CAMEL CITY BABY! Apparently Winston Salem has a few more nicknames — Twin City and City of the Arts Innovation. Did you know that?! However, I think we renamed it to CARB CITY lol…
We stayed at the most upscale hotel in a historic 1920’s skyscraper, the Kimpton Cardinal! We explored to find a basketball court, racquet ball, bowling alley, lounge room, and…. A SLIDE! Check my instagram story highlights for behind the scenes of the slide catastrophe lol! The staff was beyond welcoming the second I pulled up and we also made friends with our favorite Valet, THE REAL K LIVE! (he’s a rapper).
We all were absolutely STARVING so we went down for wine hour, cocktail demo, and then dinner at the Katharine Brasserie Bar (inside the Kimpton!). Wine hour was nice to kind of decompress and chat with each other. Then at the cocktail demo, Chris (bartender), treated us like royalty and made special drinks for ALL of us! We had so much fun! I got the “Katharine” because it was fairly sweet and tastes like a creamsicle!
THEN THE FOOD! Y’all, I have never seen 3 girls put as much food down as we did lol! We started off with a cheese board and truffle fries for apps. Then we got the Ricotta Gnudi, the Carbonara, the NY strip, fried Brussel sprouts, then Mac N Cheese! We indulged & loved every bite. The chef came over to describe each dish (also in stories!). I am pretty sure we had to be rolled out of the restaurant lol! We decided to head back up to the hotel and get our lives together before our long day tomorrow exploring the city of WS!
Tuesday:
Morning done right with Yoga + Coffee class at the Wildlight Wellness Collective! Our instructor, Courtney Branch, was such a sweetheart! It was so challenging and we ended up signing up for a HIIT class the next day!
We walked on over to Earl’s WS for lunch! I had about 30 people tell me that Earl’s was the hotspot to go to in downtown Salem… and they were right! If you love good ‘ol southern food, Earl’s is the perfect place! We got the crispy brussel sprouts, pimento cheese dip, and TACHOS! Yes, thats tater tots and nachos combined… it was heavenly! For our meals, we all got something different so we could try each others! I got the “Early Bird”, it’s a fried chicken sandwich with bacon and a fried egg. I love breakfast food and it’s one of their most popular sandwiches. Melissa got the “Earl’s” burger with bacon and pimento cheese with a side of potato salad. Katie got the Buffalo chicken sandwich with blue cheese and buffalo sauce with a side of Mac n Cheese. The staff and owner were phenomenal to be around and so helpful with guiding us through the history and sites to see in WS!
After we had to roll ourselves out, we decided to explore downtown and into Old Salem. Popped inside a few stores and saw the most beautiful architecture and fall scenery in Old Salem. We first went into a local pottery store where the owner makes all of her products in house and custom to the North Carolina area! Then we went into Wood and Thread — Katie knows the owner so we went and checked out her store. IT WAS ADORABLE and it’s in the cutest little shopping center that’s already decorated for Christmas (my style of people). Right down the way from there was a local pet store called Doggystyle and they had bow ties and I immediately knew I had to go search for Roscoe a gift (cause I don’t spoil him enough or anything… lol). They have unique toys and a “biscuit bar” for dogs. If you’re ever in WS with your pup or kitty, you must stop in this store! We ended up walking next door to a coffee shop where we all got a nice pick me up and met a few local townies!
After site seeing our way back to the Hotel, we decided to get ready and head to Spring House for dinner. This building will be 100 years old in June y’all, and it’s evolved from a house to a city building to a restaurant and wedding venue! The fire place and bar room was my favorite part! The chef set up a full course meal for us to showcase to you all and it was FLAWLESS. We started with scallops, bread, and a quinoa chili dish. Then we had our main course which was steak with asparagus and potatoes. Then my favorite part of all, DESERT! I have the biggest sweet tooth ever so I was ready for this… if you come anywhere near WS, stop in the Spring House and ask for the “ooey gooey butter cake.” I can’t even begin to explain how phenomenal and flavorful it was. I would drive 4+ hours again just for this desert lol! We decided to go back to the hotel and get into some bowling, basketball, and pool in the entertainment section! We loved how this hotel can even be a “staycation” spot for the locals to come and have some fun.
Wednesday:
When we woke up, we instantly knew this trip had flown by. We all had never met before, we picked a random spot on the map and said “Let’s do it”… the BEST decision we have ever made. We instantly all connected and got along as if we had known each other for years. My biggest takeaway from this trip is that life is crazy, be spontaneous and do something that is completely out of your box. Today we went on a hike that was BEYOND gorgeous on our way out of town. We went to Salem Lake and it was roughly 7 miles long. The leaves were in their perfect turning point for fall. If you’re a runner like me, this view will never have you bored. Thrown your headphones in and you can cruise down his trail.
Winston Salem, you did not disappoint! A huge thank you to the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel for treating us like royalty, the Katharine Brasserie for the gorgeous cocktails and dining experience. Also thank you to the Wildlife Wellness Collective, Earl’s, and the Spring House for the phenomenal southern hospitality. You treated us like family!
Winston Salem is a town full of foodies, history junkies & genuine people! If you haven’t had a chance to pop in, you MUST! Alright, well this girl needs to unpack cause in a few shorts day, I’m off to Canada! Stay tuned for more travel shenanigans!
XOXO
- Amber