Storied Homes & Curious Gardens Tour

Celebrate Historic Preservation Month with a tour of the Nissen House and curious gardens across Forsyth County! 

This experience highlights places where architecture, landscape, and local memory continue to shape our region, inviting us to slow down, look closely, and reconnect with the built and natural environments around us.

Participating locations include:

Körner’s Folly
Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden
Nissen House
Mansion on Main
House of Plants
Tanglewood Park Arboretum

Plan Your Visit

Explore each site at your own pace. Hours and offerings vary—follow the links below for full details and updates.

Lewisville

The Historic Nissen House
Beautifully preserved 19th-century Greek Revival and Italianate home at the center of Lewisville’s civic district, once occupied by the Nissen Wagon Works family
→ Friday: 1–4 PM, Saturday: 11 AM–2 PM
Free admission; donations greatly appreciated
213 Arrow Leaf Drive, Lewisville NC 27023
(336) 946-6504

Kernersville

Körner’s Folly
Victorian Eclectic home of artist and designer Jule Körner established 1880. Explore all 22 rooms on a self-guided tour featuring special artifacts on view.
→ Open Tuesdays – Saturdays 10 am – 4 pm; Sundays 12 – 4 pm (Last entry at 3 pm to ensure a leisurely experience). Admission $14 for Adults; $7 for Children (6-18); Free for 6 and under; $10 for College Student with ID; Free for Members.
401 S. Main Street, Kernersville, NC 27284
www.kornersfolly.org
(336) 996-7922

Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden
7 acres of gardens, including Woodland, Wetland, Japanese, and formal plantings, established 2011.
→ Open daily, dawn to dusk. Garden Center: Friday–Sunday, 10 AM–4 PM. Master Gardener Tours: 12:45 PM & 1:45 PM (Saturday – For Symposium attendees only)
215 S. Main Street, Kernersville, NC 27284
www.cienerbotanicalgarden.org
(336) 996-7888

Carnivorous & Exotic Plant Symposium & Expo (May 16–17)
Exploring conservation, cultivation, and community in Kernersville at Ivey M. Redmon Event Center and Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden.
→ Saturday–Sunday, 9 AM–4 PM (early entry available)
1020 Shields Road, Kernersville, NC 27284
www.carnivorousplants.org

Symposium & Expo Admission Options:
FREE Entry – Ages 17 & under

ICPS Membership (Early Access Included) – $45/year
Early Bird Entry: 8:00–9:00 AM (both days)
Includes 1-year print subscription to Carnivorous Plant Newsletter (CPN)

Weekend Pass – $25
Entry: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM (both days)
Includes 1-year digital (PDF) subscription to CPN

Single Day Pass – $15
Entry: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM (one day)
Includes 1-year digital (PDF) subscription to CPN

Winston-Salem

Mansion on Main
Visit the historic Shaffner House, a French Second Empire-style home with an incredible art collection. Established 1873 in Old Salem.
→ Friday Only: 10 AM–3 PM
Free Admission
428 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem NC 27101
mansiononmainwsnc.net

House of Plants
Whimsical garden shop featuring Victorian-era plants including ferns, orchids, and violets as well as containers, shrubs, herbs, and more. Established 1976 in an historic Hanes Town mill cottage.
→ Monday – Saturday open 10 am – 5 pm; Sunday 1 -5 pm,
507 Harvey Street, Winston-Salem NC 27103
www.houseofplantsinc.com
(336) 765-5301

Clemmons

Tanglewood Arboretum
Set just beyond the Manor House at Tanglewood Park, the Arboretum is a quietly expansive, working garden designed to reflect what grows well in the North Carolina Piedmont—layered, seasonal, and deeply rooted in place. Established as part of the Reynolds estate and later opened to the public, it now functions as both a teaching landscape and a place for wandering, maintained in partnership with Cooperative Extension and Master Gardener volunteers. Tucked within the Children’s Garden, a small bog garden introduces one of North Carolina’s most fascinating ecologies: carnivorous plants.

→ 7 days a week, Dawn until dusk.
Tanglewood Park Admission: $2 per vehicle
4061 Clemmons Rd, Clemmons, NC 27012
https://www.forsyth.cc/parks/tanglewood
(336) 703-6400