1. Everyone In Winston-Salem Is A Total Beer Snob
Just like many other things, Twin Citians were crafting beer before crafting beer was “cool.” Foothills, Waterway, Red Oak, Small-Batch…the list goes on and on. Crafting beer is definitely part of the culture here and Winston-Salemites pride themselves in knowing a ton about the craft—and also pride themselves in their unwavering ability to drink the product.
2. Wake Forest Basketball Is A Way Of Life For Everyone In Winston-Salem
Smoking isn’t their only addiction—Wake Forest basketball is a close second to the most addicting things in W-S. To a Twin Citian, there is absolutely nothing better than basketball season. When basketball season is over, they die a little bit inside.
3. If Twin Citians Could, They Would Live On Krispy Kreme Alone
Krispy Kreme doughnuts originated in Winston-Salem and the legacy definitely lives on. What Winston-Salem has on every corner, Northerners have to specially order! Everyone here will swear by the fact that Krispy Kreme should be considered “nutritious”—it may increase your cholesterol, but it will sure as heck make your heart smile!
4. Twin Citians Are Blue Laws Dodging Jedis
Winston-Salem has had to put up with those pesky, little Blue Laws for quite some time. So they’ve just had plenty of time to come up with extremely creative ways to get around them. Like knocking on all of your neighbors doors on Sundays and offering them cookies in exchange for alcohol. Hey, ya gotta do, what ya gotta do!
5. Twin Citians Are A Cultured And Oh-So Arty People
Let’s be honest, Winston-Salem might as well be the arts capital of the South. Winston-Salem is known for its arts culture and the city is filled with aspiring artists, dancers, actors, musicians, art students, and professional artists—which means a ton of arts festivals, concerts, and theater performances. Plus, UNC Arts College is located in Winston-Salem and puts on arts events all of the time.
So don’t be put off if you meet someone from Winston-Salem and they’re a bit pretentious about art/dance/music: They know what they’re talking about.
6. Winstom Salem Has The Best Damn Music Scene In The Country
Ask any person from Winston-Salem what the best part of W-S is and they’ll undoubtedly tell you, “We have the best damn music scene in the country.” They’re super proud of their local bands (and also of their ability to find and promote bands before they’re considered “cool”).
7. Twin Citians Were Portlandians Before It Was Cool
There’s no denying it, Winston-Salem is definitely known as a “hipster area.” Everyone has a “we knew about this before you did” kind-of attitude and are pretty pretentious about their foresight into what will be cool in the future (meaning, what will no longer be cool when it goes “mainstream”). So get ready for some bicycling, vegan food, and hipster clothes if you’re visiting W-S!
8. Cigarettes Are Part Of The Way Of Life In Winston-Salem
The RJR Tobacco Company, the manufacturer for RJR brands like Camel, Kool, Winston, Salem, Doral, Eclipse, and Pall Mall, is located in W-S. It is the second largest tobacco company in the U.S. Needless to say, a large percentage of the population smoke like chimneys and the RJR old tobacco money is still a very big part of the culture here.
9. People In Winston-Salem Take Pride In Adding Tofu To The Normal BBQ Mix
Everyone knows the South is all about BBQ: pork and chicken are staples of any true Southerner. And while W-S definitely has its fair share of delicious BBQ, many of them prefer their BBQ tofu-style. Maybe it’s because they’re all just too hip for meat, or they’re trying to maintain their rep as the Portlandia of the South, but either way—this city is definitely the spot for vegetarians.
