What a delight! After living in New Mexico for the past 16 years, I happened to be back in town…read moreand was able to do the Christmas program they had. Everything was great! The staff were on point and volunteers very knowledgeable. What a local treasure!

First of all, the folks here are friendly and extremely helpful/informative. We will have to come…read moreback for the apple picking down the street. Our first time here, we toured the grounds and the preserved farmhouse. Lace and I always get a kick out of checking out old farmhouses, and this place did not disappoint! Old books, clothes, furniture, even a calendar hanging from 1905! There are some animals on the grounds but not many, so don't bring kids expecting to have a petting zoo experience because this isn't that. The farmhouse itself is deceptively huge and has a unique layout. Worth the trip if you're interested in these kinds of things. They do plenty of events on site, but they didn't have anything going on for this particular outing.

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.

Tony and I stopped in High Point NC at the roadside attraction to see the World's Largest Chair…read moresince they are the furniture capital of the world. Free to enjoy! On Street Parking located near the RR tracks in Center of town.

According to the plaque mounted on the chair's pedestal, it's officially known as "'The Chair' of…read moreThomasville." The plaque reads: "The chair is an exemplar and inspiration for future generations to emulate and perpetuate the achievements of our time-honored furniture designers and craftsmen . . . The original chair was the creation of the famous American designer Duncan Phyfe. Erected 1950. Thomas Johnson - Del. James Harvey - Sculp." A smaller, newer placard beneath reads: "Local Historic Landmark. Designated by City Council. September 2000. Thomasville Historic Preservation Commission." Locally, it's known as "The Big Chair." It's a huge upholstered chair located in downtown Thomasville, North Carolina. It's a symbol of the city's furniture industry. Thomasville is nicknamed "Chair City," while nearby High Point is known as the "Furniture Capital of the World." I was born and raised in High Point. To this day, any time my parents have out-of-town visitors, my dad loves taking them to see the World's Largest Chest of Drawers in High Point (https://www.yelp.com/biz/worlds-largest-chest-of-drawers-high-point) and The Big Chair in Thomasville. As a kid, I wouldn't bat an eye at these things. I thought they were boring. As I got older, I thought they were corny. However, as I continue to get older, I'm starting to appreciate them a bit more. Now, I think they are fun to show to out-of-towners too. Corny, but fun. I guess I'm turning into my dad. An equivalent roadside attraction where I work now is The Big Chicken in Marietta, Georgia. Online reports say the chair is 30 feet tall, but I think that may be misleading. I think the 30-foot measurement takes into account both the chair and the large stone pedestal upon which it stands. The chair is traditional and ornate in design. It looks like it's made of dark wood, but it's actually constructed of concrete and steel. Visiting the chair is a breeze. There's a large free city parking lot across the street. You can park there and walk over. Landscaping around the chair varies and is constantly changing throughout the seasons. It's generally nice. There's not much to see or do in downtown Thomasville, especially on the weekends when most of the businesses on Main Street are closed. It's a quaint little area though. The intersection is relatively busy and sits next to a pair of railroad tracks. Take a look at the pictures. That's pretty much it.

The John Warwick Thomas statue in downtown Thomasville is a fitting tribute to the town's founder…read moreand it makes for a charming roadside stop. Thomas, who established Thomasville in 1852, is depicted in a bronze sculpture created by artist Dick Idol and unveiled in 2003, showing him in a confident, upright post just steps from the famous Big Chair. It's a clean, well-kept installation that adds a nice historical anchor to Main Street. Thomas himself lived from 1800 to 1871, and while the statue honors his legacy, he is laid to rest at the nearby Thomasville City Cemeter, where several early locla leaders are buried. [Review 1179 of 2026 - 4828 in North Carolina - 26358 overall]

The Big Chair in Thomasville is one of those landmarks that makes you stop and smile because it's…read moreboth historic and just a little bit absurd, and that's exactly why it works. It was unveiled in 1950 as a tribute to the town's furniture making heritage, modeled after a Duncan Phyfe armchair and built of steel, concrete, and Indiana limestone to replace an earlier wooden version from 1922 that didn't survive the weather. It's not the biggest chair in the world, but it's definitely a big chair, towering 30 feet over the plaza and impossible to miss. The only downside is that you can't climb up and sit in it with your feet dangling, which would make for a fantastic photo, but even from the ground, it's a fun, quirky stop that celebrates exactly what put Thomasville on the map. [Review 1181 of 2026 - 4830 in North Carolina - 26360 overall]

The Big Chair is located in Downtown Thomasville, near the railroad tracks. There are free parking…read morelots and street parking spaces around the attraction. The Big Chair is 30 feet high and represents Chair City, as Thomasville, as it is one of the leading furniture-making towns. This particular chair is made of steel and concrete. The base is made of limestone. The original chair in 1922 was made of pine wood, and it rotted over the years. So it was rebuilt in 1948. Lyndon B Johnson stood on the ten-foot-wide seat back in 1960 during a political campaign. But for visitors, we can't climb or sit in the chair. We need to view it from the ground. When I visited, the tulips were in bloom, so that just added to the experience. The chair is very large but just as detailed as a regular-sized chair. It is just a quick stop, but I left impressed.

