Do You Need Stump Grinding Service in Winston-Salem, NC?

Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat.^[7] At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the United States.^[8] The population of the Winston-Salem metropolitan area was estimated to be 695,630 in 2023.^[5] It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina's Piedmont Triad region, home to about 1.7 million residents.

Winston-Salem is called the "Twin City" for its dual heritage, and the "Camel City" as a reference to the city's historic involvement in the tobacco industry related to locally based R. J. Reynolds' Camel cigarettes. Many North Carolinians refer to the city as "Winston" in informal speech. Winston-Salem is also home to six colleges and institutions, most notably Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Where the past and the future blend seamlessly

Welcome to Winston-Salem, a signature Southern city blooming with experiences ripe for the picking. Embrace the inviting community rooted in history, innovation, and charm.

Step back in time and uncover an authentic cultural epicenter steeped in history at Old Salem Museums & Gardens and look forward through the lens of continued innovation in the Downtown Arts District. Explore rejuvenating escapes in heirloom gardens and delight in local events and festivals. Savor the Southern hospitality and flavors of our elevated culinary scene and sip on bouquets of flavors offered to you only in Winston-Salem, the Gateway to the Yadkin Valley Wine Region.

Winston-Salem isn’t just a place to visit; it is a journey of discovery where unexpected experiences come together to create unforgettable moments.

Winston-Salem is Twice as nice...come on in.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens is a historic site telling the stories of people, including Moravian, Black, and Indigenous peoples, in the American South. As one of America’s most comprehensive history attractions, our museums — the Historic Town of Salem, the galleries at Frank L. Horton Museum Center, including the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), and the Gardens at Old Salem—engage visitors in an educational and memorable historical experience.

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) contains the finest collection of its kind in the nation, featuring architecture, furniture, ceramics, metalwork, needlework, paintings, prints, and other decorative arts made and used in the early American South. Old Salem Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.

Our Mission

Old Salem Museums & Gardens shares the rich, authentic, and diverse cultural history of the early South–with special emphasis on the Moravians in North Carolina, enslaved and free people of African descent, and Indigenous peoples of the Southern Woodland, through the preservation and interpretation of material culture, architecture, and cultural landscapes.

Institutional History

In 1950, a group of dedicated volunteers established Old Salem, Inc. as a way to begin preserving and restoring the town and gardens of Salem for future generations. As Old Salem grew, more buildings were restored and new facilities were added–including the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA).

In addition to having two National Historic Landmark buildings, the Salem Tavern and the Single Brother’s House, Old Salem was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) District in 1966. The dedicated staff at Old Salem have worked since the 1990s to expand the historic district and engage community stakeholders in order to share a more authentic and diverse history of Salem and the early South. In 2016 the National Park Service approved an expansion of the NHL district, including changes to the boundaries, additional time periods of significance, and additional resources that allow us to share a more comprehensive history of Salem and the neighboring freedmen’s community of Happy Hill.

From Family Estate to Renowned Museum

Completed in 1917, Reynolda House Museum of American Art was originally the home of Katharine Smith and R.J. Reynolds, founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Promising a healthier lifestyle, the more than 34,000-square-foot historic home was the centerpiece of a 1,067-acre estate and model farm. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Reynolds family’s 64-room historic house stands as one of the few well-preserved, surviving examples of the American Country House movement.

Inside, you’ll find not only more than 6,000 historic objects, but also a collection of world-renowned American art on view in the historic house and special exhibitions in the Babcock Gallery. Spanning 250 years, the collection is a chronology of American art, and features artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Frederic Edwin Church, Alexander Calder, Romare Bearden, Lee Krasner, Stuart Davis, Martin Johnson Heade, Jacob Lawrence, John Singer Sargent, Andy Warhol and Grant Wood. Works rotate throughout the historic house frequently, and the Museum keeps a listing of current works of American art on view here. View a listing of decorative arts on view here.

Special exhibitions take place seasonally in the Babcock Gallery.