Kernersville

Woodbridge overlooks the intersection of Interstate 74 and US Route 421 from its perch between Winston-Salem and Kernersville. “It’s a quiet little pocket, close to downtown Kernersville,” says Jamie Harrelson of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, a Kernersville local and Realtor with more than 30 years of experience. “Several clients have commented that they like this location because it’s right near shopping and restaurants. It’s a residential area, but there’s shopping and restaurants right at your fingertips.” She says there’s an increasing amount of new development in the area, too, likely because of the desirable location. “People just love the location. It’s shaping up to be a cute little area.” Small subdivisions are spread over Woodbridge. The quiet residential streets winding within them often end in cul-de-sacs, and feature well-maintained lawns stretching straight to the curb, uninterrupted by sidewalks. Whether they’re Traditional new builds, 1980s/’90s Colonial Revivals or midcentury ranch-style, homes often feature attached, multiple-car garages. “The homes are really cute and they have a lot of character,” says Harrelson. She adds that the neighborhood’s new construction is no exception. “They’re almost Craftsman-y; very nostalgic.” Prices run anywhere from about $275,000 to more than $600,000, a difference typically due to square footage and year built. Kids attend Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools, but they’re exact path through grade school varies depending on their address. Parents are advised to double-check the boundaries for each school ahead of registration. Youngsters between preschool and fifth grade typically go to either Sedge Garden or Cash Elementary, both of which earn B grades from Niche. Sedge Garden feeds into Southeast Middle, which earns a C-plus; Cash feeds into East Forsyth Middle, which earns a C. Both middle schools feed into East Forsyth High, which earns a B. The high school offers a Finance Academy to students between 10th and 12th grades. In their senior year, participating Finance Academy students take several courses at Forsyth Technical College, including International Business, Principles of Management Honors, Financial Planning and Business Law. Fourth of July Park is near the heart of downtown Kernersville, within 5 miles of most homes, and draws locals from around town for its extensive array of amenities. The 17-acre park has tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, an ADA-accessible playground, three large picnic shelters and walking trails. Rottweiler says Fourth of July Park is one of the most popular parks in town, especially in the summer months when it hosts all kinds of events, from pickleball tournaments to cycling clinics. A few blocks south of the park, local bookworms can pick up new reading material at the Paddison Memorial Branch Library. “The library is the main hub for the community,” says Lara Goldstein, the branch’s Adult Services Librarian. “We have well-attended book club meetings at Gypsy Road Brewing and a free gardening program.” Salem Lake, on the outskirts of Winston-Salem less than 10 miles west, offers even more opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. The lake itself covers more than 360 acres of the park area and is surrounded by a rustic, 7-mile hiking trail. Visitors can fish for carp, crappie and bass from the pier; bait is available at the park shop. Old Kernersville Lake Park offers fishing even closer to home, off Lake Drive in the northeast corner of Woodbridge. “When I think of this community, I think of the Honeybee Festival,” says Goldstein. Rottweiler agrees, adding that the well-attended annual event takes place in Fourth of July Park. “It’s a vendor festival, with scratch-made and local stuff, concerts and kids’ activities,” says Rottweiler. The festival has been celebrated on World Honeybee Day, the third Saturday in August, since 1975 in honor of Brady Mullinax, a local beekeeper who helped make the honeybee the North Carolina state insect. Earlier in the summer, though, Goldstein says the annual Independence Day fireworks show at Raider’s Field has a large turnout, too. Residents set out blankets and fold-up chairs while local bands perform before the display begins. Locals can head into Kernersville proper for groceries and other everyday essentials. Along South Main Street, there are big-box retailers galore, from Lowes Foods and Harris Teeter to Target and Walmart Supercenter. There are tons of eateries scattered along the main thoroughfare, too, including familiar national chains like Cook Out and KFC. “But there are also a lot of local restaurants,” says Harrelson. She and her family frequent J. Pepper’s Southern Grille and Don Juan’s Mexican Restaurant. “Those are always favorites. And J. Pepper’s has a really nice outdoor patio.” Interstate 74 and US Route 421 run perpendicular to each other through Woodbridge, meeting near the neighborhood’s center. Via Route 421, the drive into Winston-Salem, about 8 miles west, can take as little as 10 minutes. Downtown Kernersville is about 6 miles east, just north of Route 421. Piedmont Triad International Airport is less than 20 miles east, a drive that takes about 25 minutes, depending on traffic. The airport offers direct, nonstop flights to 14 major US cities.

