Eric,
I've travelled to the Winston-Salem area many dozens of times on business and pleasure. My wife and I are big tennis players and we saw the US Davis Cup there a bunch of years ago. My son had visited Wake Forest and did some showcases there as well.
There is a hotel called Graylyn, which is the old RJ Reynolds mansion that has been turned into a really, really nice hotel. The food was exceptional a few years ago, but I haven't been back for a while. So, if you are bringing the wife, I highly recommend Graylyn. It is very close to WFU, and some other historic sites in the area.
Graylyn Manor