Humans often try to pass down history by recounting stories, creating time capsules, and storing copper busts of presidents safely beneath their mattresses. Enjoy yesteryear more comfortably with today’s Groupon to the Old Salem Museums and Gardens in Winston-Salem. Choose between the following options:
- For $10, you get a day pass for one adult (a $21 value).
- For $30, you get a day pass two adults (a $21 value each) and two children aged 6–16 (a $10 value each; a $62 total value).
Museum-goers wander an 18th-century Moravian-style town with 100 restored and reclaimed buildings and sprawling gardens at the Old Salem Museums and Gardens. The museum’s 80 acres beckon to amateur historians with hands-on activities and a collection of Moravian decorative arts, furniture, and household objects. Upcoming events include Harvest Day on October 15 and Salem Christmas on December 10. Visitors can meander through the family gardens, which are planted with yields common to 19th-century backyards, including blooms of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and Mark Twain–shaped topiaries.
Guests swing by the Salem Tavern and frolic across the emerald expanse of Salem Square. With museum admission, patrons also receive a 50-minute guided tour of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, which elucidates timeless aesthetics without the long-winded stories of a time-travelling da Vinci.
Old Salem Museums & Gardens
Old Salem Museums & Gardens whisks visitors to the cozy streets of a reconstructed 18th-century Moravian town that encompasses 100 restored and reclaimed buildings and expansive, pristine gardens. As they stroll through the 90-acre homage to early Americana, visitors can interact with hands-on activities, such as the German paper-cutting art of Scherenschnitte or the colonial tradition of libeling a governor with accusations of actually governing. Old Salem's horticultural marvels include the Miksch Garden—a living illustration of Moravian subsistence farming—and the Family Gardens of Salt Street, which demonstrate the innovative practice of seed saving. In addition to year-round attractions, special exhibits rotate through town, celebrating momentous occasions, notable people, and game-changing presidential pets. After traversing the grounds, visitors can peruse souvenirs at a number of gift shops or sidle into Winkler’s Bakery for a piece of renowned Moravian sugar cake.