Yorktown lies just south of Kernersville proper, in the heart of the Piedmont Triad. “Kernersville is a growing town, but it still has that small-town feel to it,” says Nikki Rottweiler, a Realtor with eXp Realty’s Head Realty Group, adding that though Yorktown itself is growing rapidly, too, it’s kept a lot of its rural charm. “There’s absolutely more space here than in downtown Greensboro or Winston-Salem,” she says, referring to the two larger cities flanking the area. “One of the huge benefits of it is that it’s right in between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, so what a lot of people like about it is you can move here and work there, because you can get to either one pretty quickly.” Prospective buyers will find subdivisions with Split Level and ranch-style homes built between the early 1960s and late ‘90s. There are also new urbanist-style planned developments, where modern townhomes and Colonial Revival, Traditional and Craftsman-inspired new builds line wide residential streets that branch out from clubhouses with pools or Main Street-style mini business districts, like Caleb’s Creek or Walden Village. Prices start at around $200,000 and can climb as high as more than $600,000, but the median sits close to $360,000, which is on par with the median for Kernersville but above the median for both Greensboro and Winston-Salem. “People like it because it’s a little more rural, a little more country,” says Rottweiler, adding that these homes tend to have more land around them than those closer to the surrounding cities. “There’s more of a peaceful feeling to this area, outside the town limits, which is hard to find these days,” she says. Between preschool and fifth grade, kids either go to Caleb’s Creek Elementary, which earns a B from Niche, or Union Cross Elementary, which earns a B-minus. Older students go to Southeast Middle and Glenn High, both of which earn C-plusses. All four schools are within 5 miles of most homes in Yorktown. Caleb’s Creek and Southeast Middle are next to each other, south of Interstate 40 on the north side of the area. Glenn High is about 4 miles south of Caleb’s Creek and Union Cross is about 2 miles farther south. Students at Glenn High School can participate in a variety of clubs and extracurriculars, from the service oriented Interact Club, sponsored by the local Rotary Club, to the Spanish Club and National Technical Honor Society. Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex is less than 5 miles north of home and features several multiuse athletic fields, a cross-country course, baseball/softball diamonds and even a dog park. The complex hosts high school and collegiate-level cross-country events and adult softball leagues. It’s also home to the Kernersville Soccer Association, which offers youth soccer programs like the Little Kickers team and the Junior Academy and All-Star programs. The Johnson Street Sports Complex, in High Point more than 5 miles east, is a mecca for local baseball fans. There are baseball, softball and T-ball fields galore, as well as concession stands, picnic shelters and a playground. At the Union Cross shopping center off Interstate 40 less than 6 miles north, there’s a Food Lion and an Ace Hardware, as well as a Great Clips and nail salon. There are several eateries nearby, too, including Cracker Barrel, Culver’s, Blue Naples Pizzeria of Kernersville and Hibachi of Japan. Just a mile south, across I-40, Harbor Freight Tools and Tractor Supply face each other from either side of Glenn View Drive. At Clodfelter Strawberry Farm, off North Carolina Highway 66 near the south end of Yorktown, locals can pick their own or grab a bucket of prepicked berries in-season. Less than 3 miles north, Apple Family Farm offers pick-your-own and prepicked blueberries, as well as pumpkins, apples and other fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies. Yorktown is at nearly the midpoint between Winston-Salem and Greensboro. The nearly 16-mile drive west to Winston-Salem can take as little as 20 minutes from here, depending on traffic, and the 20.5-mile drive east to Greensboro takes about 24 minutes. Interstate 40 runs by the north side of Yorktown. The Piedmont Triad International Airport is less than 15 miles northeast across I-40. Past the south side of the area, Interstate 74 connects Union Cross to High Point. The 10-mile drive down to High Point takes less than 20 minutes, depending on traffic.

