Hello everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Saturday was the highlight of mine. My daughter and I live about 2.5 hours apart, so often to conserve gasoline and driving time, we meet halfway in between. Our starting/meeting point is usually the Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, NC since it is just off the interstate highway.
On this visit we were in the mood for some activity in addition to catching up on our chat time. We had a lovely lunch and a glass of wine. I chose a value-priced Red Diamond Merlot. What a lucky find! This was the most pleasant, smooth and joyful glass of wine I’ve had in years. Neither of us drink wine in large amounts or often, in fact my daughter has just realized there are wines she actually likes. We both agreed we’d be purchasing this one.
After lunch we hopped in my SUV and headed toward Wake Forest University. We went to Reynolda House Museum of American Art and adjacent Reynolda Village. This home was built by tobacco magnate R.J. Reynolds and his wife Katharine. I would encourage anyone to tour this historic landmark and to view the galleries of artwork, actual period clothing and furnishings, and architecture. We were given a personal programmed radio which told a small story of each area we visited. A converted indoor pool, bowling alley, squash court, and shooting gallery were some of the indoor amenities available to the family and friends. Photos of the inside of the house weren’t permitted, but you will love it, trust me.
The other buildings on the estate have been converted to all sorts of shops selling goods and services. These buildings designed like an English Village originally housed a school, post office, cattle barn, silos, blacksmith shop, carriage house, staff residences and much more. Reynolda even had its own church building on site. This was truly a magnificent, self-contained estate. The history of the family and their time spent there is both entertaining and sometimes sadly tragic–great stuff for us history buffs.
The gardens spanned acres with both vegetables and flowers and greenery. You’ll need good walking shoes and several hours to take in a good portion of this estate. We were there about three hours. I think a return tour will be in our future to find what we surely missed the first time.
I’ve shared some outdoor photos which will hopefully help tempt you to make a visit. If you borrow any photos, please remember to credit me and my blog. The house/museum tour costs only $10 dollars for adults and is discounted for seniors and students. Access to the grounds is free and you may photograph for personal use all you like during business hours. I hope you enjoy! 🙂 Lovinulovinme
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