Weather-Proof Winston-Salem: A Rainy Day Guide
Turn a rainy forecast into an adventure with museums, shopping, indoor fun, and ready-made itineraries.
When rain rearranges your plans, Winston-Salem offers plenty of ways to stay dry. Explore museums, arcades, independent bookstores, art studios, and breweries. Browse by mood and group, or let our ready-made itineraries map out the day.
Jump to six rainy-day itineraries
Museums and Culture
Reynolda. Tour the Reynolds family’s 1917 home, now Reynolda House Museum of American Art, where American art shares restored rooms with original furnishings. If the weather breaks, stroll Reynolda Gardens or browse Reynolda Village, both steps away.
MESDA. One of Old Salem’s best indoor experiences, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts presents early Southern furniture, paintings, ceramics, and textiles in period rooms—an absorbing look at regional history without crossing wet cobblestones all afternoon.
NCMA Downtown. While its historic main campus undergoes renovation, the space at Fourth and Marshall offers two galleries, a shop, lounge seating, and free admission. Stop in briefly or stay awhile.
Lam Museum of Anthropology. North Carolina’s only museum devoted to global cultures sits on the Wake Forest campus. Admission is free, exhibits rotate, and its smaller size makes it easy to pair with another stop. If the weather clears, leave time to stroll Wake Forest’s picturesque campus.
Körner’s Folly. Head 15 minutes east to Kernersville to explore Körner’s Folly—aka “the strangest house in America”—an eccentric 22-room Victorian house museum with shifting ceiling heights, trapdoors, and surprises around every corner. It is open year-round, Tuesday through Sunday.
- Kernersville's bonus museums. Körner’s Folly isn’t the only place to explore local history in Kernersville. A few blocks away, the Kernersville Museum shares the town’s story through local artifacts, oral histories, tobacco-culture exhibits, and an outdoor village with two tobacco barns and a weaning cabin. Also nearby, the Kernersville Auto Museum displays a century’s worth of classic, vintage, and exotic cars. Admission to both is free.
Make Something or Catch a Show
Dabble Art Bar. Choose watercolor, collage, air-dry clay, or another project, and the materials come to your table. There is no formal class; work at your own pace and leave the cleanup behind.
Uncorked Masterpiece. This Reynolda Village studio offers ready-to-paint ceramics and canvases, with help available when needed. Ceramic pieces are glazed and fired afterward; travelers can ask about having finished work mailed home.
A/perture Cinema. Downtown’s independent theater screens first-run, independent, international, classic, and family films. An afternoon matinee is one of the simplest rainy-day saves in town.
Catch a Show: Winston-Salem’s stages stay busy with music, theater, dance, and film—often with weekend matinees. Check our events calendar to see what’s playing during your visit, then start with these reliable bets:
- UNCSA: School-year dance, drama, music, and film productions offer an early look at future stage-and-screen stars.
- Theatre Alliance: Bold, crowd-pleasing plays and musicals year-round downtown.
- Little Theatre: The Triad’s oldest theatrical organization, staging Broadway favorites.
- Winston-Salem Symphony: Classical masterworks, pops, and family concerts.
- Piedmont Wind Symphony: Traditional and contemporary wind music, often with guest artists.
Shopping and Bookstores
Rainy days were made for shopping local. Explore more boutiques, galleries, and specialty stores in our shopping guide, or start with these tried-and-true favorites—each offering enough variety to keep you browsing for a while.
Downtown Area Favorites
Bookmarks Bookstore. This nonprofit independent bookstore is known for thoughtful staff picks, a strong children’s section, and author events. Footnote Coffee & Cocktails shares the building, making it easy to settle in.
Design Archives Emporium. This Fourth Street vendor marketplace brings together dozens of local sellers offering vintage finds, handmade gifts, souvenirs, art, and more. The ever-changing booths make browsing half the fun.
The Snob Shop. A Burke Street fixture for more than 50 years, this popular consignment shop offers an ever-changing mix of quality clothing, furniture, artwork, jewelry, and home décor. Inventory turns over quickly, making every visit a little different.
Mast General Store. Creaky floors and nostalgia greet shoppers at this king-sized general store. Classic toys, clothing, kitchen staples, décor, outdoor gear, practical gifts, and barrels of candy fill the downtown favorite. Twenty minutes here can buy a surprising amount of goodwill.
Reynolda Road boutiques. Less than a mile outside downtown, this colorful corridor near Hanes Park strings together several locally owned boutiques and resale shops. Hunt for consignment finds at Elizabeth’s at Hanes Park, Yours Truly, and Collage; browse eclectic gifts and goods at Boho Depot; or shop women’s fashion and accessories at Rebecca & Co. and Primm’s.
Stratford Road + Hanes Mall Area
McKay’s Books & More. This enormous secondhand store on Jonestown Road is stocked with books, records, movies, video games, toys, and more. Allow more time than you think.
Salem Creek. A local favorite since 1982, this sprawling gift shop carries home décor, women’s clothing, jewelry, gourmet foods, and local gifts. Its biggest draw arrives at Christmas, when 22,000 square feet fill with themed trees, European ornaments, nutcrackers, Moravian stars, and miniature villages.
Stratford Road shops. Browse furniture and décor at Your Home Marketplace, fine art and antiques at Laster’s, and stylish home goods and gifts at Fiddle & Fig. All three sit along roughly a mile of Stratford Road near Thruway Center.
