Even though it’s getting close to Halloween, don’t confuse this Salem with witches, rituals, and trials. Old Salem, NC is a historic living history museum, the site of a Moravian community of German-speaking immigrants who settled in the area in 1766. Steeped in history, the Salem Tavern once hosted George Washington while he was touring local battlefields. Usually, Old Salem is a thriving area featuring reenactments of life as it was in the 1700 and 1800s, with visitors roaming the streets moving in and out of the buildings, about 70 % of which are original. In normal times, several restaurants are open, historic shops sell deliciously sweet Moravian sugar cookies, and historic buildings house all sorts of demonstrations and exhibits.
These days the shops and sites are closed due to Covid-19, but the grounds are open to visitors. It made a nice setting for a photo walk/drive, a pleasant diversion during our recent task-oriented visit to Winston-Salem. It was a nice contrast to my past visits and although I missed the chance to get some cookies – there is always their mail-order museum shop! Tourists might be scarce, but workers were busy with restoration work in some of the buildings as well as on the streets.
Trivia Tip of the Day: Salem was originally known as Wachovia
