I went this year and we had a fabulous time. Be aware that it has now been renamed to "Carolina…read moreClassic Fair". The food is everywhere and as exotic as you might expect from a fair (fried Oreo's, anyone?), but is high priced. Can you go to a fair and NOT get a funnel cake? They're $15, but it's once a year... They have a good selection of rides though the lines were long on Friday night and I would expect they would be even worse over the weekend. Parking is $10 at the Wake Forest Coliseum (a short walk), which is safer than parking in someone's yard (for the same price). It's $10 per person to enter, if you order online, and then you'll spend $20 every 4 rides (roughly). It can add up quickly, but so can the level of enjoyment.

Nice family time on a weekday afternoon. We decided to go on Thursday afternoon before the evening…read morecrowd and it was perfect. It was a breezy day and the sites gave me such a nostalgic feeling of old timey trips to the fair when I was young. I especially enjoyed watching children enjoy the rides and families just strolling happily and peacefully.

In short: An interactive museum of arts, sciences and exploration that is for all ages!…read more Kaleideum was formed by the merger of SciWorks and The children's museum of Winston-Salem in July 2016. The goal of this merger was to reimagine learning and better meet the needs of the diverse community by providing access to informal science discovery and cultural experiences. I came here with two adult friends and my son who is 8. The museum is 4 stories (including the roof which has a beautiful playground overlooking the city). We were told to start at the top and work our way down and this is exactly what we did and would recommend to everyone . Each level has soooo many things to do whether it be interactive , experiments, or simply water play. We spent an easy 4 hours there and could've done more if the coffee shop was as open haha. Long story short, go here if you can. It's worth the entrance fee and experience :)

Very cool place. Lots of stuff for your kids can get into. My son particularly enjoyed the outdoor…read moreplayground, slides,climbing walls and this massive knit thing to crawl around in was very cool. I'm interested in going to one of the after dark events.

The North Carolina Transportation Museum has been on my list to visit for a while now, and I…read morefinally made it to Spencer, NC, to check it out. I love museums and have been to a lot of them, and some are better than others. This one felt disjointed and not cohesive. It could be improved. Tickets are purchased near the building near the train tracks. You get a wristband and a map to go on your way. The museum is on 60 acres, so there is a lot of walking. The Southern Railway Spencer Shops were once located here. 3000 people worked at Spencer Shops to keep the steam engines working properly. Spencer was halfway between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA, and the steam engines needed to be serviced about every 150 miles. They could run for about two hours, but then needed an hour of service to keep everything operating properly. I started in the Back Shop (look for the BE CAREFUL sign), which was built in 1905 for steam locomotives that required more extensive maintenance. The building is the size of two football fields. The building now shows all forms of transportation, from bicycles to fire trucks to cars to airplanes to rail cars to boats and canoes. This was a large building, and it wasn't clear which path we were to walk through it, as there were two aisles with items on both sides, along with empty areas. Building F housed the Roundhouse, which was the best of the buildings. It is the largest remaining roundhouse in the country. This was like a garage with 37 stalls to repair the steam engines. Now, inside it, you will find steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars, and a full-size replica of the Wright Flyer. There is an area where you can see people working on the cars, and at the end of the building, there are some train cars that you can enter. The exhibits in this building are well done, and you can read the storyboards about the exhibits. I started in the orientation room to watch the video about the site's history, but it wasn't available to me. I was just handed another map. I'm not sure if he didn't want to start it for just one person, but I would have liked to see it as it would have provided background on the complex. The staff member wasn't friendly and didn't seem like he wanted to answer questions. Building G was the wheel balancing exhibit in a shed. The scales made sure the weight was correct for being on the train tracks. Buildings C, D and E felt like a waste. C was decorated for the Easter events, so it didn't seem the building was being properly utilized. There were some dining car exhibits in there. Building D had a model train layout and is used for storage. Building E had more classic cars. More signage would help to get from the buildings, if they made a path to follow. I didn't see any signage for getting from building G to E, so I had to backtrack through buildings F and B to get there, as I wasn't sure where I was allowed to walk on the gravel and tracks. This is where a guide would have been helpful to direct guests. Then, the inside buildings could use better descriptions, like those used in building F. It would have been nice to have helpful, friendly guides to better understand the complex. The trains weren't running on the day of my visit, so that may have provided the background information that was lacking during my visit. I'd remove buildings D and E from the tour and relocate the exhibits to fit everything into two main buildings for better flow. If I returned, I would just focus on building F and spend my time in the building, better curated.

This was such a fun place for all ages and such a fun day trip. We took the self guided tour which…read morewas only $10 per adult. We saw so many neat things from old cars, trains and planes, we even saw the Oscar Meyer mobile!!

It's built in a old factory, restored and renovated- very beautiful. Again, probably the only other…read morething in this town that is actually open on Mondays. Most everything else (Old Salem tours, all museums, Farmer's markets, most of the theatre district) is all closed on Monday- note:Mondays aren't the time to visit. Friendly staff, cool air conditioner, even a pot of coffee and clean bathrooms await you, inside this quaint little shop. Unfortunately the elderly lady with the Christmas sweater in the middle of June (the air conditioner was probably on too high for her) was friendly, but resigned to the fact that we just came on the wrong day to do or see anything. She did direct us to the Colfax outdoor Farmer's market and was quite charming with her descriptions. However, her advice of "I never had a bad meal" when asked about restaurants in the area, didn't narrow the selection down much for a foodie. Again, not a whole was open, so picks were slim. It was a little unfortunate that we were not offered a map, for obvious reasons of roaming around this little town. She said she didn't have one. I guess I should have downloaded one from the web before. I was offered a map of Old Salem, which was a strip of Main street with all the historical buildings (most of which were closed, yes on Mondays.) Note to visitors: You'll probably find a little more comprehensive information on the web. Staff was friendly, but not all that informative. Did I mention, don't bother coming on Mondays! :)

This place is great. It's a Retro style arcade, with a full bar, self serve beer taps and nightly…read morefood truck service. A very sensory friendly arcade experience. Fun without being too loud or flashy. Family friendly, great for a date, or a casual hang out. My inner child and outer adult approve.