Hanes Mall. The traditional mall earns its place here: room to walk, a food court, familiar stores, and Dave & Buster’s under one large roof. For small kids, an indoor play area, carousel, and trackless train add extra ways to pass the time. See our full shopping guide for more local finds.
Family Fun & Kid-Friendly Stops
Kaleideum. Start here when the kids need room to move. The downtown museum turns STEAM learning into hands-on play, with favorites including Wonders of Water, the Try it! Studio, exhibits exploring nature, motion, and storytelling, and an immersive Digital Dome. Plan on a few hours; only the Rooftop Adventure is lost to the rain.
ROAR. This downtown hub packs boutique bowling, an arcade, and 14 holes of interactive mini golf into one building. Its Kids Zone adds Scoop & Dig, a construction-themed play area; The Den Cinema; and occasional Toddler Raves for younger visitors. Hours and access vary, so check the schedule before you go.
Forsyth County Central Library. Free and easy to enjoy for an hour or an afternoon, the downtown library’s first-floor Central Children’s Library pairs shelves of books for every age and reading level with kid-friendly computers, cozy reading nooks, hands-on activities, and plenty of room to explore. Check the calendar for storytimes, crafts, STEM activities, and other free programs.
Indoor adventure parks. Both major options sit on the north side. Urban Air pairs trampolines with climbing walls, bumper cars, an overhead zipline, a ropes course, and a playground for little ones. Airbound adds a large inflatable arena, a ninja course, basketball, climbing features, and arcade games.
Familiar Standbys
►Movies. Catch a matinee or IMAX screening at The Grand 18, or find budget-friendly tickets at family-owned Marketplace Cinemas.
►Bowling. Along Jonestown Road, just off Hanes Mall Boulevard, Lucky Strike Bowling, formerly Bowlero, combines bowling with an arcade and full food-and-drink service. Northside Lanes is a laid-back, family-owned alternative just north of downtown, complete with a grill.
►Arcades. A great option for any age, Dave & Buster’s offers more than 100 modern and classic games. Chuck E. Cheese caters to younger kids with gentler games, ticket prizes, and an indoor Adventure Zone. Other previously mentioned spots—ROAR, Camel City BBQ Factory, and Lucky Strike—also mix games with food or other activities.
Active and Group Fun
Sandbox VR. Groups suit up with headsets, haptic vests, and motion sensors for a full-body virtual-reality adventure. The downtown location is popular, so reserve ahead.
FirstHand Climbing Gym. Pick up a day pass and try bouldering at this Industry Hill gym. Rental shoes are available, and newcomers can get an orientation before climbing.
Dill Dinkers. Ten indoor pickleball courts sit across from Hanes Mall, and nonmembers can reserve one. Bring a paddle or ask about a demo, then turn a foursome into a rainy-day match.
Total Escape. Pick a themed escape room and spend an hour following clues instead of watching the forecast. Rooms vary in theme and challenge level.
Golf indoors. UnderPar Golf Lounge in Kernersville and Whiskey Taps & Tails in Clemmons offer simulator bays for full rounds or practice. Hourly rentals make either an easy group option.
Settle In and Stay Awhile
Coffee and tea. Winston-Salem has dozens of independent shops built for unhurried afternoons. Try a seasonal flight at Footnote or Chad’s Chai, or claim a table at Krankies, Sayso, Louie & Honey, or another favorite stop around town. See our Coffee Shop Guide for more.
Craft breweries. Downtown offers plenty of places to ride out the rain, including Wise Man, Fiddlin’ Fish, Incendiary, Foothills, and Southern Drift. Order a flight, pull out a board game, and wait for the weather’s next move. Find more stops in our Breweries & Distilleries guide.
Six Ways to Spend a Rainy Afternoon
Rather skip the planning? Here are six ready-made itineraries we’d happily hand a friend. Each stays in one pocket of the city, limiting time in traffic and rain, and fills roughly two to five hours depending on how long you linger.
Kernersville half-day. Tour Körner’s Folly (above) and the Kernersville Auto Museum. Afterward, linger on Main Street with a bite at Blue Rock Pizza & Tap or a pint at Little Brother Brewing.
Downtown with young kids. Start at Kaleideum, reset at Central Library, then grab lunch at a kid-friendly spot such as Mellow Mushroom or Camel City BBQ Factory.
Industry Hill, activated. Go bouldering at FirstHand Climbing, then make the short hop to ROAR for boutique bowling or indoor mini golf. Finish with a round at Wise Man Brewing or Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing. Best for adults, older teens, and groups of friends.
Fourth Street, unhurried. Visit NCMA Downtown, try a coffee flight at Footnote Coffee & Cocktails, and browse Bookmarks Bookstore. If you’re up for a movie, catch an afternoon showing at a/perture cinema. Or, for something one-of-a-kind, book a session at Sandbox VR.
Reynolda Mile museums. Tour Reynolda House Museum of American Art, then have lunch at Village Tavern or Theodore’s in Reynolda Village. Next, make the five-minute drive to the Lam Museum of Anthropology on the Wake Forest campus.
The Hanes Mall plan. Browse McKay’s Books & More, then play pickleball at Dill Dinkers or opt for an escape room at Total Escape. Continue to Dave & Buster’s and finish with dinner at Village Tavern or Sixty Six Grill & Taphouse. Say what you want about the mall; it’s undefeated with bored teenagers.
See What’s Happening
Sometimes the best rainy-day plan is already on the calendar. Browse our events calendar for concerts, performances, festivals, and more happening during your stay.
Share