. Mrs. Reynolds was an avid gardener and, with the help of other talented gardeners, is responsible for the beautiful gardens on display at Tanglewood today.