Located in the same area as the Forsyth County Courthouse and around the corner, the equestrian…read morestatue of RJ Reynolds, this marker points out the original home of one of the city's core businesses. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "The Little Red Factory, also known as the Old Red Factory, was built in 1875 by Richard Joshua (R.J.) Reynolds as the first home of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Situated on land purchased from the Moravian town of Salem, this modest two-story structure was strategically located at the nexus of two key commercial advantages: the thriving flue-cured tobacco market and a newly constructed railroad line. R.J. Reynolds emerged as a prominent figure in the community, and the Reynolds family played a pivotal role in shaping the history and growth of Winston-Salem." Winston-Salem's growth is tightly linked to the rise of R.J. Reynolds, who arrived in 1874 and launched his business in the Little Red Factory, a small bright‑red building that quickly expanded as demand for tobacco surged. By the 1890s, Reynolds had built Factory Number 256 over the original site, absorbed most local competitors, and turned his company into a national powerhouse with brands like Prince Albert, Camel, Winston, and Salem, while also reshaping the city's skyline with projects such as the 1929 Reynolds Building. The company became one of the region's largest employers through the mid‑20th century, but later faced mounting health‑related scrutiny, regulatory pressure, and declining cigarette consumption, eventually merging with Nabisco in 1989 and relocating its headquarters to Atlanta in 1999. Although Factory Number 256 was destroyed in a major 1998 fire, the legacy of R.J. Reynolds remains deeply embedded in Winston-Salem's industrial, economic, and architectural history. [Review 617 of 2026 - 4705 in North Carolina - 25798 overall]

Driving through northwest of downtown Winston-Salem, we spotted this marker and I stopped. It was…read moreerected in 2013 by the Winston-Salem Historic Marker Program. It is not a State of North Carolina Marker. It reads, "Calvin Henderson Wiley (1819-1887) was a lawyer, author, legislator, minister, and champion of public education. Wiley became North Carolina's first Superintendent of Common Schools in 1853 and remained in that position until 1865. In 1869, he moved to Winston and was instrumental in developing Winston and Salem's public school system. Wiley served as the chairman of Winston's first school board from 1883 to 1887. Completed in 1925, Calvin H. Wiley School was designed by Charles Barton Keen, architect of Reynolda House and nearby R.J. Reynolds High School and Memorial Auditorium. Built on land donated by Pleasant Henderson Hanes, the columned facade of the Colonial Revival-style school overlooks Hanes Park." Online, there is more information. Wiley emerged as one of North Carolina's most persistent advocates for building a statewide system of education when few communities had organized schools at all. His move to Winston placed him at the center of a growing town where he pushed for stronger instruction, better facilities, and more consistent oversight. The school later named for him reflects the civic pride of an era when architecture was used to signal the importance of learning. Its prominent setting above Hanes Park shows how deeply the community valued the educational legacy he helped establish. [Review 1188 of 2026 - 4836 in North Carolina - 26367 overall]

This is marker number 31 and it was erected by the city of Winston-Salem in 2013 to honor one of…read morethe earliest settlers in the city. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "This site marks the location where Thomas J. Wilson built the first home in what would become the town of Winston. Wilson had received permission from the Moravian Church in 1847 to erect his dwelling north of Salem's central area, as he wanted to live in the country. An attorney, Wilson was a member of the Forsyth County bar for over half a century. Wilson served as Forsyth County's first attorney, was judge for the Eighth Judicial District, a state senator, and mayor of Winston for two terms. After a life of service to First Presbyterian Church, Wilson died in 1900 at the age of eighty-five." Thomas J. Wilson built the first home in what became Winston after purchasing rural land from the Moravians in 1847, seeking a quiet place outside Salem. He went on to become one of Forsyth County's most prominent early leaders, serving as the county's first attorney, a judge, a state senator, and a two‑term mayor. A key figure in organizing the area's Presbyterian community, he remained influential for decades until his death in 1900. There is metered parking here but it's busy during the week with the courthouses nearby. [Review 613 of 2026 - 4701 in North Carolina - 25794 overall]