Winston Salem - Greensboro: Charming Small Towns of the American South

Our second stop in North Carolina was filled with surprises—two towns with totally different vibes, each worth exploring! 🚗 Winston Salem ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wandering through the old village area of Winston Salem felt like stepping into a time capsule ⏳. The town’s adorable color palette stole the show: scattered brick walls in soft pink, mint green, and pale cinnabar, paired with tall, lush trees that sway gently in the breeze. What’s even more amazing? There’s a women’s college here that was founded in 1772 and is still operating today—walking past its historic buildings, you can almost feel time standing still. Every corner felt peaceful and full of old-world charm, perfect for slow, leisurely strolls 🚶‍♀️. Greensboro ⭐️⭐️ We visited friends in Greensboro, and the first thing that stood out was its demographic mix—roughly a 1:1 ratio of Black to white residents, though the suburbs and rural areas feel more predominantly white, which was quite interesting. The downtown area has some cool bars and even a cat café 🐱—funnily enough, all the kids playing there were of Asian descent, some of the few Asian faces we saw in the city! It’s a quiet, laid-back place, great for casual hangs with friends. ☀️ NC Weather The weather here is humid and warm, but honestly? It’s way more comfortable than the last stop in Texas! Locals say autumn is the best time to visit North Carolina—everywhere is covered in vibrant red leaves 🍂, which we’re already looking forward to seeing. 🥙 Food Highlights Soul Food Win: A Black grandma’s "soul fried chicken" was life-changing! In Greensboro, we tried Dame’s Chicken & Waffles—we ordered the "Two Cutlets" with a side of fried chicken batter bites, and they were absolute perfection. Truly, fried chicken tastes best in the South 🍗! Other Eats: There aren’t many Chinese restaurants here, but we found a great Japanese ramen spot called Hokkaido. We also heard a local pho shop is fantastic. And don’t miss Cookout—a Greensboro-born fast-food chain often called "NC’s version of In-N-Out"! Their Cajun Chicken Burger has such a unique, flavorful kick 🍔. Overall Impressions In the American South, you can still feel the lingering traces of racial segregation. In Winston Salem, for example, one side of the city is a serene, well-preserved old village, while the other side is a neighborhood of run-down houses where many Black residents live. We saw people sitting outside their homes to cool off in the heat—many can’t afford air conditioning—and houses had visible fire damage. It was a side of America far removed from the "perfect bubble" of places like Orange County (OC), eye-opening and thought-provoking 💭. That’s it for our NC stop—next up, Virginia! 🚗 #NorthAmericaTravel #NorthCarolina #WinstonSalem #Greensboro #GreenvilleNC #USATravel #SmallTownLifeInNorthAmerica #AmericanSouth #NorthCarolina #TravelInSpring