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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Winston-Salem
Give Winston-Salem 1–2 nights: Old Salem and Reynolda in a day, downtown food and bars at night. A car helps; downtown is walkable.
Winston-Salem is the western anchor of North Carolina's Piedmont Triad, about 30 minutes by car from Greensboro and roughly 1.5 hours from Charlotte or Raleigh. It pairs a restored Moravian town (Old Salem) with a Gilded Age estate (Reynolda) and a compact downtown arts district. Most visitors come for a single overnight or as a day trip from Greensboro; two nights let you add the museums and a ballgame without rushing.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and humidity)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–200 excl. bed · High $220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–5 |
| Barbecue plate or sandwich | $10–18 |
| Draft beer at a downtown bar | $6–9 |
| Museum entry (Reynolda House) | $18 |
| Minor-league baseball ticket | $7–13 |
| 5 km taxi or rideshare3.1 mi taxi or rideshare | $10–16 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GSO · Piedmont Triad International Airport
- About 20 miles east between Winston-Salem and Greensboro; roughly a 20–25 minute drive to downtown (check)
- INT · Smith Reynolds Airport
- General aviation and charters only, about 3 miles northeast of downtown
Typical fares
- GSO airport → downtown, taxi or rideshare
- about $35–50, 20–25 min (check)
- WSTA bus ride
- $1, exact change; transfers free
- PART bus from Greensboro
- check current fare and timetable
Get around
Downtown is walkable, but the sights are spread out: Old Salem is about a 20-minute walk from Trade Street, Reynolda about 10 minutes by car. Winston-Salem Transit Authority buses run local routes for $1 a ride ($0.50 for elderly and disabled; children under the farebox height ride free with an adult) with free transfers. Taxis and rideshare are thin outside downtown; a car is the practical choice for the museums and day trips.
See and do
Known for
- Old Salem Museums & Gardens
- Reynolda House Museum of American Art
- Moravian cookies and ginger cakes
- Downtown Arts District (DADA)
- Minor-league baseball at Truist Stadium
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Greensboro | I-40 east by car, or PART express bus | About 30–40 min by car |
| High Point | I-40 east then US-29 south, or PART bus | About 30 min by car |
| Lexington, North Carolina | I-40 west then US-52 south | About 35–45 min by car |
| Asheboro | US-421 south then I-73/74 | About 45–55 min by car |
| Thomasville, North Carolina | I-40 east then US-29 south | About 40 min by car |
| Burlington, North Carolina | I-40 east | About 1 h by car |
Sleep
- Downtown (Trade Street and Fourth Street)
- Walk to restaurants, bars and the arts district; best for one night without a car.
- West End / West Fourth Street
- Historic houses, cafés and a short walk to downtown; quieter evenings.
- Hanes Mall / Stratford Road
- Chain hotels and the region's biggest shopping district; needs a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the visitor center? | Where is the visitor center? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is there a table for two? | Is there a table for two? |
| How far is Old Salem? | How far is Old Salem? |
| Could you call me a taxi? | Could you call me a taxi? |
| Thank you | Thank you |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No passenger rail to Winston-Salem: Amtrak serves Greensboro, about 30 minutes away by car.
- Summer afternoons in Jul–Aug are hot and humid; plan indoor museums for midday.
- Some Old Salem shops keep different hours from the main buildings: check before you go.
- Rideshare can be scarce late at night outside the downtown core.
Winston-Salem is a normal mid-size Southern city: downtown and the museum districts are fine on foot in daylight, and the usual advice applies after dark — stay on lit streets, keep to the areas you know, and use a car or rideshare rather than walking far at night.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Winston-Salem yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old Salem Museums & Gardens
- Reynolda House Museum of American Art
- Moravian cookies and ginger cakes
- Downtown Arts District (DADA)
- Minor-league baseball at Truist Stadium
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Winston-Salem: www.visitwinstonsalem.com/
- Old Salem Museums & Gardens: www.oldsalem.org/
- Reynolda House Museum of American Art: reynolda.org/
- Winston-Salem Transit Authority: wstransit.com/
- Wikivoyage: Winston-Salem, revision 5243372 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5243372
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Winston-Salem
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Winston-Salem; consulates are in Atlanta, Washington, DC and Charlotte (check).
US tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/winston-salem). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.