About
Another "get out of Raleigh trip" and a good use of some hotel points.
This time it's 2hrs west to the city of Winston Salem NC. Home to the historic area of Old Salem and a great home base for a trip to Hanging Rock State park to cross the "Hanging Rock Trail" from my list of things to do in North Carolina.
A rather fun trip I must stay. I knew what to expect from the hike and Old Salem, but I had no idea what the city would be like and found it very enjoyable. It's extremely lively for a smaller city, with downtown art events on Friday and live music on Saturday.
Hanging Rock Trail
Short but steep. The Hanging Rock Trail climbs about 600' feet in 1.3 miles. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the top and about the only issue is that the last section of the trail is partially washed out and could really use some trail work. Other than that, the short distance makes this find for parents with kids and we saw plenty of hikers of all ages enjoying the trail. The view from the top is nice and about the only change I would make is to bring a bagged lunch so that you could sit and enjoy the view from the top a bit longer.
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City of Winston
Bars
I'm a huge fan of rooftop bars and the city has both the "Marriott Rooftop Bar" and the "Bar Pina". I heard there are at least two more in the works, so it's just another reason to go. The Marriott Bar is about what you would expect from a Hotel Bar, but it has a pleasant view and more importantly a good breeze. August in North Carolina is a bit hot and humid, so go in the evening when the sun is setting. "Bar Pina" is more of a "young people" bar and they don't even open until 4pm. Absolutely nothing fancy here, but a great spot to people watch and a nice view.
Rounding off the list would be the "Tasting Room" wine Bar. Lousy name, but a great place to have some wine. More of an industrial look but there is plenty of space to spread out or find a corner niche depending on your mood. A great staff and great prices make this and easy recommend.
Restaurants
Hands down favorite of the trip was Jeffrey Adams on Fourth Street. Great food, atmosphere, and service. The food and service at Cibo Trattoria were good, but the crowds and tight packed tables were a bit uncomfortable during a pandemic for my tastes. Also a shout out to Willow's Bistro for and absolutely fantastic lunch.
Old Salem
Kinda a bust for this one. While the website says they are "fully open" they don't mention it was something like "Visitor Appreciation Days" or some such. What this translated to was only having 3 of the historic houses open which really doesn't give you all that much to do. Add to that a complete street resurfacing project, and there really was not a lot to see or do.
Finding Tim's Bridge
With Old Salem being a quick trip I found myself with some time to kill. I remembered that one of the original bridge visualizations I did for the NCDOT was a projected called U-2926 and located in Winston Salem. Finding this is a story and page unto itself, but I did find it, and it was pretty cool to see how it all turned out. I'll try and make a page in the near future with more details but here is the "What we think it will look like" and "what it actually looks like".
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