Reynolda Village Info
ADDRESS: 2201 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem NC
PHONE NUMBER: 336-758-5584
HOURS: Mon-Tue 6AM-9:30PM; Wed-Thu 6AM-10PM; Fri 6AM-11PM; Sat 7AM-11PM; Sun 9AM-9PM
MUSEUM ENTRY FEE: $18, but there are several free admission categories.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM DOWNTOWN WINSTON SALEM
Head west along W 5th St towards Liberty St, then turn right onto N Broad St. Follow along W End Blvd to Reynolda Rd NW, then continue straight. After 2.2 miles, continue onto Reynolda Village Way.
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The History of Reynolda Village
Richard Joshua Reynolds (founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company) and his wife, Katharine Reynolds, developed the 13.5-acre Reynolda estate from 1912-1917.
It was referred to as a village because it was designed to emulate the traditional villages of England.
The functioning farming community included employee housing, a schoolhouse, blacksmiths, a dairy, and a post offices. Today these buildings are home to Reynolda Village’s offices, shops, spas, and restaurants.
Established by Katharine and Richard in 1915, The Reynolda Church is across the road from the Village on Brookfield Drive.
At the heart of the village is the main house, known as Reynolda. Katherine was the visionary, but the house was designed by architect Charles Barton Keen, with the adjoining gardens designed by landscape architect Thomas W. Sears.
Referred to as the Reynolda Historic District, this estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Since 1965, Reynolda Village has been owned and managed by Wake Forest University, and the Reynolda House is just a 1/4-mile walk from the South Campus along the Reynold Trail.
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Shops at Reynolda Village
Wandering around the shops in Reynolda Village is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. The place has that high-end, high-street vibe now, but it’s incredible to think that all of the historic buildings were once part of a thriving farm.
Visitors can find art galleries, jewelers, a luxurious spa, trendy boutiques selling clothing for men/women/children, and a really cool bookstore.
The Bookhouse is housed in a cool industrial building, with a coffee shop where visitors are encouraged to grab a cup and a book and while away an afternoon. Their goal is to create a community by offering a great place to read and relax.
Though primarily a café and bar, Theodore’s also has a cute market where you can buy locally made cookies, gift baskets, and other groovy gifts.
There are also several health, beauty, and fitness-related shops, including an optometrist, hair salon, gym, and The Naturopathic Health Clinic.
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Reynolda Village Restaurants
There are many fine restaurants in Winston Salem NC, including a few can’t-miss places at Reynola Village. Many of the best Reynolda restaurants are located in the village’s original buildings!
For instance, Theodore’s Bar & Market is housed in the original dairy, where you can see the pristine white subway tiles on the walls. We enjoyed their cool vibe and delicious sandwiches, and hope to go back at night for a cocktail.
After our lunch there, we headed around the corner to Dough-Joe’s, a popular cafe/donut shop. We enjoyed our delicious coffees and muffins outside, surrounded by trees and beautiful old stone walls that were covered in moss.
Across the street is May Way Dumplings, which has Asian-style steamed buns, dumplings, noodles, and soups. The Penny Path Cafe & Crepe Shop has a vibrant interior, including a floor made of thousands of shiny pennies!
If it’s hearty burgers and beer you’re after, The Village Tavern in Reynolda Village is really the place to be. They also serve pizza, nachos, tacos, and other gastropub grub!
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Reynolda House Museum of American Art
The Reynolda House Museum of American Art is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 4:40 PM, and on Saturday from 1:30-4:30 PM. Admission is $18, though there are several free admission categories.
Katharine named the house Reynolda to signify the feminine version of her married name. She was the visionary behind the home, and invested much time and thought into its manifestation.
Completed in 1917, the 34,000-square-foot house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and remains a fine example of the American Country House movement.
Visitors may wander through many of the 64 rooms and see countless historical objects, furniture, and Reynolds family belongings, but the works of art on the walls are truly something to behold.
Having a background in Fine Art, I was awestruck by some of the pieces by great American artists such as Grant Wood, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alexander Calder, and Edward Hicks. There’s even an original John James Audobon drawing!
It was incredible to learn that their archives also include works by Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg. Since they regularly rotate the works on display, a return visit to the museum is a must for me.
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Reynolda Gardens
Reynolda Gardens are open all year-round during daylight hours, and are free of charge. The 4-acre garden was designed by Katharine Reynolds and famed landscape architect Thomas Sears.
It’s divided into two halves, with the lower part housing an early 1900s greenhouse and the upper part dedicated to cultivating roses, vegetables, and other flowers and ornamentals.
This gorgeous garden was always meant to be open to the public and an oasis from the hustle of the city. We were excited to explore the peaceful landscape, which includes sunken gardens with fountains, pergolas, and tea houses.
As professional gardeners, we were especially interested in finding the edible garden and the cut flower garden. They were filled with classic roses as well as some experimental plants, too.
There’s a small, picturesque cottage nestled into the shrubbery, which looked particularly English cottage-like.
If you walk to the south end of the garden and leave the formality behind you, you can wander along a wooded trail and come across a little log cabin that was once a playhouse for the Reynolds’ sons. –by Emma Gallagher; all photos by Emma Gallagher except lead image of the Reynolda House Museum via Canva
