Perhaps not as grand or as visited as the VIetnam Memorial in Washington DC but if you counted the…read morenumber of people who passed within a half mile of this place, it might be a fair competition. The North Carolina Vietnam Memorial is located in the wooded area between the two rest areas here along I-85 in Thomasville NC. As with others, the memorial lists the 1620 names of those who died fighting in the "Vietnam Conflict" from North Carolina and also lists their counties. It is made from North Carolina brick. It is a short walk from either, or you can drive from the southbound one. What is relatively unique is that the highway is actually crossed over between exits 96 and 102, making each of the exits a right-lane one even though it is between the two highways. You can still hear the traffic faintly, even from inside the circle. [Review 11685 overall, 1467 of 2019.]

The heart of summer, it was quiet at the rest area and I was looking for something to do, a place…read moreto walk to, so I'm grateful that this was also located here to shake off the drive's weary pace. I took a walk down the stair to the lovely park and left a few kindness rocks behind to spread love out into the world before walking and hoping to find a few doe, alas there were no deer but there were a few bees in flowers. I walked back up. It's a lovely area, it may not be Huge and with statues but it's a somber and respectful memorial to the dead of the Vietnam conflict.

Stand clear..... here is comes the robot to lay the smackdown on someone in his way. HE looks cool…read moreand he is cool. I liked seeing this public art landmark and you will to

This marker is located along Lexington's Main Street and is in front of the Holt House. Often, the…read moremarkers point to things that are blocks or miles away so it is great to see one that is right here! The marker reads, "William Rainey Holt, 1798-1868. Physician. Advocate of scientific agriculture. His plantation "Linwood" was 6 miles southwest. Built home here, 1834." Online, there is more information. "Dr. William Rainey Holt of Davidson County was among North Carolina's most versatile men of the nineteenth century. Born in Alamance County at the Holt homeplace (today the site is the Alamance County Historical Museum), William R. Holt was the brother of textile pioneer E. M. Holt and the uncle of Gov. Thomas Holt. Graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1817, Holt studied medicine in Philadelphia and soon after his marriage in 1822 set up practice in newly created Davidson County. Dr. Holt was among Lexington's first and leading citizens and purchased his home lot at an early courthouse sale. On that lot he constructed "The Homestead," a large Greek Revival house, in 1834, soon after his second marriage. That residence today is the oldest remaining home in the town. Holt, a Democrat and secessionist who lost three sons in the Civil War, had his house occupied by Union troops in 1865." It is marker number K-56 and the driveway of the home has parking for you to stop and check it out. (And thanks to the photographer that was here for a private event and kindly stepped inside so I could get a photo!) [Review 1791 of 2024 - 3710 in North Carolina - 22814 overall]

Also located in front of the Randolph County Courthouse, this monument is composed of nine engraved…read moregranite slabs arranged in a semicircle. The slabs increase in height toward the center, and the center slab topped with an eagle. There are three flagpoles behind the slabs, which today at half mast had the US flag, the North Carolina state flag and the POW-MIA flag. The center slab reads, "They stood in the unbroken line of patriots who lived to bear their country's arms. They died to save its honor and keep aglow the flaming torch of freedom." The slabs list all of those from Randolph County killed in action. [Review 13936 overall, 1258 of 2020, number 2579 in North Carolina.]

The All Veterans Memorial located in downtown Asheboro between the old and new courthouses pays…read moretribute to those who died from Randolph County in WWI; WWII; Korea; Vietnam; Lebanon; Panama and the Persian Gulf Wars. The names of each of the men and women who paid the ultimate price for freedom are inscribed in the granite memorial. POWs and Wounded Warriors are also acknowledged. This is one of the nicer memorials I've seen.

