Chapel Hill Magazine recently published a list of things you must do in Chapel Hill, which we thought was worth posting. Please note we have made a few substitutions, based on our own experience of living in this part of the Triangle for the past 30 years.
ARTS / ENTERTAINMENT
- Attend a Carolina Performing Arts show at Memorial Hall
- Laugh at stand-up performers at DSI Comedy Theater
- Participate in the 2ndFriday Artwalk
- Get a book signed by an author at Flyleaf Books or McIntyre's Books
- Listen to a great band at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw
- Catch a movie at The Varsity or Lumina theaters
- View the latest exhibition at Ackland Art Museum or FRANK Gallery
- Watch your favorite band perform at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro
- Visit local art studios during the annual Open Studio Tours (Nov.-Dec.)
- Attend an outdoor concert at Briar Chapel's Summer Music Series (Jun.-Sept.)
- Catch a traveling Broadway show at Durham Performing Arts Center
- Take a walking tour of the colorful murals throughout town (download map)
SPORTS / OUTDOORS
- Attend a UNC Football, Soccer, Baseball or Basketball game (Go Heels!)
- Play a round of golf at UNC’s Finley Golf Course, or other nearby courses
- Catch the excitement at Tar Heel Town on a UNC football game day (Sept.-Nov.)
- Spend an afternoon among the memorabilia at the Carolina Basketball Museum
- See the caricatures of UNC icons on the walls at Spanky’s Restaurant and Bar
- Watch a game or Franklin Street celebrations from the balcony at Top of the Hill
- Rush Franklin Street after a UNC victory over Duke
- Hike the Occoneechee or Briar Chapel trails
- Go for a kayak adventure along the Haw River
- Go for a nature walk at the N.C. Botanical Garden
- Enjoy Fridays on the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn (Apr.-Oct.)
- Have a picnic in the Coker Arboretum
- Check out the local farm scene on the annual Piedmont Farm Tour (April)
- Go for a walk in Jordan Lake's Educational Forest, and lookout for bald eagles
- Relax on the lawn of Weaver Street Market in Carrboro
- Go fishing on the Eno River
- Stroll along the scenic Riverwalk, an urban greenway in Hillsborough
FAMILY FUN
- See Paperhand Puppet Intervention perform an outdoor show at Forest Theatre
- See the Beltie cows & goats and stroll the walkable Fearrington Village
- Pile a cone high with Carolina Crunch from Maple View Farm
- Catch an afternoon show at Morehead Planetarium
- Watch an outdoor movie while floating in the saltwater pool at Briar Chapel
- Learn and explore with the kids at Kidzu Children’s Museum
- Camp out for a good spot at the Fourth of July fireworks at Kenan Stadium
- Ring in the Christmas season with Ira David Wood's A Christmas Carol
- Browse more than 100 artists’ booths during Festifall (Oct.)
- Take a tour of Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro
FOODIE
- Taste the Honeysuckle Sorbet at Crook’s Corner
- Order a Single, Double, or Triple BLT at Merritt’s Store & Grill
- Try a craft cocktail at The Crunkleton or the hidden Peccadillo.
- Shop local produce from the Carrboro Farmers’ Market
- Taste dishes by local chefs at the annual Pepper Festival in Briar Chapel (Oct.)
- Take a brewery or distillery tour of Carolina Brewery or Top of the Hill
- Wait in line on a weekend morning at Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen
- Finish a 33-ounce blue cup of beer at He’s Not Here
- Buy a cut of meat from Cliff’s Meat Market in Carrboro
- Pick out gourmet gifts at Southern Season
CLASSICS
- Take a guided tour of the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery
- Drink from the Old Well
- Kiss your sweetheart below the Davie Poplar tree on UNC’s campus
- Get a milk shake and a hamburger at Sutton’s
- Celebrate Halloween in a big way on Franklin Street
- Dine at Carolina Coffee Shop, the town’s oldest restaurant
- Shop for a Carolina blue tie at (Alexander) Julian’s
- Walk around a historic neighborhood like Gimghoul to admire the architecture