Life is still over in Kerners Mill. Just over 10 miles east of downtown Winston-Salem and 20 miles west of Greensboro, this quaint residential community offers the peace and stillness of a rural enclave while sitting adjacent to the charming downtown Kernersville area and the rest of the Piedmont Triad. With the steady trickle of its central creek and the serene feel of nearby lakes, residents embrace the natural world that surrounds them. “There are lots of new, higher-end subdivisions, but also plenty of smaller single-family homes and townhomes popping up,” says Lisa Pfefferkorn, a broker with Coldwell Banker Advantage who lives and works in Kernersville. “The YMCA is right there, as is Olympic restaurant, as well as John Deere and Forth of July Park.” The housing stock of Kerners Mill is diverse. Your choices range from 1,500-square-foot ranch-style homes from the 1970s to much newer, larger, stately homes from the early 21st century. The smaller houses are often valued between $250,000 and $350,000. While price tags for these larger new traditional homes are between $400,000 and $500,000, they often feature over a half-acre of land with 3,000 square feet of room. Demand for housing is high, and houses are beginning to spend less time on the market. Homes typically last about three weeks before being snagged for closing. “There’s a lot of growth here and in Kernersville in general,” says Realtor Amy Klutz of Keller Williams Central. “There are lots of budding families and young working professionals starting their lives.” A major perk of living in Kerners Mill is having Fourth of July Park within walking distance. Kernersville’s most notable event is the annual Honeybee Festival. The festival takes place on World Honeybee Day, the third Saturday in August, and celebrates the Honeybee’s recognition as North Carolina’s official state insect. Nearly 100 vendors gather at the park and sell all sorts of food and handcrafted goods. Festival attendees shop and listen to live music while the kids can enjoy an array of activities arranged for them. Befitting its name, the park also hosts an annual fireworks display during the Fourth of July. Outside of hosting events, the park is rich with amenities for locals to enjoy on a typical day. Stretching a vast 17 acres, visitors can do some tricks at the skate park, play a round on the tennis courts or take the kids to Forsyth Country’s first accessible playground. Many enjoy having Old Kernersville Lake Park in their backyard for a peaceful escape. The small, five-acre lake is tucked away from busy roads and snugged into a woodsy setting. Locals can bring their fishing poles and enjoy catch-and-release fishing or sit on the water-side benches and catch a glimpse of the passing ducks. While this pond is more of a hidden gem, Lake Kernersville Park is just a few miles north and provides a much bigger and more well-known lake for some further adventure. Many have caught impressive catfish and largemouth bass amid their fishing escapades. You can also take a pedal boat out on the water, grill some burgers or check out the nature trails. A short walk away is the Kernersville YMCA, which has a long list of amenities and programs suitable for all family members. The YMCA offers personal training, boot camps, health programs and group exercise classes. Locals can also join a sports league or take some swim lessons at the aquatic center. With all these nearby amenities, you may need some caffeine to help jumpstart your day. A popular spot nearby is Kyle’s Coffee – owned and operated by a local Kernersville family. The spot was dubbed the best coffee in Forsyth County and features plenty of seating to sit and enjoy a warm cup. For an evening out of the house, head to the downtown area and check out Giadas Trattoria for a heaping plate of pasta. The restaurant features Italian classics from Ravioli Florentine to Eggplant Parmigiana. Hopkins Road offers many Kerners Mill residents easy access to a variety of grocery and shopping options, including Lowes Foods, Target, Food Lion, Walmart and much more. Younger students living in Kerners Mill attend one of two nearby elementary schools, Kernersville Elementary or Cash Elementary. Kernersville earns a B-minus from Niche, while Cash earns a B grade. For middle school, students either attend Kernersville Middle, which gets a B from Niche, or East Forsyth Middle, which receives a C rating. High school-age students in the area often attend East Forsyth High, graded as a B by Niche.

Northwest Kernersville may sit a little further out from the Main Street shops downtown, but the added 5-mile drive doesn’t stop residents from engaging in community events and supporting small businesses. “In Kernersville, even when you’re on the outskirts, you’re still a part of the community,” says Angelique Smith, local Realtor at High Key Realty and Kernersville resident of 18 years. However, when residents come home to their own spaces, they can enjoy quiet streets and grassy landscapes secluded from heavy foot traffic. Compared to more historic areas of Kernersville, the northwest area tends to feature slightly newer homes. “It’s mostly well-established communities from the ‘80s and ‘90s,” Smith says. National and Farmhouse-style properties from the 1980s with three bedrooms feature covered front porches and winding driveways, selling for around $250,000, while ‘90s-era Colonial Revival homes with brick facades and attached two-car garages can sell for about $350,000. Recently built subdivisions offer Modern Craftsman-style bungalows and New Traditional-style multi-story homes with steeply gabled roofs and stone exteriors for as little as $300,000; however, larger four-bedroom properties with screened-in backyard porches on large, wooded lots can sell for between $450,000 and $600,000, depending on lot size. There aren’t many available townhomes or condos in the area, although some Modern Craftsman-style single-story duplexes with attached garages are available for around $300,000. Local kids may attend Cash Elementary School, rated C-plus by Niche, where they can participate in after-school activities like the Robotics Club, which teaches problem-solving and engineering skills, or the Cash News Crew, which teaches video production and public