you’ll enjoy shopping, cuisine and music that will take you from uptown
style to down home fare.
With so much to see and do in the area, we recommend the following 3-
day itinerary. Enjoy all the area has to offer by mixing and matching
events to your particular interest. Be sure to check days and hours of
operation for each venue.
3-Day Itinerary (Brief)
Day One
Cuisine in Chapel Hill and Carrboro
Day Two
Off to market in Raleigh: culinary delights
Day Three
A day of dining and music history in Durham
Please see our recommendations for the best places to stay and eat in the NC Triangle area at the bottom of this page!
Please see our recommendations for the best places to stay eat at the bottom of this page!
Day 1
Chapel Hill:
Begin your day with breakfast at the Weathervane Restaurant, part of
A Southern Season. In 1975, A Southern Season opened as a tiny coffee
roastery. These days, A Southern Season has expanded to 60,000 square
feet, and the National Association of the Specialty Food Trade selected
this store as “2004 Outstanding Retailer of the Year.” After breakfast,
take a while to browse the wide selection of gifts and gourmet specialties.
If you’re exploring downtown Chapel Hill, you’re bound to run into
Carrboro. The Durham-Greensboro Southern Railway line built their
depot here in the late 1800s in an effort to keep noisy trains from
bothering the busy academics at the University of North Carolina. Try
lunch in Carrboro at Panzanella, a restaurant that bases its menu on
available local produce.
Following lunch, wander the Weaver Street Market,
a cooperative
dedicated to supporting local farmers, providing for community needs
with plenty of attention to the environment. You can shop at Carr Mill, a
restored textile mill listed on the National Register of Historic Places, or
drive out to Maple View Dairy, locally owned and operated, to enjoy an
ice cream cone on the front porch. They even have sugar-free flavors.
For dinner, you might try one of Chapel Hill’s four-diamond restaurants:
Carolina Crossroads in the Carolina Inn, the “front porch” for the
University of North Carolina, or Il Palio at the Siena Hotel, named for
Italy’s famous horse race. And the town also offers plenty of casual
options that highlight local produce on their menus such as the Acme
Food and Beverage Company.
Nighttime here offers numerous arts events that take place throughout
the year at the University of North Carolina or the Carrboro ArtsCenter.
Day 2
Raleigh:
Spend the day in Raleigh, North Carolina’s state capital. Enjoy a narrated,
hour-long tour of the city on the historic trolley. Afterwards, stop in at the
City Market for lunch at Big Ed’s. This is real Southern fare; don’t forget
to try the biscuits, and if you’re here on a Saturday, you might catch a
Dixieland band performing amongst the restaurant’s collection of antique
farm implements and political memorabilia. Big Ed says, “If you leave
here hungry, it’s your own fault!”
After the down-home feast, you might be in the mood for a little exercise.
Stroll through the North Carolina Farmers Market and browse 75 acres
of items from across the state. The market hosts special events yearround
to spotlight the market’s products, like chili cook-offs and the North
Carolina Battle of the Sauces.
Learn about one of the oldest homes in the area on a narrated tour at the
Mordecai Historic Park, site of an antebellum plantation museum. Then
visit Wake County’s oldest home, the Joel Lane House, dating from the
1770s. Docents here will provide garden tours that discuss uses of herbs
for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Day 3
Durham:
Take a day to see some Durham sights, like the campus of Duke
University and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and enjoy some fine cuisine.
Durham’s distinctive dining is arguably the most sophisticated in the
state, thanks to a thriving colony of nationally acclaimed chefs who call
Durham home. These “Celebrated Cuisine” restaurants and their chefs
have been regionally or nationally reviewed and ranked. Try lunch is at
Foster’s Market. Owner Sara Foster honed her culinary skills working on
Martha Stewart’s catering team.
Durham offers a wide variety of food and music options for the afternoon.
Attend a highly acclaimed signature annual event such as The Bull
Durham Blues Festival, a celebration in the birthplace of the Piedmont
Blues.
Visit Historic Durham Athletic Park to see where Bull Durham was
filmed. Although the Durham Bulls now play at a park a mile away, the
historic park is still home to festivals, special events and amateur
baseball games. A stop at The Tuba Exchange allows you to see the
only store in the nation dealing exclusively in tubas, euphoniums and
sousaphones (over 200 vintage instruments are on display).
For dinner, we suggest another Celebrated Cuisine restaurant, Bullock’s
Bar-B-Que. In North Carolina, barbeque is a passion, so prepare for an
unforgettable culinary experience. View some famous faces who have
eaten at Bullock’s on the celebrity “Wall of Fame.”
Top Places to Stay Around the Triangle:
The Fearrington House Country Inn – Pittsboro/Chapel Hill (Our top pick!)
The Umstead Hotel and Spa – Cary/Raleigh
Four Points by Sheraton at Southpoint – Durham
The Carolina Inn – Chapel Hill
Not staying in NC Triangle area?