Friday, May 8, 2026
Our friends, Linda and Maggie — aka “the girls” — picked us up at 8:15 AM, and we headed to Old Salem Museums and Gardens.
On the way there, I found myself wondering where the name Salem came from. I am familiar with several cities named Salem, but I had never really thought much about the name itself. I learned that Salem comes from words related to shalom and salaam, meaning peace in Hebrew and Arabic.
Most people have probably heard of Winston-Salem, but often in a different context: tobacco country. This was the home of R.J. Reynolds, the company behind Winston and Salem cigarettes. Back in the day, tobacco was big money in this part of North Carolina.
The history of Old Salem goes much further back than that. North Carolina was one of the original colonies, and Salem was founded in 1766. It was settled by German-speaking Moravians who focused on agriculture, textiles, and crafts.
Many of the original structures, including the gun shop, bakery, boys’ school, homes, and churches, have been preserved. Other buildings remain private residences and B&Bs.
As we walked around, I felt as if I were wandering through the backlot of a movie studio. The weather was sunny, with temperatures on the cool side, making it a picture-perfect day as we wandered in and out of historic buildings. I didn’t expect to find Old Salem as fascinating as I did, but I found myself thinking about how much we take modern conveniences for granted.
I was also suprised to learn that Krispy Kreme dounts opened their first store in 1937!
I was glad we got there early. As the morning went on, more and more school buses started showing up, and we found ourselves trying to stay a few steps ahead of the crowds.
We finally left around noon and headed to lunch at Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro, which was delicious. After lunch, we went back to the hotel for a much-needed break and to get some work dnoe, before heading out again for dinner.
For dinner, we went to Blue Denim in Greensboro. I had the shrimp étouffée, and honestly, it was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. I later learned that the restaurant is called Blue Denim for a reason: Wrangler Jeans was based in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Recent Comments