28 of 52: inner history nerd unleashed.

Week Two saw me head out on my own for a few days and eventually found me in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I had a few extra days in my itinerary, and when Britney mentioned that I might enjoy visiting Old Salem, I took her advice. I had a few extra days to play around with, so I found accommodation on Airbnb with Lauren and Sam - awesome people, by the way - and added it as a stop between Greensboro and Charlotte.

[front of the reynolda house. i'm a sucker for historical homes]

For a history nerd such as myself, Winston-Salem has two big draws: Reynolda House and Old Salem. I visited - and loved - both of them, as well as the smaller and lesser-known but equally impressive New Winston Museum.

[the bridge from the visitors center into old salem. you cross it and enter a different century entirely]

It was a nice mix-up of early 19th century, early 18th century, and overall Winston-Salem history, and the three tied pretty well together with each other. I found that questions I had in one were answered in another, and vice versa. I will do write-ups of all three when I can give it my full attention [read: probably in mid-August], but trust me when I say that taking that little detour through Winston-Salem was entirely worth it. These pictures are just a small sample to pique your interest :)

[the interior of the temporary location for the new winston museum. it's small, but it's thorough]

other highlights included: spending 2 days with Stu and Carrie and getting the tour of Greensboro; FINALLY learning how Buddy returned to the team in Hoosiers [thank you, collector's edition DVD and subsequent deleted scenes]; perusing the Rhodes College Faces from the 2002-2003 school year and catching up on gossip; lots of relaxing family time in Charlotte; saw Begin Again.

[setting off from fallston]

[the "alexander": cheese sticks topped with bacon and served with ranch sauce; named for stu and carrie's friend who may frequent this place on a daily basis]

[stu johnston + homemade guacamole + faces = hours of entertainment] 

[fantastic last meal in greensboro: a fried chicken biscuit the size of my face with a side of bacon thrown in for good measure]

[it's no memphis bbq, but the pulled pork at bib's downtown in winston-salem was pretty decent. but now i have my proof that memphis bbq is the best bbq]

[i took a stroll around downtown w-s and caught the sunset over the lights of the bb&t ballpark. beautiful weather, baseball, and a pretty sunset. makes for a pretty great evening]

It's weeks like these that unleash that inner history nerd of mine and remind me of how much has come before us to shape our world today.

But that's a whole other post that perhaps I will write one day.
xx