While a cold winter is looming, the tourism industry is piping hot in Winston-Salem, NC. The holidays (AKA tourist season) is upon us. It's not hard to see why Forsyth County was ranked sixth in travel impact among North Carolina's 100 Counties in 2014.

Here are some seasonal festivities for locals and tourists alike to enjoy.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a candlelight Christmas tour or self-guided tour of Old Salem. Stop by Single Brothers House to see traditional candles made at Candle Tea. Moravian hymns, love feast coffee and sugar cake are also part of the tradition. You can also see candles made in historic Bethabara.

Directed by retired principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre and former dean of the UNCSA School of Dance, UNCSA’s "The Nutcracker" is the largest of its kind in the Triad and is hailed as a performance of “enormous power and artistic excellence,” by YES! Weekly.

1917 Christmas tours at the Reynolda House. Hear stories of the tobacco-rich family’s Christmas traditions. The experience includes stories played on the original Aeolian organ and Christmas cards and letters received by the Reynolds family.

From the beautiful historic villages of Old Salem and Bethabara to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ critically acclaimed production of "The Nutcracker," it’s no surprise that so many come to visit this time of year.