Went on a Sunday afternoon. Interesting vibe, and cool…read moreidea. Inside the arcade was COLD. Needed a jacket - or to stand outside in the sun. Played pinball - one machine one flipper didn't work (learned the hard way). Told bartender, and she put up a sign, but didn't offer anything for that inconvenience and loss of money. Beer was cold.

How I managed to live in North Carolina this long and not know we had a Cheerwine Festival is mind…read moreboggling to me. This was my first year attending the event. It was advertised that you could take a train to Salisbury, NC and then the festival was in walking distance. If you drove, you'd have to look for parking in the area and walk to the event. My friend and I arrived around noon. This. Was a good time, but in the fire I'd ago In my opinion they spaced out the different vendors well so it wasn't too crowded. You were able to move through the areas easily. At times, you would have to wait for people to move, but this is expected with any festival. I liked that their website listed the vendor participating and if the vendor created a Cheerwine themed item/dish. I believe it would've ben helpful it their website also included a map of where each vendor was so you could head to the vendor you wanted immediately. There was a main location at the festival that sold Cheerwine merchandise such as: beach towels, stickers, hats, t-shirts, and displays. They had a cash and card line. Some vendors took cash, but not all so it is good to have both on you. There were live performances occurring in their center city park. I was not prepared well for the event as I literally decided to go day of. In the future I'll make sure to pack a lawn towel or small chair to sit in the park and come earlier in the day when the event first starts so it's not as hot outside.

Bottom line: The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury is a busy and popular street festival to celebrate…read morethe regional soft drink favorite. Saw lots of Cheerwine merch/logos everywhere but not Cheerwine itself. This festival is extremely crowded and there are long lines for absolutely everything, do know that going into this one. Bring cash, you'll need it. The Deets: My friends and I made plans to hit the The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury, NC this year. Cheerwine is a local/regional soft drink favorite, a black cherry flavored soda. Cheerwine has been made since 1917 and has been produced by the same family in North Carolina for all those years (big accomplishment in the food/beverage industry). I've been a Cheerwine fan since childhood so I was up for going to a festival bearing its name. We went down and back on Amtrak as there is a train station near to the downtown area the festival is held. I recommend going by train if possible as finding parking is not that easy for this event. Salisbury is not a huge town so you would expect that to be so. If you are not a fan of big crowds and long lines, then this festival is not for you. This festival is very "people-y" and there are long lines for EVERYTHING...food, beer/beverages, merchandise, craft/art/novelty items, cash machines (bring cash, most things here are not cheap)...everything. Of course the sound stage had a crowd around it as well. We even ducked into a local bottle shop to find some peace (see my prior review for this business) which we indeed found. My pics I took are from a pocket of peace I found outside of the crowded area. Of note, I did see that there were plenty of port-a-potties everywhere, even down alleys between buildings. While I saw Cheerwine logos and merchandise a-plenty at the festival, I really can't recall seeing any actual Cheerwine itself. Sad face. Lots of beer opportunities...not Cheerwine though. If you love those crowded street festivals, this event is your golden ticket. I found it was great to visit and experience but I'm not sure I would go out of my way to come back again.

Had a great time last night on our GNO! We were all celebrating my grandmother moving to town and…read morestarting a new life here with us. We had about 11 of us girls not all very well acquainted. Some of us were nervous as we do not see ourselves as "artistic", but we were open minded. We brought lots of wine, champagne, cheese, fruit, etc. The two ladies who were instructing the class were super helpful on the steps and techniques. They reminded us this was fun and not to be stressed over. We all ended up having a wonderful time!! And by the end of it we were all quite proud of how our artwork turned out. Might even hang mine in the dining room! They have dozens and dozens of pictures to choose from for private and public painting sessions. I will definitely be back with another group of friends and maybe my husband for a date night :)! Thanks for the great time Merlot and Van Gogh

I really enjoyed my Merlot and Van Gogh experience. I went for paint your pet night. The ladies…read morewere very nice and helpful. They were also very organized and had my canvas waiting for me. They brought by fresh water for our brushes several times. They also use a fast drying paint so you do not have to worry about transporting your painting. I am not a very good artist but with their help I was able to make a nice painting of my dog. You can also bring wine beer or your own food. The atmosphere was very relaxed and they had nice music playing as well. I would definitely come back for another paint session.

I am a master of stick-figure art, so for Heather to work me through to a piece I would willingly…read morehang on a wall is no small feat. It was fun seeing how the other painters & I each created our own unique takes on the theme. I particularly appreciate that Heather encouraged personalization & helped us customize our pieces with add-ons. With 6 guests, she is willing to travel instead of making us come to her, so hopefully next time we can host a painting party ourselves.

I had such a BLAST tonight! Let me first start by saying I'm definitely not an artist. Even my…read morestick figures are questionable, but this place gave me new hope! I went with my family for a public painting party to do a Magical Mickey. You can book online or in person. It's $30 and comes with unlimited paint, brushes, tabletop easel, and 11x14" canvas. What I love is you can have them trace it for $5 extra or wing it like I did. They gladly walk around step by step to help you and will also make suggestions if you get stuck. Not once did I feel uncomfortable or any less talented as the others. I can't wait to go back for a different theme. You can also book private parties too for a minimum 7 people. They're open 7 days a week. They're across from Goodwill on Jonestown Rd. The staff is very friendly and we all had so much fun filled with laughter!