Turn Winston-Salem into your very own city-centric scavenger hunt this summer. This is a great way to spend a day or spread it out over the entire summer break. It’s also the perfect way to explore the city for hidden gems, spots you’ve not explored and get outdoors!

Creating Your Winston-Salem Scavenger Hunt

Like any good scavenger hunt, when putting together your Winston-Salem one, be sure to keep your audience in mind. You want to make it age-appropriate for your kiddos. For younger kids, it’ll be more about finding the spots and items once at a location. However, for older kids, you can even have them do their own research and find it on Google Maps first before visiting.

It’s also a fun way to tie in local history and fun facts for everyone to learn some this summer. You can even turn it into a unique date night and add in some local bars and adult beverages. 

If you are planning to do just a one-day hunt, try to keep it in one specific area of town like downtown. However, if making it a summer-long experience, you can create one that touches on all the areas of town. 

What to Include in a Winston-Salem Scavenger Hunt

This is the best part, the sky is the limit. You can choose to make it a little more generic or easier for younger kids or more complex for older kids. 

Below are several Winston-Salem centric ideas to consider including in your scavenger hunt. 

• Shell-Shaped Shell Station (Tip: There is also a cool old gas pump outside Cricket’s Nest)
• Murals (Examples: Otter Mural on the Peters Creek Parkway water tower, the one in the tunnel off 4th Street leading to Bookmarks or the mural wall at Artivity on the Green)
• Historic sites, inns and houses (Examples: Reynolda House, Graylyn Estate or Summit Street Inn)
• Themed parks, playgrounds and splashpads (Examples: Washington Park has a dinosaur themed playground and Sedge Garden Park has a pirate themed playground and splashpad)
• Historic landmarks or markers (Tip: Old Salem is a good place to start – including the tea pot)
• Old buildings or sites (Example: The old SciWorks building)
• Shopping sites (Example: Thruway is the oldest shopping center in Winston-Salem and The Cookie House in Hanes Mall is one of the original stores still remaining)
• Downtown parks and outdoor spaces (Example: Winston Square Park or Bailey Park)
• Libraries (Note: We have 10 libraries in Forsyth County, five of which are in Winston-Salem)
• Architectural styles (Examples: Kimpton Cardinal Hotel is Art Deco style and Graylyn Estate is Norman Revival)
• Best downtown skyline views (Tip: The Quarry at Grant Park is a good start)

No matter what places you plan to visit, it’s sure to be a locally inspired day of fun and learning!