Reynolda House Museum of American Art

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and is open to the public. At the time of this writing admission to the museum is $10 for adults with a dollar discount for seniors (60+), teachers and AAA members.

The history of Reynolda House is entwined with the history of the South and the R.J. Reynolds family. While R.J. Reynolds story begins when he left his father's plantation in Patrick County, Virginia, in 1875 to establish his own tobacco factory in Winston, North Carolina, the history of Reynolda House begins when R.J. Reynolds married Katharine Smith, from Mt. Airy, North Carolina, in 1905.

Indeed, it might have began long before that for the new bride, who already knew what she wanted in a home. In 1899 she had told a college room mate: "When I marry, I shall go to Europe on my wedding trip and I shall bring home a wonderful work of art. And then I shall buy a great estate and I shall have a thousand cattle on a hill and flowers all around."

The Reynolda House was conceived and built in 1917 by Katharine Smith Reynolds. It was originally centered on an 1,067-acre estate, the total acreage of twenty-five tracts of land that she purchased (all bearing her name alone on the deeds). The restored house, which is now the centerpiece of the Reynolda Historic District in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was part of the American Country House movement. An ideal for country living that was marked by large houses built in park-like settings and offering their owners and guests extensive recreational facilities.

Reynolda house was a self-sufficient estate that was conceived by Katharine Smith Reynolds, even before she moved her family there, as being a model for local farmers to learn progressive methods such as soil analysis and crop rotation.

In 1935 the eldest daughter, Mary Reynolds Babcock, acquired the estate. She and her husband, Charlie Babcock, used the home as their vacation home until 1948, when they moved there permanently.

In 1965 the home was opened to the public as an institution dedicated to the arts and education, three years later it would be transformed into an art museum featuring American art ranging from the colonial period to the present.

Twenty eight of the original thirty buildings are still present as well as the restored formal gardens.

To visit the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, visit the official website at www.reynoldahouse.org to find out more information about Reynolda and information on tour schedules, exhibitions, and workshops offered at the museum. Also be sure to visit www.reynoldagardens.org for information on the gardens, including information for planning weddings and information on educational programs at the gardens.