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.

Another Cool Landmark We were walking around this city and checking out their public art. Winston…read moreSalem has many cool Murals all around the place. This is another cool example of the public art scene in Winston Salem. I enjoy all the colors and the design of this public art mural. Go check it out in this cool city.

We had the best time walking through the streets of Old Salem. We opted not to purchase the pass to…read morevisit the exhibits this time. We were looking to just spend the day walking outside and visiting the bakery and shops. If we had the extra time, we would have done the whole tour. We visited the bakery on our walk down. It was pretty busy per usual. We purchased some delicious goodies: cheese stars, raisin bread, cherry strudel and an oatmeal cookie sandwich. The first bag of cheese stars never made it home! We ate those as we walked to the coffee pot and God's Acre. We stopped in several shops and did some window shopping. It was so great to see all the holiday decorations out and the bridge decorated with all those beautiful Moravian stars. This is my favorite time of the year to visit Old Salem. It is simply beautiful and quaint. Definitely stroll through the streets of Old Salem anytime you want a quiet moment. It's worth a trip!

Super cute old town area with beautiful buildings and a cool bakery with a special bread baking…read moreoven. It's worth a visit!

Cool Landmark to see here. We were walking around this city and checking out their public art…read more Winston Salem has many cool Murals all around the place. This is another cool example of the public art scene in Winston Salem. I enjoy all the colors and the design of this public art mural. Go check it out in this cool city.

This bridge is so nice It has a garden on each side for…read morepedestrians to enjoy As you cross over business 40

The Lincoln Theatre was opened in 1929 and its history is quite fascinating. My friends live in…read moreMarion and wanted me to see the local offerings. We went into the theater shop midday and they asked the lovely woman running the theater if we could have a tour? She was in the middle of getting ready for that night's Rocky Horror Picture Show, but in true sweet Southern hospitality, cheerfully let us in so we could look around and she could talk to us about the establishment. The theatre was lovingly restored in the 1980s by locals who turned it into a nonprofit. PBS broadcasts its Song of the Mountains show here monthly. The woman we spoke to was working on grants to bring in movies and other performances to the theater. It would be a great venue for all of the above. As I had an early flight home the next day, we didn't come back to see the show, but I truly believe this is a gem to be checked out in Marion.

Perfect venue in a small town, have seen great entertainment here! All seating has great views,…read moreprices are reasonable

This is a wonderful resource for the Winston-Salem and even the Triad region. A direct link to one…read moreof the first if not the first settlers of the area. Religious migration of MORAVIANS from the North Eastern states. And ultimately the MORAVIAN RELIGION hails from Germany from the 1400's. Their church emerged from the Hussite movement, which predated Martin Luther's Reformation by over 50 years. This park honors a long heritage, that laid the foundation that predates both Winston and Salem, now Winston-Salem. This public park hosts several festivals a year. And it hosts outdoors summer concerts that can be held under a open air shelter. Great for families and peoples or all ages and their pets. Nice and flat for strolling. The grounds houses structures and reconstructed structures from the original settlement back to 1753. Several of the structures house demonstrations for the living skills needed back then: food production, black smithing, etc. A modern welcome center has a model reproduction of the center and is a sort of mini museum. The staff are knowledgeable and happy to educate. There are presentations in the center on the history. Nice bathrooms are there also. And a limited # items are available for purchase and I believe funds go to support the park. The main old structure is a house of worship with an organ that dates from very early on. Consider HISTORIC BETHABARA a quicker trip that to say WILLAMSBURG in VA (granted that is larger and more historically important on a National Level) but nonetheless a way to take a quick step back in time. Also consider OLD SALEM a little to the south in Winston-Salem. Another MORIAVIAN SETTLEMENT (really a follow on, since BETHABARA was meant to be temporary whilst SALEM was planned to be permanent). More along the lines of a mini-WILLAMSBURG. With a reopened TAVERN restaurant. And historical sites and demonstrations to experience. And SALEM is the home to the 1st ever official 4TH OF JULY celebration in the Nation. And back to HISTORIC BETHABARA, take a stroll through the vegetable garden housing genetically same fruits and vegetables that were grown back in the 1700's. Salem also has the same type of gardens.

I attended the Park's annual Christmas event today although it was a chilly day it was a very fun…read moretime. The docents were outside and inside the various village houses demonstrating activities and general living in the period of the time around 1700s authentically dressed in period attire. Such a nice sunny day to bundle up and experience what the villagers had to offer as you stood by the fires to watch how candles were made, forging iron, eating samples of cookies, Johnnie cake and such. The demonstrations were very informative as the docents told how normal day to day chores, cooking, schooling, spinning wool, drying fruit and veggies were prepared for use in the winter when produce couldn't grow. All the buildings were open so you could get out of the cold and go inside to listen to the informative history and see the furnishings and displays of the day. The live music and the decorations really helped put me in the holiday mood. Make a point of checking out life at Bethabara Village and walking around the grounds. Lots to see and paths for walking with you and your doggo if you like. Note that the buildings aren't always open except special events but you can go see the village all year round and sightsee or for walking in the area.

Very educational and interesting. The tour was definitely worth the time and money. Make sure to…read morestop by the school for some fun games and loved the gunsmith shop

We popped by on a whim and ended up spending a lovely, informative hour-plus strolling thought this…read morehistoric village site, which is a collection of restored old homes and businesses (and yes, gardens) from the 1700 and 1800s. Interestingly enough there are private residences mixed in as well. OK, so maybe it's really not incredibly riveting but it's still kinda interesting to see how early American life played out for Moravian, Black, and Indigenous peoples that lived in the South. A few of the buildings had docents in period dress relating the history of the particular house (some of these require separate admission tickets) or demonstrating their trades. For instance, we passed by a gunsmith's shop with a working craftsman inside, but it cost to go in. The whole area includes the Historic Town of Salem, the Gardens at Old Salem, the Frank L. Horton Museum Center, and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) and is a few blocks from Winston-Salem's main downtown area, so probably best to park at the lot of the Museum/Gallery/visitor center and walk across the very cool Old Salem Covered Bridge to the village. We didn't have time to see all the grounds - which by the way, also have the site of the Original Site of Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop, which we did see, and were hugely disappointed by. It ain't nothing but an empty lot. But if you like old stuff like I do, you'll dig Old Salem even if you just go for half an hour. Plus it's mostly free.