speaking skills. The C-rated East Forsyth Middle recently opened its Verizon Innovative Learning Lab, a technology-focused space within the school's media center that features 3D printers, virtual reality equipment and a maker's space. Students at the B-rated East Forsyth High can take career-focused technical courses in fields like health science, finance, graphic design and engineering. Through these courses, they can earn industry certifications or complete professional internships in their chosen field. For those looking for a spot to fish, Kernersville Lake Park features docks and boat launch points where locals can catch and release fish. Here, locals can also enjoy unpaved nature trails through the forested areas surrounding the lake and a bright blue playground for the kids. The nearby Civitan Park features basketball, pickleball, tennis courts, and a small playground. Most retail can be found further south, closer to Downtown Kernersville, although restaurants are nearby. Little Richard’s Smokehouse BBQ is a local favorite for barbeque, with four locations across the triad area, including one on the west end of Northwest Kernersville. The locally owned El Maguey Restaurant is another favorite for authentic Mexican cuisine, after which residents may choose to get dessert at Miso’s Ice Cream. Locals can head to the nearby Lowes Foods for their groceries. Nearby highways like I-74 and Route 421 provide access to outlying areas within the Piedmont Triad, including Winston-Salem 10 miles west, Greensboro 23 miles east, and High Point 15 miles south. Piedmont Triad International Airport lies 19 miles east, while nearby hospitals include the Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center, about 8 miles south. Community events can be found a short 5-mile drive away in Downtown Kernersville. Korner’s Folly, a local historic site, hosts seasonal celebrations for Halloween and Christmas. The Kernersville Museum also hosts seasonal events, opening a small skating rink in their historic village from late November to early January.

Just east of the rustic Kernersville township is a late 20th-century suburb with a few pockets of homes. The neighborhood is highly industrial, with commercial warehouses occupying the area's southern end. Homes, however, sit in cozy cul-de-sacs along rolling hills with tall trees. Filling the suburbs is a diverse housing set from the late 1980s and early 90s. The yards are more generous than in surrounding neighborhoods to the west, as Macy Grove is a gateway between downtown living and sprawling farmland. "Kernersville is where people relocate to get out of the city but still have quick access to wherever they need to go. It's the new Jamestown," says Greg Hampton, a resident of the neighborhood for 21 years who also runs his business, Alpha Fasteners, from Macy Grove. Just outside downtown Kernersville and within ten miles of Winston-Salem, Macy Grove meets convenience with quiet countryside living. Macy Grove homes are predominantly ranches with small front porches and forested backyards. Many multi-level Cape Cods and farmhouse-inspired modern builds have three to four bedrooms and attached garages ranging between $175,000 and $400,000. Sitting on manicured lawns, it's not uncommon to see privacy fences bordering pools and playgrounds behind homes. A large townhouse development is at the neighborhood's northern end, with units that can be purchased for around $200,000. While most homes offer a suburban feel, some houses are found outside the more planned neighborhoods and feature a few acres. These can exceed the $600,000 price point. Sidewalks are rare in Macy Grove. However, given the neighborhood has very few through-streets, the quiet roads are frequently utilized by dog walkers, joggers, and residents enjoying an evening walk. Kernersville Mountain Bike Park begins in Macy Grove, leading bikers through the dense woods that back up to a few houses. For another athletic outlet, people visit Triad Park's sand volleyball courts, baseball diamond, soccer field and playground. The park is also home to Patriot Disc Golf Course, where the woodsy, rolling hills make for a challenging game. Just off Berry Garden Road is the Kernersville Golf Center. The driving range provides artificial and natural turf for working on one's swing, and Civitan Park is perfect for those working on their pickleball or tennis game. Shopping plazas with Walmart, Target and fast-food chains surround downtown Kernersville, but for nearby drinks and entertainment, families and friends head to Gypsy Road Brewing Company. The locally-owned brewery newly opened its doors in 2018 and has since been awarded for its craft ales and lagers. The beer garden and event venue provides ample seating and space for celebrations and events, regularly hosting local musicians to showcase their music live. Greg Hampton mentioned that his friend's band had been one of the bands to perform at the brewery. Those looking to skip cooking for a night can rely on Prissy Polly's Barbecue to supply the comfort of a home-cooked meal. Inside the restaurant are several picnic tables dressed in red and white checkered tablecloths. Everything from fried chicken and classic barbecue to mashed potatoes and loaded potato salad is on the menu. Salem Parkway runs along the neighborhood's southern end, and nearby ramps allow straightforward commuting to Kernersville, Winston-Salem or Greensboro. "It sometimes takes longer than it should to get around because of congestion in and around Kernersville," says Greg Hampton. "A lot of apartment buildings are popping up, adding traffic to the area." Residents rely heavily on their cars to travel to work and run errands, given there is no public transportation in town. Winston Salem/Forsyth County School District serves the neighborhood and is the highest-rated district in the surrounding Greensboro area. Students usually begin at Kernersville Elementary School, rated a B-minus by Niche. The school has various summer activities, including physical education, arts and music. Kernersville Middle School and East Forsyth High School are where most continue learning, both receiving a rating of B. The high school features nearly 50 clubs for students to enroll in, including drama and anime clubs.

