Enjoy it while visiting Winston-Salem in North Carolina
Old Salem Museums and Gardens is a living history museum located in the heart of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, covering more than 70 acres of meticulously restored buildings, gardens, and museum galleries. The site preserves the original Moravian settlement of Salem founded in 1766, making it one of the most authentic colonial-era historic districts in the United States. Visitors can walk through cobblestone streets, interact with costumed interpreters, and explore more than 20 historic structures that tell the story of early Moravian life in America.
The experience includes the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, which houses one of the finest collections of Southern furniture, ceramics, and textiles from the 17th through 19th centuries. Old Salem is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The site is located at 900 Old Salem Road, within walking distance of downtown Winston-Salem and several popular restaurants and shops.
Admission for the all-inclusive ticket is $30 for adults and $15 for students with valid ID, while children ages 3 and under enter free. Visitors can also purchase gardens-only tickets for $12 if they prefer to explore the grounds without entering the historic buildings. The Winkler Bakery, located on site since 1807, sells its famous Moravian sugar cake and thin cookies baked in traditional wood-fired ovens using recipes passed down through more than two centuries.
The Moravian settlement of Salem was founded in 1766 by members of the Moravian Church who arrived from Pennsylvania seeking to establish a planned religious community in the North Carolina backcountry. The Moravians were known for their exceptional craftsmanship, devotion to education, and highly organized communal living, which set them apart from many other colonial settlements. Salem was meticulously laid out with a central square, a church, workshops, and residences arranged around carefully planned streets.
The town operated under a unique system where the church owned all property and controlled virtually every aspect of daily life, from marriage arrangements to trade apprenticeships. Moravian joiners, potters, gunsmiths, and tinsmiths produced goods that were highly sought throughout the region, and the settlement grew into a thriving center of trade and culture. The Single Brothers House, built in 1769, served as the residence and workshop for unmarried men who learned trades while contributing to the community.
Old Salem was established as a historic preservation project in 1950 when local leaders recognized the need to protect the deteriorating Moravian structures from demolition and neglect. The restoration effort became one of the most comprehensive historic preservation projects in the American South, returning buildings to their original appearance through painstaking research and archaeological investigation. Today Old Salem operates as both a museum and an educational institution, connecting visitors to the Moravian legacy that shaped the culture, architecture, and values of modern Winston-Salem.
The architectural landscape of Old Salem reflects the distinctive Moravian building tradition, characterized by brick construction, simple ornamentation, red tile roofs, and arched doorways that create a unified streetscape unlike any other colonial district. The Home Moravian Church, completed in 1800, stands as the spiritual heart of the settlement with its classic Moravian design featuring a white interior, ground-floor pews, and a balcony where brass choirs perform during worship services and special events.
The Single Brothers Garden is a remarkable restored plot where unmarried men once grew food for the communal kitchen, now planted with heirloom vegetables and herbs using 18th-century horticultural methods. Adjacent to the garden stands the reconstruction of the 1791 Miksch Garden, showcasing the ornamental and medicinal plants that a typical Moravian family would have cultivated. Both gardens demonstrate the Moravian commitment to self-sufficiency and their sophisticated understanding of botany.
The Salem Tavern Museum, rebuilt in 1816 after fire destroyed the original, welcomed travelers including President George Washington who spent two nights here in 1791 during his Southern tour. The tavern building now houses exhibits about early hospitality and commerce in Salem, with period rooms restored to their appearance when important visitors passed through. Its outbuildings include a smokehouse, barn, and washhouse that illustrate the full operation of an early American tavern.
The Winkler Bakery has operated continuously since 1807, making it one of the oldest continuously operating bakeries in the United States. Visitors can watch bakers prepare Moravian sugar cake, lovefeast buns, and paper-thin Moravian cookies in the original wood-fired oven using recipes that have remained unchanged for more than two centuries. The aroma of baking bread and sweet spices fills the street and draws visitors from across the historic district.
God’s Acre Cemetery is the serene burial ground of the Moravian community, where more than 9,000 graves are marked not with elaborate monuments but with uniform flat stone markers that reflect the Moravian belief in equality in death. The cemetery is divided into sections by marital status rather than family, with separate areas for married men, married women, single men, and single women. The grounds are planted with mature trees and seasonal flowers, creating a contemplative space for visitors.
The Timothy Vogler Gunsmith Shop is a working reconstruction where skilled craftsmen demonstrate the intricate process of building a flintlock rifle using period tools and techniques. The original Vogler shop operated in Salem from 1831, and today’s interpreters forge barrels, carve stocks, and engrave metalwork while explaining the central role of the gunsmith in frontier communities. Visitors can handle reproductions and learn about the Pennsylvania-Kentucky rifle tradition that influenced Moravian gun making.
The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, known as MESDA, occupies a modern gallery adjacent to the historic district and features thousands of objects representing the material culture of the early South. Collections include furniture crafted by Moravian joiners, intricate needlework, silver, and ceramics that reveal the sophistication of Southern artisanship. The museum also maintains a research center that is widely regarded as the premier resource for the study of Southern decorative arts.
The best time to experience Old Salem is during the spring months of March through May, when the Moravian gardens burst into bloom and the weather is ideal for walking the cobblestone streets. The Easter Sunrise Service, a Moravian tradition dating to 1772, draws thousands of visitors to God’s Acre Cemetery and the streets of Old Salem before dawn on Easter morning. Spring also brings plant sales, garden tours, and special programs focused on horticulture and outdoor living in the 18th century.
Fall, from September through November, offers comfortable temperatures and special evening programs including candlelight tours that illuminate the historic district after dark. The harvest season brings demonstrations of traditional food preservation and Moravian baking workshops where visitors can learn to make their own cookies and sugar cake. The Salem Christmas celebration in December transforms the district with Moravian stars, evergreens, and candlelight, honoring the Christmas traditions that the Moravians helped popularize.
Summer is the busiest season, with extended hours and the full roster of costumed interpreters present throughout the district. The shaded gardens provide cool retreats between tours, and many of the buildings are air-conditioned for comfort. Winter, though quieter with fewer interpreters on site, offers a peaceful atmosphere for those who prefer a more contemplative visit and provides the opportunity to experience the Moravian lovefeast tradition during the holiday season.