Quick Winston Salem Guide
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Meeting New Friends on the Internet
Blogging is a very unique career. It’s truly all in what you make it. And one of my main goals recently has been connecting with like-minded people and networking with other bloggers and business owners. I tell you all this to get to this: I met Amber and Melissa on Instagram. I had never met them and barely talked to them before I agreed to go stay in a hotel with them and explore Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Now, meeting new friends on the internet is my favorite part of the job!
Now, I’m not saying that everyone should just start meeting random people online and going to stay with them. I felt safe because us bloggers tend to overshare on the internet; I could tell enough that they weren’t psycho killers. LOL. But in all reality, it went better than I could have ever guessed. I made some great friends AND some great business connections.
The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel
We stayed in downtown Winston-Salem at The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel. It is absolutely breathtaking! With a beautiful luxurious feel, yet a playful side with an underground adult playground… everyone should feel at home here! The rooms were very spacious and clean. We made friends with several of the awesome valet staff (shout out to K-LIVEE)! Also, they host a complimentary wine hour each evening!
Dining at The Katharine
The Katharine is located downstairs in the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel. We ate SO much good food on this trip. But we all agreed that our dinner at Katharine was our all-around favorite. We started off with a cheeseboard and truffle fries for apps. Then we later ordered the Ricotta Gnudi, the Carbonara, the NY strip, fried Brussel sprouts, and Mac N Cheese! Everything was delicious and we ended the night in a food coma! LOL
Wildlight Wellness Collective
We started the next morning off right with a Yoga and Coffee class at the Wildlight Wellness Collective! I absolutely LOVED the class and the vibe of the entire studio. It really made me want to get back into doing yoga at home. They also offer cardio classes and a cute gift shop.
Lunch at Earl’s
We walked on over to Earl’s for lunch! Its southern charm is quite captivating, but the food will have you coming back time after time!! We got the crispy Brussel sprouts, pimento cheese dip, and tater tots drenched in cheese and bacon!
Then for our entrees, we all tried the “Early Bird” (a fried chicken sandwich with bacon and a fried egg), “Earl’s” burger (with bacon and pimento cheese) and the Buffalo chicken sandwich (with blue cheese and buffalo sauce)! Both the manager and the staff were so kind and hospitable; they gave us tons of recommendations for places to go and things to see while we were in town!
Exploring the Town
Later, we talked over to “Old Town Salem,” which is the home to several cute shops, boutiques, coffee shops, and restaurants. I actually already have plans to come back to Winston-Salem later in the year and showcase this area as a whole.
One thing worth noting is, we were in town on a Mon-Wed… and we were shocked to find out how many things were closed on these days of the week. We weren’t able to check out many of the cool businesses in the main part of downtown Winston-Salem due to this.
On our second night, we went to Spring House for dinner. It is located in a building that will be 100 years old in June! The house has an incredible history and is even said to be haunted. But nonetheless, we were pleasantly surprised that the chef set up a three-course meal for us to showcase and it was outstanding!
Our first course was a scallop dish with a side of grits. The second course was a quinoa chili dish. And our main course was an incredibly cooked steak with asparagus and potatoes. Then we were surprised with one of the most incredible dessert dishes that I have ever tried: their “ooey gooey butter cake.” I can’t even begin to explain how good it was!
On our last morning in town, we went to Salem Lake which was a gorgeous loops trail around a glistening lake. Amber is a big runner, so she took off and kilt it. Melissa and I simply walked and conversated about life and business. It was a great place to end the trip and spend some time outdoors!
As Amber wrote in her blog post: “My biggest takeaway from this trip is that life is crazy, be spontaneous and do something that is completely out of your box.” This trip was very special to each of us, and we all needed it in different ways. You will be seeing A LOT more of us together in the future.
Conclusions:
Thank you so much to everyone who hosted us or helped us plan this great trip, which in turn – produced some amazing friendships. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for future adventures! Thank you so much for YOUR support!
Until next time,
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