Winston-Salem, NC

I’m really excited to share my favorite place with you! There is so much I love about Winston-Salem — the weather, the parks, the food, the people… the list goes on. So, to prove that I’m not the only one who thinks it’s pretty great, I’ve enlisted the help of my friend and fellow blogger, Anna, to give you her thoughts on what makes it such a fun place!

I’ve followed Anna’s blog for several years now, and we were able to meet up three years ago at Camino Bakery, a cute coffee shop downtown. I knew right away I had a lot in common with Anna. She’s also very health-conscious and is Type A like me, and our personalities just clicked. I asked Anna some questions about Winston-Salem, and she did a great job of highlighting many of the best spots! See what she had to say.

Hi, y’all! I’m Anna Keller, and I live in Winston-Salem with my husband, Kevin, and our daughter, Maggie. (Maggie will turn 2 in March, and even though I know I’m very biased — she’s my kid, after all! — I think she’s pretty amazing.) I work as one half of a two-person ad agency here in Winston, Curly Top Solutions, and have enjoyed making the switch from a more corporate career into one that’s much more independent. My husband owns a men’s grooming company, Fulton & Roark, and we’re thrilled to both be able to work for ourselves now.

In addition to my advertising and marketing work, I’m also a blogger (curiouser-and-curiouser.com), where I write about everything from health and wellness to pregnancy and parenting and lots in between. I also introduced a podcast element to my blog in 2018, and so far have 19 episodes where I speak with a variety of people on topics ranging from adoption to essential oils to entrepreneurship.

I’ve been a self-proclaimed “Pure Barre addict” for several years now, and for the past three years have also been a Pure Barre teacher (a role I ADORE). Our Pure Barre community in Winston-Salem is wonderful — supportive and fun and so motivating — and I constantly feel fortunate to be a part of it.

Finally, I’m also a Beautycounter consultant, so I work to introduce women to safer skincare and makeup options that are also really effective. I have loved the relationships I’ve been able to build and strengthen thanks to this portion of my life.

Kevin and I moved to Winston the day after we got married: July 4, 2011. We moved here for him to attend business school at Wake Forest University, and assumed we’d just be here for two years and then probably head back to Atlanta, where we were both from. Seven and a half years later, though, we’re still here — and we LOVE it! 

What do you enjoy most about Winston?
This is such a hard question to answer, because I could spend all day answering it! We love the community we’ve found here. We love the size of this city (it’s nice that everything is so close together, that we don’t spend all day in our cars getting to and from work, that all our friends live so close to us, etc.), and are able to do so many more things just by virtue of that fact. We love the energy here, and have enjoyed watching the city evolve since we moved here. This is a great place, and we feel so fortunate to live here.

What are your favorite restaurants in town?
Another hard question! Some of my favorites, in no particular order, are: Village Juice (AMAZING healthy food, and as a vegan this is a go-to for me!), West End Cafe (everything from salads to burgers to amazing dinner entrees), Humble Bee (not a restaurant, but a bakery in town you must try!), Canteen, The Porch, Spring House, Quanto Basta, Pancho Villa’s, and Teeter Thai (not its real name, but it’s the Thai restaurant inside a local Harris Teeter grocery store, and we get takeout from there at least once a week)!

What are your favorite things to do outdoors?
We are close to a few good hiking options (Pilot Mountain is especially close), and there are beautiful places to explore in town, like Reynolda Gardens, Graylyn Estate, and just walking around downtown on a pretty day!

What about indoor activities?
We have a wonderful arts cinema, a/perture, and Kevin and I love to see movies there as often as we can. We also have amazing breweries here! Our favorite is Wise Man, but there are several to choose from. 

Any hot spots or “must see” places that a visitor should check out while in town?
Checking out Reynolda House is a must for visitors, and the art museum there almost always has a wonderful exhibit in town. I’d also say going to the Kimpton hotel to see the “mini Empire State building” close up.

What are your favorite day trips nearby?
We have enjoyed exploring places like Chapel Hill, Durham, Saxapahaw, and Mount Airy — all easy day trips!

Any favorite local shops?
A favorite local BRAND is my husband’s company, Fulton & Roark, which is sold at a few local retailers. Other faves include URBN Grl (an eclectic gift shop), Canteen’s shop, Mast General Store, and Southern Home & Kitchen.

Let’s say you have an out of town visitor. What’s the first thing you take them to do?
Probably to a brewery so we can enjoy a drink and plan the rest of our Winston itinerary!

I absolutely love so many of the places Anna mentioned! In addition to all of her recommendations, I also think Tanglewood Park is a must-see. It’s my very favorite park, and you’ll almost always see deer wandering around. They come close, too!

I also think you have to check out Old Salem. It’s a step back in time. The streets are cobblestone and you can walk into little buildings that were once homes (many of them are actually still private residences) and watch hands-on demonstrations by tradesmen dressed in traditional Moravian clothing. There are also shops that sell locally made, traditional items.

One last place I want to mention is an Asian restaurant I recently discovered called HakkaChow. The Mongolian tofu is amazing, and if you’re not a tofu lover (I think you’d still like it), try it with a different protein!

Thanks to Anna for sharing so many great places and things to do! Be sure to visit her blog, and I hope you’ll check out some of these spots if you find yourself in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.