If you’re wondering what to do in Winston-Salem, Tina Firesheets has some answers for ya. Tina is the author of “100 Things To Do in Winston-Salem Before You Die.” As a journalist and a foodie, Tina fell in love with Winston. I mean how could she not?
Tina said she had big plans to move to Los Angeles — attracted by the idea of a vibrant city with lots of young professionals — but due to her mother’s cancer diagnosis, she stayed nearby to take care of her. Even more importantly, she started to see her home base as her playground as she settled in with her own family. Might we say she recreated the LA energy in the Triad?
Tina will talk about the process of writing her book at The Bookhouse Saturday, Aug. 26 with local expert Jeff Smith from Smitty’s Notes and WFDD reporter Paul Garber.
We sat down with her ahead of the talk.
What made you write the book?
It wasn’t my original idea, I was approached with the opportunity. I was a journalist with the News and Record for nearly 15 years, and then after that, I continued to freelance. So I knew previously from my other roles quite a bit about Winston-Salem. An editor I was working with at the time was approached by Reedy Press. They had versions of this book in other cities, she asked if I was interested in writing about Winston-Salem, and I said, maybe— and now there’s a book.
What can people expect from your author visit at The Bookhouse on Saturday?
Well, I’m super excited to visit The Bookhouse for the first time. I’m a huge cheerleader for independently-owned bookstores. In the morning, I’ll be joined by Paul Garber— you hear his voice a lot in the mornings on WFDD. He and I are going to have a conversation about the book in the morning. So it’s going to be kind of like a cozy little chat with other people kind of being able to be a part of it. And then in the afternoon at the one o’clock one, my co-pilot is gonna be Jeff Smith, Smitty’s Notes. So I’m really excited about being out there with both of them and hopefully getting a chance to grab a Dough Joe’s doughnut beforehand.
Why Winston-Salem?
I really kind of fell in love with Winston-Salem. I’ve kind of admitted publicly that I do think — that I’m still a little hesitant to say this — but I do think that Winston-Salem has a lot going on that’s very cool and fun and innovative. So I’ve become a Winston-Salem cheerleader, as well.
Describe your perfect day in Winston-Salem.
Perfect day I always say Trade Street. Because you can take a walk in Art Park, stroll through there, the galleries, and then have your pick of restaurants and bars.
What are your three favorite places to eat?
I love Say So, it just speaks to me aesthetically. I’m obsessed with La Botana. I tell people all the time that they need to eat there. For drinks, I’m gonna say Easy Talk. It’s cozy, there are a lot of little tucked away spots and corners that you can go with your friends or a special friend and have a nice cozy chat.
List three places you’re dying to try.
I’m dying to do pizza casse at Mission Pizza. I wanna do brunch at Earl’s for brunch at some point, their menu looks really good. I’m not very good at following directions... I also want to go to Six Hundred and Downtown Grille.
Describe Winston in three words.
Creative, innovative and energetic. The city leadership itself has really allowed themselves to think outside the box in terms of developing downtown and the outline, you know, the edges, and also in supporting its creative community.
Now, the billion dollar question, have you done all 100 things yourself?
I have not done all 100 things. I have my own bucket list and I keep adding to them.
Tina said she’d love to do more walking group tours and discovering new businesses in Winston-Salem in near future. You can find her on social media.
