The Big Chill 2018

On a hot summer Sunday afternoon in Winston-Salem, a crowd came together to chill out, listen to live music, and enjoy many different homemade ice creams!  Entry was free, donations were appreciated.

Held on National Ice Cream Day, The Big Chill Ice Cream Festival and FUNdraiser was held at Bailey Park.  Local churches and organizations passed out little cup samples of homemade ice cream.  Adults and children wandered from tent to tent tasting many different flavor, while live music played on the stage.  Food Lion was there with a big freezer chest of complimentary ice cream sandwiches and fudge bars!  Each table sported a cup for donations, which were to benefit The Shalom Project in Winston-Salem.  The Shalom Project provides a Medical Clinic & Pharmacy, Food Pantry, Clothing Closet and Welcome Table programs.

Bailey Park is a unique urban green space in downtown Winston-Salem.  Bailey Park has a large grassy lawn, covered stage, restroom facilities and a food truck court.  Bailey Park hosts many free community events including music series and special events, outdoor movies, and yoga on the grass.

Bailey Park in Downtown Winston-Salem

Downtown Winston-Salem has another great place to hang out. Bailey Park, located on Patterson Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Street is located in the Innovation Quarter. We found this park to have soft, luscious green grass in an urban green space oasis. 

Bailey Park is 1.6 acres of publicly available space. There is a large grassy area with fun mural on the wall that acts as the base to the stage and patio area. 

Bailey Park has a covered stage, restroom facilities, and food truck court, in addition to the big grassy area. There are brightly colored tables and chairs in the stage area. A few tables have large umbrellas. There is a comfortable decline on the lawn and the kids rolled down a few times. There is also flat area.

Parking seems easy, with lots of spots directly in front. There is additional street parking and there are parking decks close by. There is a bike rack. 

There is still a lot of renovation taking place around Bailey Park. It is within walking distance of the Arts District with retail and restaurants very close by. The park is 5 minutes from both Business 40 and 52.

This park is great to bring a blanket and a book, a soccer ball or frisbee, or a picnic lunch. This is a wonderful space in our up and coming downtown.

You can view the calendar of events for Bailey Park here.

We love the 525@Vine building (our family just calls it the "at" building.)  Our home is 10 minutes from downtown, and the "at" building is a cool thing to pass as we head home, especially at night.   

 View directly across the street from Bailey Park

There is still lots of renovation taking place, as you can see in the gutted buildings behind the park.

There is a sign stating that this building, located between the two smokestacks, is soon going to house restaurant and retail. 

What's your favorite "new" place in Downtown Winston-Salem.  Please leave a comment!



All photos by Jessica st Lewis. Do not reproduce.