Century Park/Smith Creek’s quiet residential streets exude the secluded and peaceful atmosphere Kernersville neighborhoods are known for. Less than 2 miles south of downtown, near the South Main Street and North Carolina Highway 66 shopping and dining corridors, it’s sought-after for its convenience, too. “Kernersville is a growing town, but it still has that small-town feel to it,” says Nikki Rottweiler, a Realtor with eXp Realty’s Head Realty Group. She says one of the perks of living this close to the “super cute” downtown is that residents are well-positioned to take advantage of the town’s “local restaurants, local shops and unique town festivals,” like the annual Honeybee Festival. Plus, at the heart of the Piedmont Triad, Winston-Salem is just 10 miles west and Greensboro is just 20.5 miles east. Rottweiler says the fact that locals can enjoy quiet suburban living without spending hours commuting to and from work every day is “one of the huge benefits” of the area. “There are new constructions, older homes and everything in between,” says Angelique Smith, local Realtor with High Key Realty. Contemporary, Split Level and ranch-style homes from the 1970s and ‘80s start at around $200,000, but prices here can go as high as $350,000 for 1990s Colonial Revivals and more than $450,000 for Traditional-style new builds. The neighborhood is heavily shaded by towering trees, and lawns tend to be neatly landscaped and wide, often stretching all the way to the street uninterrupted by sidewalks or curbs. There are also pockets of planned developments, like Quaker Ridge off Whicker Road, where the homes are more closely spaced, with smaller lawns that are punctuated by sidewalks. Caleb’s Creek Elementary earns a B from Niche. Southeast Middle and Glenn High both earn C-plusses. High schoolers can participate in a variety of clubs and extracurriculars, including the National Technical Honor Society, Spanish Club and the service-oriented Interact Club, which is sponsored by the local Rotary Club chapter. The three schools are all within 5 miles of the neighborhood, south across Interstate 40. Century Lake Park offers a sunny fishing pier and picnic tables on the banks of the small, serene lake at the center of the community. The surrounding woods shade the short, paved trail that connects the waterfront to the picnic areas, public restrooms and parking lot. A little more than 2 miles north, Fourth of July Park draws locals from around town for its extensive array of amenities. The 17-acre park has tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, an ADA-accessible playground, three large picnic shelters and walking trails. Rottweiler says Fourth of July Park is one of the most popular parks in town, especially in the summer months when it hosts all kinds of events, from pickleball tournaments to cycling clinics. “Kernersville is known for the Honeybee Festival, which is held at Fourth of July Park,” she says. “It’s a vendor festival, with scratch-made and local stuff, concerts and kids’ activities.” The festival has been celebrated annually since 1975 in honor of Brady Mullinax, a local beekeeper who helped make the honeybee the North Carolina state insect. Even closer to home, Korner’s Folly puts on regular vintage markets and an annual Oktoberfest celebration from the historic 19th-century mansion on South Main Street. There are myriad retail and restaurant options close to home on South Main Street and North Carolina Highway 66. For groceries, head to the Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Lowes Foods or Aldi, all on South Main within a mile of most homes. There’s a Target nearby, too, as well as familiar favorite food chains like Starbucks and Crumbl Cookies. One of Rottweiler’s favorite local restaurants, J. Pepper’s Southern Grille, is on South Main, near Lowes Foods a little more than a mile north. “This is its only location,” she says, adding that the eatery is known for doing classic Southern comfort food really well. Another of her personal Kernersville favorites is Sixty Six Grill & Taphouse, on Highway 66 just 2.5 miles east. The eatery is a Triad-based chain with only three locations and features an eclectic menu with items ranging from Greek-style pita wraps to loaded nachos and spaghetti parmarosa. Greensboro is 20.5 miles east down Interstate 40, a drive that takes less than 25 minutes, depending on traffic. Winston-Salem is even closer; the 10-mile drive west via US Route 421 takes just 15 minutes. The Piedmont Triad International Airport is a little more than 14 miles east.