Why do people call us North Carolina's City of the Arts? The arts are part of the fabric of Winston-Salem, a tapestry woven throughout our history. Winston-Salem did not come late to this movement, to the explosion of American and Southern arts; we helped get the movement started.

How far back? More than 250 years ago, early settlers to this area, the Moravians, formed the first community orchestras and chamber music ensembles in the colonies, and built some of the first organs and stringed instruments.

How influential? American classical music was first written here in 1789 (“Six Quintet,” by Johann Fredik Peter). We are home to the state's oldest city symphony, the Winston-Salem Symphony, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2007. And, we created the nation's first arts council in 1949 – that’s right, the first – which set off the arts council movement in the United States.

How embedded? Winston-Salem is home to the internationally renowned North Carolina School of the Arts, the first state-supported school of its kind in the nation. NCSA produces hundreds of public performances each year, not to mention producing much of the talent that drives American stage and screen.

Experience the City of the Arts today

Today, we’re still called City of the Arts, perhaps due to the extraordinary arts experiences in Winston-Salem. From the fine to the sublime, from the arranged to the strange, Winston-Salem offers you arts that a city twice our size – or three times, or four – would be proud to herald.

All of this, in a city that’s just 20 minutes from edge to edge, so you’re never far from your next stop.

Click to find out more about: Dance, Museums, Galleries, Stage & Screen, and Live Music.

Want to experience more? Cultural Corridors: Let our Cultural Corridors project be your guide. Order a free guided tour cassette or CD, here. Itinerary Planner: Build your own Winston-Salem itinerary with our new planner, here.