Enjoy a Smorgasbord of Sports in Winston-Salem, NC
When it comes to sporting events, the Greater Winston-Salem area is often operating at Deac performance. That’s because the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons have a successful athletic program that provides nearly year-round entertainment options for the region. Here’s a look at the wide range of sports in Winston-Salem.
Football and basketball receive much of the attention, but Wake Forest has a deep bench when it comes to sports.
The women’s golf team won the 2023 NCAA Division I national championship, and in 2024, claimed the Atlantic Coast Conference title for the eighth time. The baseball team made it to the 2023 College World Series semifinals. The men’s tennis team was the national champ in 2018, men’s soccer had a title season in 2007, and the field hockey team pulled off a three-peat in the early 2000s.
“Not everybody is a student or an alumnus at Wake Forest, but everybody can support Wake Forest’s sports teams,” says John Currie, athletic director.
One of the university’s core goals is offering the best fan experience in North Carolina, according to Currie. “We’re able to do that because our venues are first-class, intimate and affordable,” he says. “We have a lot of high-level stuff going on right here in Winston-Salem.”
A Variety of Sporting Events in Winston-Salem
But Wake Forest isn’t the only university with athletic offerings. Just 5 miles from the Wake Forest campus, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is serving up another helping of collegiate sports at the Division II level. The WSSU Rams have a long history of sports success, including being the first historically Black college to win an NCAA basketball championship when they captured the 1967 Division II title with a 31-1 record.
In addition to basketball, the university boasts cross-country, football, golf, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Sporting events are held at Bowman Gray Stadium, which is near campus and has seating for about 17,000 fans, as well as Whitaker Gymnasium and C.E. Gaines Center.
Venture off campus, and Winston-Salem boasts a sports lineup that includes auto racing, tennis, hockey and … Disco Turkeys? Yes, the wonderfully named Carolina Disco Turkeys offer summer fun in Winston-Salem as a member of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League.
Along with the Winston-Salem Dash – a High-A minor-league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox – the Disco Turkeys provide a training ground in the area for players working toward reaching major league baseball as well as another event for local sports fans to attend.
“We’ve become a mainstay entertainment option in Winston- Salem,” says Greg Sullivan, Disco Turkeys president and co-owner.
As for the Winston-Salem Dash, tons of fans gather at Truist Stadium to cheer on their team throughout the season. Attendees love their themed games, like Golden Age Saturdays, Italian Beef, Tobacco Beetles and Hyphens.
Speed, Serves and Skates
Another Winston-Salem sports offering that draws national interest is the auto racing series at historic Bowman Gray Stadium. The cars have been rumbling at the quarter-mile track since 1949 when racing was introduced there by none other than NASCAR founder Bill France. The stadium moniker – the Madhouse – is appropriate because the WSSU Rams play their home football games there, as well.
Since 2011, Winston-Salem has been an annual stop for the Association of Tennis Professionals. The Winston-Salem Open is held in late August at the Wake Forest University Tennis Center and has become a popular tune-up event for players in preparation for the U.S. Open in New York City.
And even though Winston-Salem is part of the South, the city embraces the cold-weather sport of ice hockey through the Carolina Thunderbirds. A member of the Federal Prospects League, the Thunderbirds play their home games at the 3,150-seat Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena and sold out 24 of their 28 games last season.
“It’s good, affordable entertainment,” says Cary Ross, Thunderbirds director of operations. “Yes, we’re playing hockey, but the first thing we look at is entertainment. We put together ticket packages for families and keep concessions affordable, so a family comes in, buys their kids a meal and sees the hockey game, and they don’t break their budget doing it.”
Parks Projects in Winston-Salem
Construction projects are taking place throughout Greater Winston-Salem, including work on Reynolda and Belews Lake Park.
Reynolda, located adjacent to Wake Forest University on the former estate of the R.J. Reynolds family, includes a museum, shops, restaurants and 134 acres of gardens. In 2024, Reynolda debuted a new welcome center that introduces about 140,000 annual visitors to the estate’s attractions. Also completed at Reynolda in 2024 was an extensive restoration of a historic 1913 greenhouse that has now reopened to visitors as Brown Family Greenhouse.
BELEWS LAKE PARK: The northeast corner of Forsyth County has long needed an outdoor recreation attraction, and now, there is a major one. The first phase of a four-phase project for the new Belews (pronounced “Blues”) Lake Park is complete.
“We received a $640,000 state grant to purchase the 216 acres from Duke Energy, and park construction of Phase 1 was completed in September 2024,” says Chris Weavil, Forsyth County Parks & Recreation director.
– Kevin Litwin contributed to this article.
Get to Know Winston-Salem
Want to learn more about living and working in Winston-Salem, North Carolina? Check out the latest edition of Livability Greater Winston-Salem.