First and foremost: this is a private home in a quiet neighborhood and not a public museum /…read moreproperty. If you visit, please make sure to not enter the property / knock on the front door / disturb the family who lives there in any way. Respectful, okay? Okay, cool. That all being said -- this place is a historical landmark for Winston Salem and humanity as a whole. It was the home of writer/actress/director/activist Dr. Maya Angelou from 1994 until her death in 2014, when she passed away inside this home. Dr. Angelou once wrote a lovely little essay called "In the Valley of Humility" (published in the collection "Letter to My Daughter") about how and why she decided to make Winston-Salem her home. She decided on Winston-Salem in part because of the warmth and kindness she felt from the community at Wake Forest University, and decided to accept the position of lifetime Reynolds Professorship of American Studies there in 1981. This came after a divorce when she was looking for a "soft place to land". Anyone who has spent time in the Wake Forest part of Winston-Salem can certainly understand the appeal for her in that moment. Whenever I feel the need for a spiritual moment or reset, I like to quietly drive by her former home on Bartram. I take in the trees, how green and peaceful everything is. I pull out of the neighborhood and drive the few minutes down to the Wake Forest campus -- the same drive that Dr. Angelou likely made when she was heading over to speak or teach. It's really easy to understand why she picked Winston-Salem as her haven. Whenever I have visitors in from out of town, this is one of the first places I recommend that they visit. She may not live there anymore, and the house may now be painted deep blue instead of sunshine yellow, but driving by this house and down these streets -- especially after reading "In the Valley of Humility" -- allows so much in-depth insight into the day-to-day existence of one of the most cherished Southern writers of our time.

There are no donuts here unless you brought your own. The sweet history of Krispy Kreme began in…read more1937 when its inventor, Vernon Rudolph, rented space in a small warehouse on South Main Street in the center of Historic Old Salem, Winston-Salem. Rudolph first supplied his yeast-raised doughnuts to nearby supermarkets, but as the bakery's enticing aroma attracted people to the door, he decided to make a hole in the wall and sell hot doughnuts to customers directly. The flagship store has since relocated across town to Stratford Road. Other well-known culinary businesses, such as Garner Foods, which produces Texas Pete hot sauce and Green Mountain Gringo salsa, which has been spicing up kitchens since 1929, are based in Winston-Salem. There is some parking here. The Winston-Salem State University is nearby so it may be a busy area on some days. [Review 953 of 2025 - 4350 in North Carolina - 24508 overall]

For any fan of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, this stop is an interesting one. It was the original…read morelocation for Krispy Kreme before the building got demolished. I visited on a Saturday afternoon and there weren't many people around. I was able to find free street parking. The actual flagship store is about 5-6 min driving away.

Growing up in High Point, my friends and I knew about Lydia's Bridge at a very young age. It's one…read moreof the Triad's best-known ghost stories. You can Google "Lydia's Bridge" to read the full story, but the short version is: Girl in white dress on the side of the road needs a ride home. Driver picks her up and drives her home. When they reach her home, she's vanished from the car. Driver knocks on the door of the house and an older woman answers. Driver asks about the girl. Older woman turns out to be the girl's mother and explains that the girl, Lydia, died in a car accident. Her ghost repeatedly does this from time to time. (I think I got the story right.) In elementary school, this story creeped me out. Every time my mom would drive us from High Point to Greensboro and back, we'd have to pass by Lydia's Bridge. I always looked at it, curious about the bridge and wondering if I'd ever catch a glimpse of Lydia. In high school, when my friends and I were old enough to drive, we actually drove out to Lydia's Bridge one night. It was pitch-black dark and terrifying. We psyched ourselves out. The address for this Yelp listing, 500 E Main St, puts you at the Yorkshire Yorkleigh Apartments. We pulled into Yorkleigh Ln, found parking, and walked over to Lydia's Bridge. It's not straightforward to get to. Lydia's Bridge isn't actually the bridge over E Main St, but instead another bridge nearby. Technically, it's a culvert. You can only get to it on foot. You have to walk through some wild vegetation to get there. I've uploaded a Google satellite view picture with this review so you can see exactly where the bridge is in relation to the apartment entrance. After much research, it is believed Lydia is actually one Annie L. Jackson who died in a car accident on Jamestown High Point Rd (present-day E Main St) in 1920; coincidentally, 100 years ago from the time I'm writing this. I posted the Greensboro Patriot newspaper front page article about the accident with this review too. You can read more about how this story was dug up on WFMY News 2's website: https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/lydias-bridge-mystery-solved-famous-ghost-traced-to-real-tragedy-local-family/487001437. A good story to read about Lydia was written by Lisa O'Donnell of the Winston-Salem Journal, published on June 16, 2018: https://www.greensboro.com/news/local_news/ghostly-jamestown-hitchhiker-reveals-herself-to-researchers/article_8f0d6ce6-71d2-11e8-920f-7f045391a3c2.html.

This small roundel is located in the center of the park. It commemorates the first official…read moreIndependence Day celebration in the United States that occurred on July 4th, 1783. The plaque was placed on July 4th, 1966, the 200th anniversary of the city of Winston-Salem. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit, but if you're nearby. There is street parking around the square. [Review 14989 overall, 491 of 2021, number 2855 in North Carolina.]