Field Trip to Old Salem Museums and Gardens
9/6/2025
Museums open at 10am
Costs:
$30 Adult All-in-One
$16 Student All-in-One
Free Children 3 and under
$5 SNAP/EBT Recipients
All-In-One Tickets are available on-site (at the Visitor Center and the Frank L. Horton Museum Center) and can be purchased in advance here. Tickets give visitors:
A self-guided tour of all open venues in the Historic Town of Salem with hands-on learning experience of living history and historic trades demonstrations!
Access to the Self-Guided Galleries in the Frank L. Horton Museum Center (including the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts).
Access to the Gardens of Old Salem.
Ticket Purchase Locations
Old Salem Visitor Center, 900 Old Salem Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Frank L. Horton Museum Center, 924 S Main St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Winkler Bakery, 521 South Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101
Old Salem Museums & Gardens is a historic site telling the stories of people, including Moravian, Black, and Indigenous peoples, in the American South. As one of America’s most comprehensive history attractions, our museums — the Historic Town of Salem, the galleries at Frank L. Horton Museum Center, including the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), and the Gardens at Old Salem—engage visitors in an educational and memorable historical experience.
The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) contains the finest collection of its kind in the nation, featuring architecture, furniture, ceramics, metalwork, needlework, paintings, prints, and other decorative arts made and used in the early American South.
Our Mission
Old Salem Museums & Gardens shares the rich, authentic, and diverse cultural history of the early South–with special emphasis on the Moravians in North Carolina, enslaved and free people of African descent, and Indigenous peoples of the Southern Woodland, through the preservation and interpretation of material culture, architecture, and cultural landscapes.
Institutional History
In 1950, a group of dedicated volunteers established Old Salem, Inc. as a way to begin preserving and restoring the town and gardens of Salem for future generations. As Old Salem grew, more buildings were restored and new facilities were added–including the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA).
In addition to having two National Historic Landmark buildings, the Salem Tavern and the Single Brother’s House, Old Salem was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) District in 1966. The dedicated staff at Old Salem have worked since the 1990s to expand the historic district and engage community stakeholders in order to share a more authentic and diverse history of Salem and the early South. In 2016 the National Park Service approved an expansion of the NHL district, including changes to the boundaries, additional time periods of significance, and additional resources that allow us to share a more comprehensive history of Salem and the neighboring freedmen’s community of Happy Hill.
Old Salem Visitor Center
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Home Moravian Church’s 1800 Tannenburg Organ is displayed in the James A. Gray Auditorium, accompanied by a video of its restoration and concerts. Visit the Old Salem Research & Archaeology Lab. Explore exhibits about travel, music, and the 1950s model of the town of Salem.
Galleries in the Frank L. Horton Museum Center (including The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts)
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., also open for research and collection studies by appointment.
Tickets required for entry. Before visiting our talented craftspeople, come visit our three self-guided galleries. The collection includes Salem-made artifacts and decorative arts from across eight Southern states. For an added fee, visitors can request a 1-hour, or 2-hour connoisseur tour of additional Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts galleries built around your interest. Ask for more details at the rotunda desk. Further explore southern objects and local history in the Anne P. and Thomas A. Gray Library and MESDA Research Center.
Vogler House
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
The iconic Vogler House provides insight into the upscale lifestyle of the Vogler family and the enslaved residents of the house. Be sure to examine the intricate metalwork during your visit!
Timothy Vogler Gun Shop
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
Salem’s gunsmiths provided hunting rifles for the local community and those around. Come see the craftspeople at work in the same original space where rifles were being made historically.
Salem Tavern Museum
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
Learn the history of Salem’s Tavern, exploring the cultural intersection of Colonial Americans, Central European Moravians, and the enslaved people of African descent. Come see how this building contributed to connecting Salem to the outside world! Note: this is NOT the Tavern Restaurant!
Blum House Joinery
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
Immerse yourself in the traditional craftsmanship of 18th century woodworking with our tradespeople. Learn about Salem’s commercial trades that established the town as a provisioning hub in early Wachovia’s landscape.
Potter’s Workshop
Relocated to the lower level of the Single Brothers’ House!
Tickets required for entry.
Consumers sought Moravian Redware pottery for its functional and decorative qualities. The potters will demonstrate 17th and 18th century pottery making, including use of their foot driven potters’ wheel and animal shaped molds.
Single Brothers’ House
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
Explore Salem’s trades in a tour on the first floor. This iconic residence building is a mixture of medieval half-timbered construction and later English style brick addition. This building historically housed single young men aged 14 to 21 to apprentice in a multitude of trades instructed by Master craftsmen. The Single Brothers signed an “Apprentice Contract” to commit themselves to seven years of intense trade training. The Brothers lived, worked, slept, ate, and worshipped here.
Boys’ School
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
School is open! Don’t be late! Explore the wonder of 18th and 19th century Moravian education for young boys ages 6-14 through a journey of see, feel, touch, and smell with hands-on activities. This is the oldest school still standing that was dedicated to the education of boys in America.
Miksch House & Garden
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
The first family house in Salem was built in Salem for Henrietta, Matthew, and their baby Martha Elizabeth. Join us inside as we cook, handcraft, do the daily chores, bake, and work just as the Miksch family in 1771. This garden requires a ticket for entry.
Doctor’s House
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
Dr. Samuel Benjamin Vierling constructed his house for his family and flourishing medical practice. Explore his Apothecary Shop and the exhibit “The Moravian Way of Health and Healing.” This unique exhibition shows the Moravians’ holistic approach physical, spiritual, and psychological health that developed over time. Some consider this building as the birthplace of the town of Winston, NC. The deed selling land that would become “Winston” was signed in the Apothecary space.
Winkler Bakery
No ticket required for entry.
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
A must stop destination at one of the oldest continuously operated bakeries in America! Prepare yourself for a mouthwatering opportunity to purchase our famous Moravian Sugar Cake and Lovefeast buns, fresh baked bread, cookies, sweet treats, and amazing gifts crafted right here in Salem. We mix a little history into the bake too! Baked items are not gluten free and may contain allergens. Second floor now open, formerly known as Moravian Book & Gift Shop.
Horticulture Education Center
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets required for entry.
Plants have history too! Come learn how the gardens and landscape communicate the connection between the plants and people of Salem. Continue your education with a tour through the Salt Street and Single Brothers’ Gardens. Check with our staff for updates on the mobile lab out in the gardens!
Muddy Creek Cafe
No ticket required for entry.
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Thursday 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Open Mic).
Located in the lower level of T. Bagge, Muddy Creek Café & Music Hall at Old Salem is a perfect lunch spot with delicious sandwiches, salads, and soups. It is known for hosting incredible folk and traditional musicians. View the Menu.
Also check out other Music events in Winston Salem, Workshops in Winston Salem, Entertainment events in Winston Salem.
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