<p>Hi! We will be visiting Wake Forest in a few weeks with our son. Other than the things arranged through the school, what else should we see or do on our visit to get a good feel for the area? Any recommendations on places to stay, eat, etc.? Also, our son is huge on outdoor activities (kayaking, rafting, fishing), so is there a nearby area with these activities we could check out? Thanks!</p>
<p>Most of the hotels around Hanes Mall will be just fine for your visiting purposes. If you wanted to really do it up, both Graylyn and the local B&B’s are awesome. Some other things you might want to look in to. </p>
<p>Restaurants</p>
<p>Mizu Japanese Restaurant
Ishi Japanese Restaurant
Sweet Potatoes
Camino Bakery
SimplyYummy/Pane e Vino
Krispy Kreme (the factory!)
Athenna Greek Restaurant
Deweys Bakery
Bobs Big Gas Subs and Pub
4th Street Filling Station
Mellow Mushroom (Always a cheap favorite)
Krankie’s Coffee</p>
<p>Attractions</p>
<p>The Mall (is actually huge)
Old Salem (for the day time)
Reynolda Gardens
Reynolda House (Museum of American Art)
Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA)
The Grand (Movie theater cheap tickets during the day)
Aperture Cinema (shows smaller movies and fancy artsy things)
AMF Major League Lanes (bowling alley)
Paul J Ciener Botanical Gardens (in Kernersville about 20 minutes away)
Airbound Trampoline Park</p>
<p>There are also theaters (both youth and local) and an orchestra in town but I do not know their specific schedules
There is also the START art gallery in Reynolda village (that showcases undergraduate art work) and an art museum on campus in the Scales Fine Arts Center</p>
<p>Hi, @buellersmom:</p>
<p>I really like SillyStokey92’s list! As a heads up, Simply Yummy no longer exists, to my knowledge. There are many other great restaurants in Winston; the food off campus is actually great. When I visited (over four years ago…) we ate at Elizabeth’s (pizza/pasta). It’s fast, casual, and right by campus.</p>
<p>I would recommend checking out the downtown area if you have time. It is about 15 minutes from campus but I think it’s helpful to see the surrounding area, even though, as an underclassman, most of your time is spent on campus. </p>
<p>I can probably give you specific food/lodging information if you PM me. I would prefer not to post directly on the site since there are a lot of good hotels/restaurants around 
But I can give you info on what is closest to campus and can give you more specific food recommendations based on what you like. Again, SillyStokey92 has a great list there, though!</p>
<p>For outdoorsy activities - the Dan river isn’t far away and Pilot Mountain (15-20 min away) has great hiking trails that many students use. I’m not super outdoorsy so I’m not sure what exactly there is, but these are two things that a lot of students tend to do!</p>
<p>Highly recommend having dinner at the Village Tavern which has two locations: Reynolda Village and the larger location out by the Hanes Mall. We always preferred the Hanes Mall location. Great atmosphere and there is something for everyone. Word of caution: this is a very popular restaurant so you might want to make reservations. This is so easy to do with Open Table. Now that my son has just graduated, we will miss going to the Village Tavern!</p>
<p>@cupcake14: You are right. I think SimplyYummy has actually just changed names to Pane e Vino or something like that. I’ve been back since and all the food is still the same, except now they have a liquor license and serve dinner as well.</p>